Hockey DFS

Friday 12/31 NHL Breakdown

Welcome back to Win Daily Sports’ Friday Night Forecheck! Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! We hope you have a great time tonight ringing in 2022 with your friends and loved ones! Please be safe and smart tonight. Here’s wishing you and yours a very happy and healthy new year. Maybe we can ring in ’22 with some green!

A couple of notes before we get started – this slate starts at 1pm Eastern and runs throughout the day on DraftKings. On FanDuel, there is only a 2 game main slate that starts at 7pm Eastern. Because of this, plus the COVID situations, it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you keep up with the news. The games in the afternoon will be over by the time the evening games start, so be sure to keep an eye on all of your news sources through the day.

Goalies

Laurent Brossoit – Vegas Golden Knights: The Knights face the Ducks at home tonight, and the Ducks have been terrible on the road of late, scoring just 1.8 goals per game, converting a measly 5.8% of their shots. Brossoit has been solid, but he isn’t perfect. Expect him to give up a couple, especially with the Knights dealing yet again with health issues, but he should be considered a ‘safe’ play.

Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning: Vas should be returning from a COVID protocol stint, as the Lightning host the Rangers. The Lightning are on a back-to-back, but the game was against their neighbor, the Panthers, so the travel really should not affect them. They did, however, get absolutely smoked, so the Lightning should have something to prove tonight. The return of Vasilevskiy should be a nice boost to the club, and what’s even better is the shot volume should be there for upside.

Bonus GPP Goalie Pick – John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks: This pick is interesting, as the Ducks travel to Vegas to take on the Knights. The reasoning behind this pick is simple – the Knights are banged up. Outside of the second line, they should struggle to score. The worry here is that Gibson on the road is not as good as he is at home. If the Ducks can shut down that second line, then this could be a sneaky spot for a Ducks win. If he starts, he is worth a look, but if Stolarz gets the nod, then this spot becomes a lot less appealing. Consider a pivot to Igor Shesterkin as a GPP option. Mike Smith can also be considered, and carries some risk because he may not be 100% recovered from his injury.

Lines to Build Around

These lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Washington Capitals 1 – Evgeny Kuznetsov/Alex Ovechkin/Tom Wilson/John Carlson: The Caps have a FANTASTIC matchup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings match the Larkin line to the opposing top line, and that sets this line up for a potentially huge night. The entire Caps lineup is in a good spot, so consider a power play mix n match with these guys. They should carry ownership, but it could be surprisingly limited since they are the late game on the slate.

Edmonton Oilers Power Play – Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins/Zach Hyman/Tyson Barrie: The Oilers head to New Jersey to take on the Devils in the afternoon game, and that is a great spot for this unit. Stacking the power play gets you access to the top two lines, who should see the depth lines for Jersey at even strength. We all know how lethal this unit can be, and today should be no different.

High Risk Lines

These are plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

New Jersey Devils 3 – Dawson Mercer/Andreas Johnsson/Janne Kuokkanen/Damon Severson: Right on the other side of the Edmonton game, we have this very intriguing matchup. This third line should take on the Draisaitl line at even strength, which sets them up very nicely. The Draisaitl line is giving up 12.78 high danger chances against per 60, while this line generates 17.26 high danger chances for per 60. Edmonton has been known to give up goals, and this line will be overlooked. From a narrative standpoint, afternoon games can get a little weird, so with Edmonton traveling East for an early game, this is a very interesting spot.

Vegas Golden Knights 2 – William Karlsson/Jonathan Marchessault/Reilly Smith/Dylan Coghlan: As mentioned earlier, the Knights are banged up. Because of this, the second line is going to have to take on the bulk of the scoring responsibility. They have a decent matchup against the Ducks, and Vegas loves playing on home ice.

Tampa Bay Lightning Power Play – Steven Stamkos/Brayden Point/Alex Killorn/Ondrej Palat/Victor Hedman: The Lightning play host to the Rangers tonight, and they should be energized with the (hopeful) return of Vasilevskiy. On top of that, losing badly to the Panthers should give them something to prove, so they could come out on fire against the Rangers. The other school of thought is that they are tired, Vas is tired and/or rusty, and they end up putting up another dud, which is exactly why they are high risk. You can definitely make a decision between the Lightning and the Rangers in this spot, but based on recent data, the Lightning edge them out a bit. Either way, this game should be high event, and it is likely that you will need some pieces from this game. Note – if Vasilevskiy does NOT go, then this spot becomes the Rangers, especially if Lagace or a different backup that isn’t Elliott gets the nod.

