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Welcome to the Saturday Slapshot.  I’m Jared and I’ll be your host.  Tonight we have a solid 10 game slate where I’ll be highlighting some of my top plays for tonight’s NHL slate on Fanduel and Draftkings. 

Before we dive in I want to highlight some terms you’ll see in my article:

• Corsi – Any shot attempt (goals, shots on net, misses and blocks) outside of the shootout
• Even Strength – Play where both teams have the same number of players (including goalies) on the ice. Includes 5v5, 4v4, 3v3
• Power Play – Play where the team has more players on the ice than their opponent due to penalties. Includes 5v4, 5v3, 4v3
• Penalty Kill – Play where the team has fewer players on the ice than their opponent due to penalties. Includes 4v5, 3v4, 3v5

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss ($7.2k DK/$7k FD) vs. Montreal Canadiens – Greiss is the projected starter for the Red Wings and if he does indeed get the nod between the pipes I’m all in.  The Canadiens have been brutal to start to the year as they are still yet to find the win column.  Through their first 5 games they’ve only managed to score 3 even strength goals.  In Greiss we have a goaltender who’s look solid in his first two outings with a .969 save % and just a 1 GAA. 

Frederik Andersen ($8.1k DK/$7.8k FD) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – Through his first 3 starts on the year Andersen has looked extremely sharp.  He’s been averaging 30 saves per game and has a .938 save %.  With Cam Atkins no longer on the squad, this Blue Jackets team is nowhere near as scary as they used to be. 

They’ve been averaging less than 2 even strength goals per game in their 4 first games and if the Hurricanes can stay out of the penalty box I don’t see any reason why Anderson won’t keep up his string of solid starts.  I do like his price quite a bit better on FD than DK, but he’s a solid play on both.

Jordan Binnington ($8.5k DK/$7.5k FD) vs. Los Angeles Kings – While he’s playable on DK, this is more of a FD play tonight since he’s $1k cheaper there. Binnington gets an extremely solid match up tonight.  After the Kings exploded for 6 goals on opening, they’ve only been able to muster 5 goals in their last 3 games.  Binnington is coming off his best start of the year in which he saved 42 of the 43 shots that the Vegas Knights had.  Look for Binnington to post another strong performance tonight.

Stacks

Carolina 2 (Andrei Svechnikov/Vincent Trocheck/Martin Necas)

Svechnikov has been rolling to start the year.  Through just 3 games he has 4 goals and 5 points.  Him and his line mates get a great match up tonight vs. a Blue Jackets team that has been challenged to start the year.  The Blue Jackets have a Corsi % of 45% (really want to be above 50%) at even strength to start the year.  They’re giving up way more shot attempts than they taking themselves. 

Another way to get exposure to the Hurricanes tonight is to go with their PP1.  You can drop Necas and add in either Sebastian Aho or Tony DeAngelo.  Any way you slice it, I really like the Hurricanes chances of putting up a big number tonight and it’s all going to start with Svechnikov.  He’s your Hurricanes lock and you’ll want to build around him. 

Detroit PP1 (Dylan Larkin/Tyler Bertuzzi/Nick Leddy/Lucas Raymond)

I focused on the Canadiens struggles scoring goals above, now I’m going to focus on their inability to keep the puck out of the net.  Through their first 5 games the Canadiens have given up 8 power play goals.  Their penalty kill has been atrocious and I really want to attack it.  Bertuzzi, Larkin, and Raymond all play together at even strength and on the power play. 

Those that hang out in discord know my affinity for Raymond.  He scored his first goal of his career the other night and I love his chances of adding to that total tonight.  This trio is going to be a ton of fun to watch this year and they get a soft match up tonight.  On DK, I’m probably going to fade Bertuzzi and play Leddy because $7.6k is just a bit more than I’d like to pay for him.  On FD though, Bertuzzi is just $4.9k and is a must play in my eyes. 

Vancouver 1 (Elias Pettersson/JT Miller/Brock Boeser)

Of all the teams playing tonight, no team has given up more high danger chances at even strength than the Seattle Kraken.  They’ve given up 11 through their first 5 games.  They’ve also given up a ton of scoring chances through those 5 as their opponents have had more than 23 scoring chances per game.  In comparison a team like the Predators is only giving up 18 per game. 

My favorite pieces of this stack are Pettersson and Miller.  The two of them have combined for 29 shots this season and 13 high danger scoring chances.  With the Kraken’s propensity to give up high danger chances and their ability to get those some types of chances, I really like their chances find the back of the net multiple times tonight. 

Other stacks (Islanders PP1, Florida Panthers 1, Arizona Coyotes 1, St. Louis Blues 1)

Value Defenseman

Sean Walker – Averaging more than 20 minutes per game on the ice.  Has averaged more than 4 shots + blocks per game and is also seeing power play time

Erik Cernak – Isn’t seeing power play time, but is on the nice for more than 20 minute per game.  Also averaging more than 4 shots + blocks per game.

Brett Pesce – Has played 23, 23, and 22 minutes in 3 games so far.  Last game had 5 blocks.  Love playing guys that have no regard for their bodies and willing to block that many shots

Brady Skjei – The ex Rangers defenseman has been putting in the work this year.  20 minutes of ice time per game.  Averaging multiple shots + blocks per game.

Summary

We have a great slate tonight with 10 games on top.  The Hurricanes and Red Wings are my favorite spots for offense tonight.  Both teams should put up a big number.  While I didn’t mention the Maple Leafs they get a great match up tonight, especially if Casey DeSmith is between the pipes.

Good luck and hope to see you in the green!

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