Buffalo Sabres

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 that may be foreign to you:

• 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

Craig Anderson ($7.9k DK/$6.9k FD) vs. Detroit Red Wings – I really love the spot tonight for Anderson.  He hit a little bit of a bump in the road in his last start against San Jose but the Sharks are better than advertised.  On the year Anderson has a solid .921 save % and 2.49 GAA.  He’s facing a Red Wings team tonight that is currently struggling. 

They’re riding a 4 game losing streak and have only scored once in 2 games in November.  The Red Wings should also be without their Captain in Dylan Larkin who is away from the team for personal reason.  I’m a big fan of him on both sites tonight, especially FD where he’s below $7k.

Robin Lehner ($7.8K DK/$7.4k FD) vs. Montreal Canadiens – If Lehner gets the nod in goal tonight I’m a big fan of him being one of the top goalies on the night.  He’s coming off his best outing of the year after stopping 38 of 39 shots from the Senators.  While he’s had a few rough outings this season so far, he also has a very solid .915 save %. 

The Golden Knights give up a ton of shots and Lehner is facing a team tonight in the Canadiens that have one of the worst shooting %’s in the league at just 6.88%.  Look for the Canadiens to fire a bunch of pucks on net tonight with Lehner saving almost all of them.  He’s a solid pick on both sites.    

Igor Shesterkin ($7.3k DK/$7.9k FD) vs. Calgary Flames – The price of Shesterkin on DK tonight seems a bit low for a goaltender with a .943 save % and just a 1.85 GAA.  Shesty as us Rangers fans like to call him has been one of the best goalies in the league so far.  He’s reached at least 22 points in 4 of his 8 starts this year with 2 of them being over 30.  Rangers give up close to 33 shots per game so we know there will be a ton of volume and volume is good for goalies in DFS.  Flames have started out November pretty slow with back to back losses.  Look for them to make it 3 straight losses tonight as they get stonewalled by Shesterkin. 

Stacks

Buffalo 1 (Thompson/Skinner/Asplund/Dahlin)

The Red Wings have been one of the more defensively challenged teams so far on this young season.  They have a corsi of 44% which is one of the worst numbers of the 20 teams on the ice tonight.  They’re also giving up more than 3.5 goals per game.  I’m going to target Detroit with the top line of Buffalo who has been pretty solid over their last 5 games. 

Combined the group of Thompson, Skinner, and Asplund have 6 goals over the last 5 games and 12 points.  They correlate very well together as they play together on the power play as well.  Asplund is the cheapest of the bunch at just $3.6k tonight on DK and has been the most productive with 3 goals and 3 assists in the last 5.  Buffalo is one of the my favorite teams on the night and they are extremely affordable.

Washington 1 (Ovechkin/Kuznetsov/Wilson/Carlson)

Our first stack in the Sabres was cheap and it opens up salary for us to be able to afford Ovechkin(Ovi).  Ovi is on a heater right now with 5 goals and 8 points over his last 5 games.  Philly hasn’t been giving too many goals this year, but it’s not for a lack of trying. 

They’re giving up more than 33 shots per game and nearly 14 high danger chances per game.  There will be a ton of volume for the Capitals in terms of shots and the Capitals are a team that loves to shoot the puck.   While I love the entire line tonight, it’s possible that I end up just pairing Ovi with Carlson.  Carlson is playing extremely well right now and I want a piece of him.  He has points in 3 straight and has been averaging more than 4 shots plus bocks in those.  The two of them also play together on the power play. 

Vegas PP1 (Stephenson/Dadonov/Smith/Pietrangelo)

This is probably the Canadiens last game before they get Carey Price back and I want to take advantage of the spot.  Jake Allen isn’t a bad goalie, but he’s not Carey Price.  The Canadiens have struggled quite a bit this year, with goaltending being part of the problem. 

They’re giving up more than 3 goals per games this year thanks to a save % less than 90.  My thought process with picking Vegas top power play has to do with the fact that no team has given up more power play goals this season than the Canadiens.  So far this year they’ve given up 15 goals when down at least a man. 

While Vegas’ power play isn’t as strong with guys like Karlsson out, I still like their chances tonight.  My core here would Stephenson and Dadonov as they play together at even strength too.  Over the last 5 games, Stephenson and Dadonov have combined for 4 goals and 5 assists.  They should do well tonight.

Other stacks (Colorado 1, Winnipeg 1, Seattle 2, San Jose 2, Toronto 1)

Top Defenseman

• Brent Burns – San Jose
• Adam Fox – New York Rangers
• Moritz Seider – Detroit Red Wings
• Filip Hronek – Detroit Red Wings
• Shea Theodore – Vegas Golden Knights

Summary

On tap tonight we have an original 6 match up with the Boston Bruins heading to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs and we also have also have 4 teams (Rangers, Jets, Devils, and Coyotes) on the tail end of back to back games.  While I didn’t write them up as one of my top 3 stacks tonight, I do really love the spot for the Seattle tonight.  They’re facing a struggling Coyotes team that will also have tired legs. 

Good luck and hope to see you in the green!

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