Honorable mentions: ANH2, WSH3, NYRPP, DET1

Value Options – DraftKings

Center: Ross Colton ($2700) – Tampa Bay Lightning – top line value alongside Stamkos and Palat

Wing: Evgenii Dadonov ($3500) – Vegas Golden Knights – make sure he is active, but he cleared COVID protocol, and with Pacioretty out, he could move to the top line

Defense: Damon Severson ($3600) – New Jersey Devils – he has been logging heavy minutes, and at $3600, his production is plenty to pay off

Value Options – FanDuel

Center: Ross Colton ($5000) – Tampa Bay Lightning

Wing: Tom Wilson ($5300) – Washington Capitals

Defense: Moritz Seider ($5400) – Detroit Red Wings

Cash Considerations – DraftKings

Leon Draisaitl – C- Edmonton Oilers

Alex Ovechkin – W – Washington Capitals

Victor Hedman – D – Tampa Bay Lightning

Laurent Brossoit – G – Vegas Golden Knights

Cash Considerations – FanDuel

It is NOT recommended to play cash lineups on FanDuel, as it is only a 2 game slate.

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/

All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.

Friday 12/17 NHL Breakdown

Welcome back to Win Daily Sports’ Friday Night Forecheck! We have a nice 6 game slate tonight. There is a ton of news to keep up on throughout the day, as COVID has started to cause issues throughout the league. With that being said, please make sure to keep up with Twitter and in our Discord all day long for the latest news and updates. Let’s get into it! Good luck!

Goalies

Tristan Jarry – Pittsburgh Penguins: A home date against the Buffalo Sabres tonight puts Jarry in a very, very nice matchup. He should have a nice night and should be considered safe.

Anthony Stolarz – Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are in the same position as the Penguins tonight, with a home matchup against a weak opponent in the Coyotes. Stolarz has been playing very well, and this should not be too much of a test for him.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Chicago Blackhawks: Flower has really been playing well over the last few weeks. He and the Hawks are at home tonight against basically an AHL roster for the Predators, as Nashville deals with injuries and COVID. This spot for MAF is real nice, and he may be ignored with the other two heavy favorites on the board.

Bonus GPP Goalie Pick – Alexandar Georgiev – New York Rangers: The Rangers are slumping right now, and Vegas is hot, so this is a matchup that we are looking to catch Vegas tired a little bit. The Golden Knights played last night in Jersey, so they are on the second half of a traveling back to back. Georgiev is the only thing that has really been keeping the Rangers in games recently, so this could be a nice sneaky spot for a high upside upset. There is a good bit of risk involved in this, but the Rangers are due for positive regression at some point, and we want to catch them when that happens, not after.

Lines to Build Around

These lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Anaheim Ducks Power Play – Ryan Getzlaf/Trevor Zegras/Sonny Milano/Rickard Rakell/Jamie Drysdale: The Ducks host the lowly Arizona Coyotes tonight in what should be a very nice spot for both of the top lines. The second line is a little bit nicer looking than the first, but this unit gets you access to both of the top lines in very good spots.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2 – Jeff Carter/Jason Zucker/Danton Heinen: The truth is, Pittsburgh is in the best spot on the night, up and down the roster. They get to face Malcolm Subban in net for the Sabres tonight, and he is not a very good goalie. On home ice, the Pens have been matching the Crosby line to the depth lines and using this second line for a top line matchup (loosely). Because of that, this second line is favored a little more than the top. The Crosby line and the top power play unit are all squarely in play here.

Chicago Blackhawks Power Play – Jonathan Toews/Alex Debrincat/Patrick Kane/Brandon Hagel/Seth Jones: As mentioned above, because of the issues the Preds are facing with injury and COVID, they are rolling out an AHL/preseason type lineup tonight. That puts this unit in a good spot. The Preds are normally a decent penalty killing team, but without key pieces, they will be more vulnerable tonight, and will potentially take a few more penalties than normal.

High Risk Lines

These are plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

St. Louis Blues 2 – Ivan Barbashev/Vladimir Tarasenko/Pavel Buchnevich/Torey Krug: The Blues host the Stars tonight in a game that should be winnable for them. However, this game feels like it could be a 2-1 defensive battle with both teams canceling each other out, which is why this line is considered high risk.

