This article focuses on 12/9 NHL Picks for both DraftKings Sportsbook and DraftKings Daily Fantasy. We analyze tournament tactics, statistics, pricing, and attempt to tackle this highly variable Daily Fantasy format so that we can gain an edge on the field at large. Full rankings for each position for both sites are available below.
Thursday 12/9 NHL Slate and DFS Gameplan
Welcome back to the Hot Shot for a ten-game Thursday slate!
With these larger slates, I highly advise passing on full three-man lines but instead going with pairs of two-man stacks as the goal is to attempt to capture the top scorers on the night across multiple games.
Full DraftKings Rankings can be found below as well as cash game considerations for each site.
With the biggest favorite on this slate, the Blues, carrying a money line of only -170, there is a greater degree of parity than usual across many of the slate’s top options.
Three Favorite Lines
Toronto/Tampa Game “A pair of Two Man Stacks from either Team like William Nylander/John Tavares, Auston Matthews/Wayne Simmonds, Ondrej Palat/Steven Stamkos, etc.”
This game involves two great goaltenders and particularly with some of Tampa Bay’s injuries, on its face, you think low scoring. However, the numbers tell a different story as Tampa has been a lock for three or four goals regardless of opponent lately and Toronto has been playing in some fast-paced shootouts. Picking out a line here is sort of tough as both teams really spread the wealth so to speak. Ultimately this game should exceed the lofty six total.
St. Louis Two 2 Man “Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn”
The first line is cheap as well but aside from Pavel Buchnevich, they have not really been producing and only Ryan O’Reilly features on the top power-play unit. As mentioned above, St. Louis is the biggest favorite on the slate here. Previously, Buchnevich was paired with Tarasenko skewing the data sample but assuming Schenn can compensate somewhat, we get a bit more exposure to the top power-play unit and the team’s best player in Tarasenko going this route.
Chicago One “Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brandon Hagel”
This shouldn’t be a very high-scoring line but this line is fairly cheap and if any team is scoring here, it’s probably the Blackhawks. Chicago has won its last six games visiting Montreal, whereas the hosts arrive in poor form, having dropped their last four. I think they will have some extra incentive to score and grab the win for Quebec native Marc-Andre Fleury who will be seeking his 500th career win in the net.
12/9 NHL Game Odds and Totals
Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Lightning (+115) at Toronto Maple Leafs (-135) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Anaheim Ducks (-115) at Columbus Blue Jackets (+105) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Chicago Blackhawks (-130) at Montreal Canadiens (+110) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Nashville Predators (-105) at New York Islanders (-115) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Detroit Red Wings (+150) at St. Louis Blues (-170) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Carolina Hurricanes (-105) at Calgary Flames (-115) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
Boston Bruins (+105) at Edmonton Oilers (-125) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Winnipeg Jets (-110) at Seattle Kraken (-110) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Minnesota Wild (-145) at San Jose Sharks (+125) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Dallas Stars (-135) at Los Angeles Kings (+115) – 5 Projected Goal Total
12/9 NHL DraftKings Individual Rankings
Centers
- Auston Matthews- Toronto – $9,300
- Ryan O’Reilly – St. Louis – $4,600
- Yanni Gourde – Seattle – $5,100
- Pierre Luc-Dubois – Columbus – $6,200
- Roope Hintz – Dallas – $6,900
Wingers
- Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis – $5,400
- Kirill Kaprizov – Minnesota – $7,600
- Alex DeBrincat – Chicago – $6,600
- Pavel Buchnevich – St. Louis – $4,100
- Jordan Eberle – Seattle – $4,900
Defense
- Erik Karlsson – Sharks – $4,700
- Adam Boqvist – Columbus – $2,900
- Ryan Suter – Dallas – $3,100
- Jamie Oleksiak – Seattle – $3,400
- Josh Morrisey – Winnipeg – $3,700
Goalies
- Anton Khudobin – Dallas – $8,300
- Ilya Sorokin – Islanders – $7,700
Cash Considerations
Vladimir Tarasenko, Pavel Buchnevich, Erik Karlsson, Adam Boqvist, Auston Matthews
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