Richard Masana 
This Sunday’s slate will be starting a little bit earlier than we’ve become accustomed to. While we have a number of options for tournaments I will be rolling out a game stack. Let’s get down to the specifics below.
Aside from reading the article, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS Projection Model which is available every morning.
12/4 NHL Main Slate of Games – Beginning 3 p.m. ET
*All odds and player pricing below have been obtained from DraftKings and are accurate as of the time of writing*
Minnesota Wild (+130) at Dallas Stars (-150) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Anaheim Ducks (+205) at Winnipeg Jets (-245) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Detroit Red Wings (-120) at Columbus Blue Jackets (+100) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
San Jose Sharks (+120) at Buffalo Sabres (-140) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Chicago Blackhawks (+235) at New York Islanders (-280) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
12/4 NHL Favorite Popular Line
San Jose One “Tomas Hertl ($5,400), Timo Meier ($8,000), Kevin Labanc ($3,700)“
We are fortunate to have the runaway leaders in SATF over the last ten games on a five-game Sunday slate. As always, I am looking to target expected goals more than actual production. The goal “if you will” is to shift any positive regression in our favor. We also have the season-long SATF leaders on this slate in the form of Dallas One. However, with 21 goals to show for their 269 SATF as compared to 14 on 214 for San Jose’s top unit, their production matches their peripheral stats. Dallas is also locked in a six-total game with the Wild. Meanwhile, the Sharks have a tasty matchup with the defensively challenged Buffalo Sabres in a 6.5 total game.
12/4 NHL Favorite Contrarian Line
Buffalo One “Tage Thompson ($7,900), Alex Tuch ($5,600), Jeff Skinner ($5,300)”
At first glance at this slate, I figured I’d have a line from the other 6.5 total game featuring the Red Wings and Blue Jackets here. However, as I dug in further, I realized if you look a couple of lines below the Sharks, we see another line of interest. Buffalo One is third in the NHL in SATF over their last ten games. Now Tage Thompson seems overpriced if you ask me relative to the other two skaters on this line. Therefore, if you need the savings for a better overall quality line, he should be the first man out. Thompson has 15 goals and 17 assists, to Alex Tuch’s 11 goals and 12 assists, and Jeff Skinner’s 11 goals and 14 assists. I mean, his numbers are a bit better than his linemates but not $2,300/$2,600 better respectively.
Defensemen and Goalie
Defensemen
Matt Benning – San Jose – $2,800 – Some solid numbers here for a $2,800 punt. He has double-digit DraftKings points in four of his six games. Most of his production comes from simply blocking shots like a maniac but really if he does that, it’s all that we will need for this price.
Goalies
Conor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg- $8,400 – Anaheim comes in on the second night of a back to back to face Conor Hellebuyck and the Jets. They will be playing early by the usual Ducks west coast standards after traveling to Winnipeg where the Jets are -245 favorites. As for the man himself, Hellebuyck continues to be a smooth operator to the tune of a 2.29 GAA and .931 save %. His last outing was an absolute masterpiece 40 save shutout win against the defending NHL champion Avalanche.
12/4 NHL Best Bet
Chicago Blackhawks +1.5/ (-105) – 0.67 Units, Chicago Blackhawks ML (+235) – 0.33 Units – DraftKings – You all know I love the Islanders with all my heart. That said, there has been some regression coming for a while given they are dead last in the NHL in expected goals. They lost 3-1 to the Flyers Tuesday night followed by a 4-1 loss to the Predators Friday Night “albeit they won the sog battle by a very large margin”. This all said the Hawks come in on the second night of a back-to-back after upsetting the Rangers 5-2 and don’t have the normal travel you would have in such a circumstance. With the Islanders currently -280 money line favorites, there’s some value here.
Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Rich will be there answering questions all day and all night! He is not very difficult to find on Discord with the username Rich Masana. Follow Rich on Twitter @JFan303 and be sure to be on the lookout for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/