Vegas Golden Knights 1 – Chandler Stephenson/Max Pacioretty/Mark Stone/Shea Theodore: The Knights have been rolling, and they come into New York tonight to face a struggling Rangers team that is now without Artemi Panarin tonight (he did not skate in the morning skate). We are going to play the hot hand tonight, and since the depth scored last night, it’s this line’s turn to do the damage. They are high risk simply because they are on the back end of a traveling back-to-back. Also, make sure you aren’t playing this line in any lineups where you are playing Georgiev.

Winnipeg Jets 2 – Pierre-Luc Dubois/Kyle Connor/Evgeny Svechnikov/Neal Pionk: This second line for the Jets looks to be lining up against the top line for the Caps tonight in a plus matchup. Something to keep in mind, though, the coach for the Jets just resigned this morning, so there may be some changes in the lines and pairings for tonight. Contrarily, the Capitals are in a good spot too, as this game could be high scoring. On the Capitals side, Alex Ovechkin and his top line are always in play, but tonight, the second line looks a little better and could be sneakier (Nicklas Backstrom/Conor Sheary/T.J. Oshie).

Honorable mentions: BUF1, STLPP, VGK2, WSH2, PIT1, NYRPP

Value Options – DraftKings

Center: Dylan Strome ($3400) – Chicago Blackhawks

Wing: Kaapo Kakko ($3100) – New York Rangers

Defense: Brian Dumoulin ($3000) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Value Options – FanDuel

Center: Ryan Getzlaf ($5400) – Anaheim Ducks

Wing: Jason Zucker ($4300) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Defense: Brian Dumoulin ($3800) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Cash Considerations – DraftKings

Sidney Crosby – C – Pittsburgh Penguins

Kyle Connor – W – Winnipeg Jets

Seth Jones – D – Chicago Blackhawks

Anthony Stolarz – G – Anaheim Ducks

Cash Considerations – FanDuel

Sidney Crosby – C – Pittsburgh Penguins

Kyle Connor – W – Winnipeg Jets

Seth Jones – D – Chicago Blackhawks

Anthony Stolarz – G – Anaheim Ducks

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/

All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.

This article will focus on NHL Daily Fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Using advanced hockey metrics, slate analysis, and line by line evaluation, this article will point you towards what we think are the best plays for the night! Good luck!

Friday 12/10 NHL Breakdown

Welcome back to Win Daily Sports’ Friday Night Forecheck. We have a bit of a larger slate to break down tonight, with 7 games on the slate. There is an awful lot to like about this slate, so you will want to spread out your exposure to some big pieces tonight. Good luck!

Goalies

Darcy Kuemper – Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche are the biggest home favorites on the board tonight, in what should be a rough game for the opposing Red Wings. Kuemper has finally turned it around slightly and hasn’t been as bad as he was earlier in the season. The trends are saying play him tonight at home against the Wings. The shot upside won’t be terrible, but it’s not the best, either, so this ends up being a cash play that probably isn’t great for GPP.

Thatcher Demko – Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks have a nice matchup tonight at home against the Winnipeg Jets, who have been having trouble scoring on the road, scoring just 2 goals per game over their last five roadies. Demko has really stepped it up over the last couple of weeks, and this is a fantastic spot for him.

Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers: Igor joined the Rangers’ morning skate this morning, indicating that it is possible he can come back tonight for a road tilt against the Sabres. CHECK THE NEWS throughout the day, and if he does play, he becomes a top option tonight. Please note, only play the Rangers goalie tonight if it is Igor – you do NOT want Georgiev. If Georgiev gets the start, you can consider Mackenzie Blackwood in this spot instead.

Bonus GPP Goalie Pick – Tristan Jarry – Pittsburgh Penguins: Jarry has just been playing way too well to ignore him. As long as he gets the start tonight against the Caps, he is a great play, as the Pens have been limiting scoring on the road, thanks to Jarry.

Lines to Build Around

These lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Florida Panthers Power Play – Aleksander Barkov/Sam Reinhart/Sam Bennett/Jonathan Huberdeau/Aaron Ekblad: The Panthers roll into Arizona where they should absolutely destroy the Coyotes tonight. The Coyotes are a mess of an organization right now, and truthfully, there is opportunity up and down the lineup tonight for massive upside for the Panthers. This top power play unit gives you access to the top two scoring lines, and should be heavily considered for cash. The second line has a slight edge in the matchups tonight, but you can’t deny the top line here either.

