Richard Masana 
The Hot Shot returns for a loaded Thursday night slate. We have thirteen games and there are lots of options to choose from and we will cover a few of them below. Aside from reading this 1/11 NHL DFS article, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS Projection Model which is available every morning. If you like what you see, sign up for more Win Daily content here.
1/11 NHL Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET
*All odds and player pricing below have been obtained from DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the time of writing*
Ottawa Senators (+110) at Buffalo Sabres (-130) – 7 Projected Goal Total
San Jose Sharks (+130) at Montreal Canadiens (-155) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Toronto Maple Leafs (-130) at New York Islanders (+110) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Edmonton Oilers (-175) at Detroit Red Wings (+145) – 7 Projected Goal Total
New Jersey Devils (+114) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-135) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Los Angeles Kings (+114) at Florida Panthers (-135) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Vancouver Canucks (+105) at Pittsburgh Penguins (-125) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Seattle Kraken (-118) at Washington Capitals (-102) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Anaheim Ducks (+270) at Carolina Hurricanes (-340) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
New York Rangers (-166) at St. Louis Blues (+140) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Chicago Blackhawks (+340) at Winnipeg Jets (-440) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Calgary Flames (-118) at Arizona Coyotes (-102) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Boston Bruins (-125) at Vegas Golden Knights (+105) – 6 Projected Goal Total
1/11 NHL Favorite Lines
Montreal One – “Nick Suzuki ($5,500), Cole Caufield ($6,100)” – TWO MAN ONLY
It’s not often that the Montreal Canadiens are featured in the Hot Shot. In fact, this is likely their first appearance this season. However, I think that we have the perfect storm tonight. First off, the Canadiens play host to one of our favorite punching bags, the San Jose Sharks, and they are -155 favorites in a 6.5 projected total matchup. Next, they happen to have one of the hottest lines in the NHL. Montreal’s top line is currently tied for fifth among all NHL lines in terms of SATF “135” over their last ten games.
The next part comes down to lineup construction and salary considerations. As always, we have two center spots to fill so all else equal we have to give that some weight. Nick Suzuki’s price is fair at $5,500 and he’s had strong production with 34 points in 39 games “12 goals and 22 assists”. The fact that it so easy to pass on Juraj Slafkovsky “only 14 points in the same 39 games” helps make for an easy decision.
Of course, if we’re going to use this line, we’re also going to use Cole Caufield. At $6,100 he seems like a bit of a bargain. While his 27 points in 39 games so far this season are underwhelming for what we might expect from him, he has been much better as of late and is due for a big game. Between filling a center spot and utilizing moderate salaries with upside, so far, we are off to a good start.
Carolina One – “Sebastian Aho ($7,200), Andrei Svechnikov ($5,800)” – TWO MAN ONLY
Let’s start with the setup. The Hurricanes are -350 favorites hosting the Ducks in a projected 6.5 total matchup. On these bigger slates we like to target two-man lines and in some situations like Montreal’s which we previously covered, it’s an easy decision which two skaters to use from the selected line. I similarly think this line sets up similarly. While this line over has had middling stats, the two selected skaters listed above stand out.
Sebastian Aho “$7,200” is the tenth highest priced active center on DraftKings on this slate. However, within his past six games he has put up totals of 22.5, 27.5, 26.0, and 29.5 DraftKings points with at least three real life points in each of those efforts. He is clearly hitting his stride just in time for this soft matchup and also fills our second center spot.
Speaking of hot, at only $5,800, Andrei Svechnikov feels like a steal given his recent production. He has double-digits DraftKings points in six of his last seven games. This includes three performances finishing up with 24.5, 22.8, and 36.0 “hat trick” DraftKings points respectively.
You’d think with his linemates going wild, Teuvo Teravainen “$4,500” would luck into some points, right? Given how putrid he has been I will take a hard pass and pay the extra $1,300 for Svechnikov. I think any further thoughts I have regarding Teravainen are perhaps better left unsaid.
Winnipeg One – “Nikolaj Ehlers ($6,800), Gabriel Vilardi ($5,700)” TWO-MAN ONLY
When you’re a -440 favorite in a single hockey game, that speaks volumes. While their matchup with the Blackhawks only has a six total, it is no surprise where most of the goals are expected to be coming from. This line ranks tenth among NHL lines over their last ten games in terms of SATF “128” and is tied for sixth in goals “8”.
It is hard for me to stomach Mark Scheifele’s price at $6,900. Also, as of the time of writing, there has been no clarification regarding his status after an ear injury he suffered the other night. Given that this isn’t the soft NBA and instead it’s the NHL, I’d assume he will tough it out and play.
Since we don’t need any more centers, let’s turn to the two wings, Nikolaj Ehlers “$6,800” and Gabriel Vilardi “$5,700”. Both of the wings share additional correlation on Winnipeg’s first powerplay unit. Given the odds tonight, it’s a fair assessment to say the Jets may have a few powerplay opportunities. Although the price on Ehlers has snuck up a bit over the last few weeks, his production has also increased across that span. Vilardi has not been quite as good as Ehlers but has been solid and saves us $1,200 from Scheifele and these are savings we need.
1/11 NHL Defensemen and Goalies
Defensemen
Lukas Cormier – Vegas -$2,700 – We need very, very cheap defensemen to make everything work salary-wise. Currently due to all of the Golden Knight’s injuries, Cormier, only one game into his NHL career thus far is slated as quarterback of the Golden Knight’s top power-play unit. He grabbed an assist his first time out while seeing nineteen minutes of ice time and we’re just not going to get similar upside for this price.
Nick Perbix – Tampa Bay – $2,800 – Definitely not a sexy pick, but Perbix is contributing in a number of different ways between providing some assists and blocking shots, hence the 5.2 DraftKings points per game average. He fits salary wise and if you use every other player listed in this article your lineup will have $0 left remaining and cannot do any better.
Goalies
This is a rough slate for goalies, so I think the idea is to pay down a little bit as you’re not losing much passing on the highest priced goalies. With as many games as there are I was shocked to like so few goalies.
Adin Hill may be an option if he returns but then we have to keep eyes peeled and the Bruins aren’t the easiest matchup to return to face. Furthermore, were also a bit salary challenged if you used all six main skaters listed.
Alex Lyon – Detroit – $7,200 – I don’t mind Alex Lyon for $7,200 in a boom or bust matchup hosting the Oilers. He is already confirmed to start in net and has a stellar 2.51 GAA and .920 SV % this season. That said being confirmed so early and due to his price he may be chalky and can get blown up given as the seven projected total indicates.
Thatcher Demko – Vancouver – $7,400 – This where I’m currently leaning. We know Demko is a stud “2.54 GAA, .916 SV %”, he is fairly cheap at $7,400, the Canucks are close to even money in this matchup and the Penguins allow the most DraftKings points to opposing goalies. Much like Alex Lyon above, he may get blown up here. However, if taking some chances, I prefer to take them against the Penguins rather than Edmonton.
1/11 NHL Best Bet
Florida ML – (-135) – DraftKings – Facing the Kings who are traveling to the east coast, we have a team that has won eight straight hosting a team that has dropped six straight. While the law of averages isn’t absolute, for such close odds backing the Panthers makes sense.
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