Colorado Avalanche Power Play – Nathan MacKinnon/Nazem Kadri/Gabriel Landeskog/Mikko Rantanen/Cale Makar: Speaking of a team with massive opportunity tonight, the Avalanche play host to the Detroit Red Wings tonight and Thomas Greiss in net. The Red Wings on the road have given up 3.8 goals against per game over their last five road games, and the Avalanche have scored a whopping 6.2 goals per game over their last five home games. Get exposure to the top line tonight. Logan O’Connor, should he remain on the top line, becomes a fantastic value play.

Vancouver Canucks 1 – Bo Horvat/Jason Dickinson/Nils Hoglander/Tyler Myers: The Canucks, as mentioned earlier, face the Jets at home tonight, and on home ice against the Bruins, this top line hard matched the Pastrnak/Bergeron/Marchand line. We can expect them to do the same tonight, creating a very, very, very juicy matchup against the Jets’ top line. On top of that, Eric Comrie is expected to be in net for the Jets, and he has not played in a while. His numbers aren’t amazing, so this line definitely has a good chance to be very sneaky tonight. The Jets top line rates: 38.33 shots against/60, 3.36 goals against/60, 3.97 expected goals against/60, 32.95 scoring chances against/60, and 18.16 high danger chances against/60. These are inflated numbers, and the Canucks top line (without Dickinson) is generating: 40.27 shots for/60, 0.92 goals for/60, 2.92 expected goals for/60, 38.9 scoring chances for/60, and 13.73 high danger chances for/60.

High Risk Lines

These are plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Vegas Golden Knights 1 – Chandler Stephenson/Max Pacioretty/Mark Stone/Shea Theodore: The Golden Knights host the Flyers tonight, in what should be a lopsided contest. The Flyers are a team who came out of the gate looking good, but have severely plummeted into being a very bad team. They are sporting some of the worst defensive rates in the league, and the Golden Knights should have their way against them. This top line is in a very good spot tonight, in a top six matchup that provides plenty of opportunity.

Pittsburgh Penguins 1 – Sidney Crosby/Evan Rodrigues/Kasperi Kapanen/Kris Letang: The Pens and Caps is always a premier matchup, pitting Crosby vs Ovechkin, and a lot of eyes will be on this matchup tonight. Ovechkin is having a better season than Crosby, of course, as he chases history. However, the top line for the Pens is in a good spot tonight. They run risky without Jake Guentzel, but that just means you can have this line at a discount.

New York Rangers 1 – Mika Zibanejad/Chris Kreider/Kaapo Kakko/Adam Fox: The top line for the Rangers is in a really good spot tonight against Buffalo. The Rangers seem like they have been a little quiet recently, and they seem due for a multi-point, slate breaking game. This is the spot where that could happen. Always consider playing Zibanejad/Panarin/Fox as a three-man in the Rangers look as well.

Honorable mentions: VGK2, NSH1, NJDPP1, WSHPP, WPG1, PIT2, NYR3, BUF1 (if Georgiev starts)

Value Options – DraftKings

Center: Bo Horvat ($4500) – Vancouver Canucks

Wing: Kasperi Kapanen ($3100) – Pittsburgh Penguins or Logan O’Connor ($2800) – Colorado Avalanche

Defense: Erik Johnson ($3200) – Colorado Avalanche or Brian Dumoulin ($3300) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Value Options – FanDuel

Center: Bo Horvat ($5600) – Vancouver Canucks

Wing: Kasperi Kapanen ($4400) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Defense: Tyler Myers ($3800) – Vancouver Canucks or Brian Dumoulin ($3600) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Cash Considerations – DraftKings

Mika Zibanejad – C – New York Rangers

Mikko Rantanen – W – Colorado Avalanche

Aaron Ekblad – D – Florida Panthers

Darcy Kuemper – G – Colorado Avalanche

Cash Considerations – FanDuel

Mika Zibanejad – C – New York Rangers

Mikko Rantanen – W – Colorado Avalanche

Aaron Ekblad – D – Florida Panthers

Darcy Kuemper – G – Colorado Avalanche

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/

All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.

This article will focus on NHL Daily Fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Using advanced hockey metrics, slate analysis, and line by line evaluation, this article will point you towards what we think are the best plays for the night! Good luck!

Friday 12/3 NHL Breakdown

Happy Friday and happy December! We have a very nice little 5 game slate tonight that starts at our normal 7pm Eastern time. This one looks pretty straightforward, so let’s get right into it.

Goalies

Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets: The Jets and Hellebuyck get a home matchup with the Devils, who in their last five road games, have only been scoring 2.6 goals per game. Hellebuyck is much better at home, as are the Jets in general, giving up under 2 goals per game in their last five home games. The Devils can be a little feisty, but tonight, the Jets should be able to handle them.

Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers: The Rangers have a very nice matchup at home against the Sharks tonight, and while the Sharks have been playing well, Igor has been a solid goalie for the Rangers. At home, he has posted a 1.8 GAA over his last five home games.

Bonus GPP Goalie Pick – John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson at home is always a solid play, especially because they never change his price. He usually comes in on the lower end of salary, and as long as that continues to happen, he should be a goalie to play in GPP. The Flames come into town tonight after a win against LA last night, and are on the back end of a traveling back-to-back. Gibson should see shot volume, and has a real shot for a win tonight.

Lines to Build Around

These lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Edmonton Oilers Power Play – Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins/Zach Hyman/Tyson Barrie: It’s no secret that most nights that Edmonton is on a slate, you play them. Tonight is that and then some, as the Oilers take on the Kraken in Seattle. This unit gets to face a Kraken team that is giving up almost four goals per game on the season. Even at home, the Kraken have given up 3.6 goals against over their last five home games. This unit is high powered, and they should be dominant tonight. McDavid/Draisaitl/Barrie are the core pieces, and you can use RNH and Hyman for value if needed.

Winnipeg Jets 1 – Mark Scheifele/Kyle Connor/Blake Wheeler/Neal Pionk: The Jets have been in a little bit of a slump recently, but they have a chance to right the ship tonight as the New Jersey Devils come to town. They look to be facing Jonathan Bernier in net tonight, and while he has not been playing poorly, he has not been great either. The Jets are a much better home team than they are on the road, so tonight is a good spot for them.

Vegas Golden Knights 2 – Nicolas Roy/Jonathan Marchessault/Reilly Smith/Alex Pietrangelo: The Knights have a nice little matchup tonight, and while the top line is in a good spot, this second line looks to be in a better spot. The second line should see mostly the Arizona top line tonight, which is a very nice plus matchup. Most people will flock to Edmonton and the Vegas top line, and this line should help get some leverage in tournaments.

High Risk Lines

These are plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Arizona Coyotes 2 – Barrett Hayton/Christian Fischer/Lawson Crouse/Shayne Gostisbehere: The Coyotes are an interesting GPP play tonight against the Golden Knights. They have been playing a little better of late, but have gotten fantastic goaltending. The Knights have been giving up 4 goals against over their last five road games, and Lehner has been less than average, with a 3.99 GAA over his last five games. Arizona is a very sneaky play tonight, and with all of the eyes on Vegas and Edmonton, this could be the leverage you need. The even strength matchup tonight looks very good for this second line, as they get the Vegas top line.

New York Rangers 1 – Mika Zibanejad/Chris Kreider/Kaapo Kakko/Adam Fox: The addition of Kakko to this line makes it a little more appealing, but the focus on this line is Zibanejad/Fox. Another really good way to stack the Rangers is to add Artemi Panarin in, creating a three-man stack with Zibanejad/Panarin/Fox. They are high risk because San Jose has been pretty good on the road this season. The Rangers are scoring 3.25 goals per game on home ice this season, making them a solid play.

Honorable mentions: CGY2, ANH2, VGK1, SJS1, NJD2, SEA1

Value Options – DraftKings

Center: Nicolas Roy ($3200) – Vegas Golden Knights

Wing: Kaapo Kakko ($3500) – New York Rangers

Defense: Jamie Oleksiak ($3100) – Seattle Kraken

Value Options – FanDuel

Center: Nicolas Roy ($3500) – Vegas Golden Knights

Wing: Zack Kassian ($4100) – Edmonton Oilers

Defense: Jamie Drysdale ($4000) – Anaheim Ducks

Cash Considerations – DraftKings

Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl – C – Edmonton Oilers (if you can’t get both, at least get one)

Kyle Connor – W – Winnipeg Jets

Adam Fox – D – New York Rangers

Robin Lehner – G – Vegas Golden Knights

Cash Considerations – FanDuel

Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl – C – Edmonton Oilers (if you can’t get both, at least get one)

Kyle Connor – W – Winnipeg Jets

Adam Fox – D – New York Rangers

Robin Lehner – G – Vegas Golden Knights

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/

All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.

This article will focus on NHL Daily Fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Using advanced hockey metrics, slate analysis, and line by line evaluation, this article will point you towards what we think are the best plays for the night! Good luck!

Friday 11/26 NHL Breakdown

Hey everyone, and welcome back to another Friday Forecheck! The NHL returns back to action tonight after the Thanksgiving holiday. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and were able to enjoy some time with loved ones. There are multiple slates on this Black Friday NHL day, but this article will focus on the Main Slate, starting at 7pm Eastern.

Goalies

Tristan Jarry – Pittsburgh Penguins: Jarry has been playing absolutely lights out for Pittsburgh over the last few games, and he has a great matchup tonight against the New York Islanders, who are still battling some COVID issues throughout their lineup. He should be in line for a win, with some decent shot upside tonight.

Elvis Merzlikins – Columbus Blue Jackets: Elvis has not been playing too great as of late, but this game is a chance for him to rebound. He has a slightly inflated 2.91 GAA over his last five games, but tonight has a chance to right the ship against a Vancouver team who has been struggling to score on the road, putting up just 2.2 goals per game over their last five road games. The Canucks are also surrendering a whopping 5 goals against per game over that same stretch.

Bonus GPP Goalie Pick – Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars: Oettinger is another goalie who has been playing really well, and that is exactly what the Stars needed. Over their last five home games, the Stars have given up just 2 goals against per game, and in that stretch, handled the Edmonton Oilers, which is a feat in itself. Tonight, they get the Colorado Avalanche, who have been good on the road, scoring 4 goals per game. This is the shot upside, maybe get a win at low ownership, play tonight.

Lines to Build Around

These lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Toronto Maple Leafs 1 – Auston Matthews/Michael Bunting/Mitch Marner/Morgan Rielly: The Leafs have been playing well on this road trip, and everything points to that continuing tonight. They get a matchup tonight against the San Jose Sharks, and this top line should see a bunch of the Logan Couture line. This sets up nicely for AM and his crew.

Columbus Blue Jackets 1 – Boone Jenner/Oliver Bjorkstrand/Gustav Nyquist/Zach Werenski: The Blue Jackets have arguably the best upside on the board tonight. As mentioned above, the Canucks have been very bad on the road of late, and they have been giving up goals left and right. The Jackets play well at home, scoring 3.6 goals per game on the season thus far.

Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Steven Stamkos/Ondrej Palat/Alex Barre-Boulet/Victor Hedman: The Lightning are in a fantastic spot as well, at home against the Seattle Kraken, who have been almost as bad as the Canucks on the road. Grubauer, the Kraken goalie, has been terrible so far this year, and even if he doesn’t go and the Lightning face Driedger, well that’s nice too! This top line will see a lot of the depth of Seattle tonight, and that is a fantastic plus matchup. You can also consider a TBL3 look of Ross Colton/Boris Katchouck/Taylor Raddysh. They are extreme value, but also extremely volatile. They did match up against the top line in their last home game, so there is a possibility of some upside there, if you want access to a high Vegas total for a discount. The TBL3 look is considered VERY high risk.

High Risk Lines

These are plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).

Pittsburgh Penguins 2 – Jeff Carter/Jason Zucker/Kasperi Kapanen/John Marino: The Pens are a team that should do well tonight against a depleted Islanders team. Based on a small sample of line matching, this line should see the top line for the Isles for most of the night, which sets them up very nicely. The top Islander line is giving up 15.38 high danger chances against per 60. This line is only producing 8.58 high danger chances per 60, but the opportunities should be there. Consider the top line as well of Sidney Crosby/Jake Guentzel/Bryan Rust when looking at the Pens tonight.

Dallas Stars 3 – Tyler Seguin/Jacob Peterson/Alexander Radulov: This line should see a bunch of the depth lines for the Colorado Avalanche tonight, in a plus matchup. Seguin/Radulov have not been the same this year, which is what makes them risky, but this line looks to be in a good spot tonight.

Montreal Canadiens 3 – Jake Evans/Artturi Lehkonen/Brendan Gallagher: The line matching that Buffalo rolls with sets this line up with a very, very nice matchup against the opposing third line. These guys don’t hit the ice as much as we would like to see, so they carry a whole lot of risk, but they have a really nice upside matchup tonight, at very little to no ownership.

Honorable mentions: BUF1, COLPP, NYI2, SJS1, TOR2

Value Options – DraftKings

Center: Ross Colton ($2800) – Tampa Bay Lightning

Wing: Cole Caufield ($3000) – Montreal Canadiens

Defense: Vladislav Gavrikov ($2800) – Columbus Blue Jackets

Value Options – FanDuel

Center: Anthony Cirelli ($4400) – Tampa Bay Lightning

Wing: Michael Bunting ($3900) – Toronto Maple Leafs

Defense: Brian Dumoulin ($3600) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Cash Considerations – DraftKings

Steven Stamkos – C – Tampa Bay Lightning

Oliver Bjorkstrand – W – Columbus Blue Jackets

Cale Makar – D – Colorado Avalanche

Andrei Vasilevskiy – G – Tampa Bay Lightning

Cash Considerations – FanDuel

Steven Stamkos – C – Tampa Bay Lightning

Oliver Bjorkstrand – W – Columbus Blue Jackets

Cale Makar – D – Colorado Avalanche

Andrei Vasilevskiy – G – Tampa Bay Lightning

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/

All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.

This article will focus on NHL Daily Fantasy picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Using advanced hockey metrics, slate analysis, and line by line evaluation, this article will point you towards what we think are the best plays for the night! Good luck!

Friday 11/19 NHL Breakdown

What is the NHL doing? One day we have 11 games, and then next we have 2. It makes it a little tougher to manage when the schedule is like this, and it would be nice for the schedule to be more spread out. Hopefully, that happens when we get to the new year and through the holidays. Tonight is a 2 game slate, and because of that, we will break down each game. Don’t forget, we have a late start tonight, as the slate starts at 10pm Eastern.

On a two game slate, it is important to get creative. There is no real ‘wrong’ way to play tonight, as the options are of course very limited. It isn’t out of the question to play a couple different looks of the same line, and if you so choose, you can play a tight pool of players with small variations. At the same time, it is also important to not overthink it. The best plays are the best plays for a reason, so don’t shy away from them.

From a goalie standpoint, it is totally okay to just correlate your goalies with your stacks. You are basically saying that the team you are playing is going to win, so that correlation is fine. Of course, if you prefer to play your favorite goalie, just make sure that you don’t stack against him, because that could limit the upside of your lineup altogether.

Tonight’s slate, based on the Vegas totals, could be a high scoring slate, so we have to find as much scoring as possible to keep up.

Game 1: Colorado Avalanche @ Seattle Kraken

Vegas: COL (-158) total 3.4, SEA (+130) total 2.8; O/U 6

Overview: The Avalanche come into this game as heavy favorites, and rightfully so. The Kraken have been struggling of late, losing their last five consecutive games. Tonight’s matchup is not making this run any easier, and Colorado could very well destroy them tonight. Over that stretch of the last 5 games, the Kraken have given up 4.8 goals per game. Colorado, in their last five, have scored 4.6 goals per game, even without Nathan MacKinnon, who has been hurt. Colorado should be heavy chalk tonight (and for good reason), especially Nazem Kadri with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, especially as people chase them after their last game.

Goalies

Phillipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken): Grub has been having a really rough go of it this season, and tonight looks to be a challenge as well. Sporting a bloated 3.18 GAA and rough .877 SV% so far this year, he has been even worse over his last five, with a 4.09 GAA. Grubauer is a tough sell tonight against a team who has the scoring power to dominate this game. Even if Driedger gets the start tonight, this play feels too risky.

Darcy Kuemper (Colorado Avalanche): Darcy has been having a very good season so far, sporting a 2.56 GAA and .916 SV% this season. As a heavy favorite, he should be chalky, and it makes a ton of sense. The shot upside might be limited here, so if he fits in your lineups, then go for it. Overall, he might not be the best play, but he should be the safest.

Lines to Play

Colorado Power Play – Gabriel Landeskog/Mikko Rantanen/Andre Burakovsky/Cale Makar: The best part about playing the power play is that it gets you access to multiple lines. Burakovsky plays on the second line, and tonight should be a good spot for this entire unit, even strength or not.

Colorado 2 – Valeri Nichushkin/Nazem Kadri/Andre Burakovsky: The second line can be played straight up tonight, as they face the depth lines for Seattle. However, it seems the way that Seattle has been playing, it doesn’t really matter the matchup. Samuel Girard and Devon Toews are good D-men that correlate with this line.

Seattle 1 – Jaden Schwartz/Alexander Wennberg/Jordan Eberle/Mark Giordano: IF you want to get different and play the other side of this game, this is the play. The top line for Seattle doesn’t have a specific matchup, based on their line matching patterns. This gives them a slight advantage over the depth lines when they match up against them.

Value Options:

Nicolas Aube-Kubel -W (COL): NAK is a great option for value, as he slots into the top power play

Logan O’Connor – W (COL): Slotting into the top line, he is good value to potentially luck into a couple of points

Marcus Johansson/Joonas Donskoi (SEA): Each of these guys play on the top power play for Seattle, so they correlate well with the top line

Erik Johnson – D (COL): About 20 minutes per night, and gets you shots and blocks; not the prettiest play, but should make you different

Vince Dunn – D (SEA): He has been very inconsistent throughout his career so far, but 20 minutes per game and some time on the power play means he could be a fine value D man

Game 2: Winnipeg Jets @ Vancouver Canucks

Vegas: WPG (-121) total 3.1, VAN (+100) total 3.1; O/U 6

Overview: This game is definitely very interesting, and not nearly as clear cut as the Colorado game. Winnipeg has been playing well recently, taking Edmonton to a shootout last night, and winning three of their last five games. Since they are on a traveling back to back, this makes Vancouver a little intriguing tonight. However, Vancouver has been playing somewhat poorly recently, giving up a whopping 5.2 goals against per game in their last five. It really could go either way tonight, and depending on if Hellebuyck (see goalie notes) actually starts, this could be a game stack situation. Something to note, these two teams have the two worst penalty kills in the league.

Goalies

Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks): Demko is slated to start tonight, and he is in a good spot for shot upside and a potential upset win. However, his recent games have been poor. Over his last five, he is sporting a 3.94 GAA, up from his season-long GAA of 3.31. His team has not helped him, as they are surrendering 11.41 high danger chances against per 60 on the season so far. He was looking pretty good in the very early part of the season, but when you are faced with that many chances night after night, it is tough to keep it up. He is an intriguing deeper GPP option, and you hope you catch him in positive regression against a team that could be tired.

Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets): We likely won’t know the official starters until way later, near lock, so make sure you keep an eye on who starts. If Hellebuyck starts in a back-to-back, he has a good win potential tonight, and should be middle of the road when it comes to shot volume. Though he hasn’t played a lot this season, if Eric Comrie gets the nod, then he is a solid play that can be considered, but Helle is the preferred play tonight if he goes.

Lines to Play

Winnipeg 2 – Kyle Connor/Pierre-Luc Dubois/Blake Wheeler: The even strength matchup for this line looks very, very good, as they should get the likes of the Elias Pettersson line for most of the game tonight. That line is giving up 12.13 high danger chances per 60, and in a small-ish sample, this line generates 20.2 high danger chances per 60. If you really want to limit your exposure, you can drop Dubois and play a Connor/Wheeler mini, but this whole line is in a good spot.

Winnipeg Power Play – Andrew Copp/Kyle Connor/Nikolaj Ehlers/Neal Pionk: As mentioned above, the penalty kill units in this game are the two worst in the league, so this unit will have ample opportunity tonight. The Canucks happen to be the worst team at killing penalties, and they are also spending 5.27 mins/G on the penalty kill, which is high enough to want some of this unit.

Vancouver 1 -Tanner Pearson/Bo Horvat/Nils Hoglander: This top line should match up against the Mark Scheifele line tonight, in a very nice looking matchup. The Scheifele line is surrendering 2.91 expected goals against, 40.18 scoring chances against, and 14.61 high danger chances against, all per 60 minutes. This line is producing 3.14 expected goals, 44.28 scoring chances, and 14.2 high danger chances per 60, which puts them in a fantastic matchup at even strength tonight. The concern with this line is that their production has been lackluster, so will they actually capitalize on those chances? Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a good correlating defender to pair with this line.

Vancouver Power Play – Brock Boeser/Bo Horvat/Elias Pettersson/J.T. Miller/Quinn Hughes: This unit gets to go against the 31st ranked penalty kill tonight, and playing this unit gets you access to the top two lines, which is a good thing, especially on a two game slate. It will make you different. With the Winnipeg PK struggling, this could be different enough with upside to get you there.

Value Options

Riley Nash – W (WPG): He is listed on the top power play, and provides a ton of salary relief if needed

Andrew Copp -W (WPG): Top power play AND top line winger, getting good minutes in an upside spot

Tucker Poolman – D (VAN): The “off D man”, meaning he is the D man opposite OEL tonight. He still gets top pair minutes at a huge discount and playing “off D men” is one way you can get unique with your lineup.

Tyler Myers – D (VAN): He logs about 20 minutes per game and fills up the “fringe stats” like shot blocking and shots on goal

Cash Considerations – DraftKings

None – cash is not recommended tonight!

Cash Considerations – FanDuel

None – cash is not recommended tonight!

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/

All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and the advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.