Welcome back to the last Friday Night WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article of the year! Only two slates left til 2023, so we gotta get those takedowns just in time for New Year! Tonight, we have a small 3-game slate tonight, but there will still be lots to enjoy this evening! Tonight’s 12/30 NHL slate begins at 7:00 pm ET. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!
— Unlike the last article, there really aren’t any crystal clear mismatches on tonight’s slate, but like last week’s article, Connor McDavid is, in fact, on the slate and this season, he has been a particularly dangerous offensive presence, and I don’t see the Kraken slowing him down. Especially when these two division rivals are literally neck and neck in the Pacific Division standings, with both teams sitting on 40 points with the Kraken holding three games in hand, putting them in the second Wild Card slot over the Oilers. We can definitely expect a lot of goals in this matchup as both teams hold high implied totals (the Oilers hold a 3.4 implied goal total to the Kraken’s 3.3), and the O/U is currently set at 6.5. Both projected starting goalies tonight have had shaky seasons, especially Jones, who, despite holding a positive 14-5-3 record, has a shocking 2.99 goals against average and a save percentage below .900. The Kraken have also not been able to keep up with their form at the beginning of the season as they have dropped four of their last six games. Back to McDavid for a minute, he is the current leader in goals with a 10-goal cushion over the next highest goalscorer, his teammate Leon Draisaitl, and McDavid is currently tied for third in assists, only two behind the league leader Nikita Kucherov. It has been incredible to watch McDavid’s playmaking ability this season and his game-breaking speed that can change the course of a game. Regarding McDavid’s linemates, Hyman has also been electric this season with 37 goal contributions, while Puljajarvi has been less clinical in front of goal with only two goals and six assists this season. However, all three members of the Oilers’ top line see Power Play time, with McDavid and Hyman on the first unit and Puljajarvi on the second unit. I would recommend pairing McDavid with either Hyman or Barrie for tonight’s NHL Slate.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Tyson Barrie
— I was hesitating between the Penguins’ first and second lines but honestly, the Penguins’ second line has really been in form as of late. For example, before a bit of a cool down, he registered a nine-game point streak and has registered three goals and ten assists over the month of December, giving him more than a point per game this month. Not to mention, both Zucker and Rust are coming off multi-point games against the Red Wings, and the Pens’ top line has just not been at that same level of consistency as we head into the New Year. Also of note is that all three members of the Pens’ second line see power-play time, with Malkin on the top unit and Rust and Zucker appearing on the second power-play unit. The Penguins are also favoured in tonight’s game against the Devils and hold a high implied total (3.4) against one of the better defensive teams in the league. The Penguins’ second line is definitely a strong option for a secondary line to support the Oilers’ top line.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Pierre-Oliver Joseph (Ty Smith is a good value option here too)
Honorable Mention(s): Carolina Hurricanes 1 (Svechnikov-Stastny-Necas), Florida Panthers 1 (Verhaeghe-Barkov-White)
Best (Goalies to Roster)
Worst (Goalies to Target)
1. Martin Jones
Honorable Mention(s): N/A
Jordan Staal
– With an assist in his last game, his point streak currently sits at five games, and although at 34 years old, his best days of hockey are behind him, there is definitely some value while he is still producing points like this. I honestly don’t see him being an exciting player down the stretch this season, but on a small three-game slate without a ton of value options, I can get behind a guy like Jordan Staal. He has also been seeing a generous increase in ice time, getting up above 18 minutes twice during his 5-game point streak and on the top Penalty Kill for the Canes; there’s always the chance he gets a short-handed point as well!
Honorable Mention(s): Adam Larsson, Carter Verhaeghe, Jordan Martinook, Eetu Luostarinen
Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)
Center – Connor McDavid
Winger – Jason Zucker
Defenseman – Tyson Barrie (Ty Smith value)
Goalie – Tristan Jarry
All Day Slate (5pm Start): Putting up Points 3/3
Honorable Mention(s): RapidFire 2/2 Main Slate (7pm Start)
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Ahh, that magical week between Christmas and New Year’s! Time, calories, and money don’t matter, and it’s a great week to just sit back and relax! Hopefully you are all enjoying your holiday season so far. The NHL returns tonight from its holiday break with a massive 11 game slate. It was originally 12, but the Columbus game has been postponed due to weather. With that being said, let’s dive into it and check out our DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck!
Goalies
Pyotr Kochetkov – Carolina Hurricanes: Kochetkov is in a good spot again tonight as the Canes host the Blackhawks. There isn’t much to say about this matchup, as the Hawks are struggling a ton right now, and Kochetkov is a solid goaltender so far this season.
Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets: The Jets host the Wild tonight, and this looks like a nice upside spot for Hellebuyck, who has quietly been one of the better goalies this season.
Pheonix Copley – Los Angeles Kings: The Kings host Vegas tonight, and Vegas is pretty banged up. Copley has been playing well this season and has a good matchup tonight against the Knights.
High Risk Goalie Pick – Jacob Markstrom – Calgary Flames: This one is a really tough pill to swallow, but there is some value in playing Markstrom against the Oilers tonight. He was struggling going into the break, but the hope here is that the break did him well. Coming back rested might help him in a game where he should see a ton of shot volume. He should be in line for a save bonus, but he could also let in 5.
Others to Consider: Karel Vejmelka (ARI), Jake Oettinger (DAL), Darcy Kuemper (WAS), Juuse Saros (NSH)
These NHL DFS 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).
Carolina Hurricanes 1 – Paul Stastny/Andrei Svechnikov/Martin Necas/Brent Burns: There’s no two ways about it, the Hurricanes are in about the best spot you can be in against the Blackhawks tonight. The Hawks have been terrible defensively, and this line should see mostly the Toews line tonight, which is a good matchup.
Toronto Maple Leafs 1 – Auston Matthews/Michael Bunting/William Nylander: The Leafs’ top line has a very, very nice matchup tonight against the Blues and the O’Reilly line. The Blues have the worst HDCA/60 in their last five games on the entire slate, and the Leafs have the best HDCF/60. There should be a ton of chances for this line tonight, and they should be one of the top plays of the evening.
San Jose Sharks 1 – Tomas Hertl/Kevin Labanc/Timo Meier/Erik Karlsson: Under the assumption that they put this line back together with Hertl back in the mix, the Sharks’ top line has a prime opportunity tonight. They see the Canucks, who are very leaky defensively. This line has a fantastic opportunity tonight.
These are NHL DFS 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).
Calgary Flames 3 – Mikael Backlund/Blake Coleman/Andrew Mangiapane: Last game out, this line matched the opposing top line for the Blues. If they follow that same matching scheme tonight, they will be up against the McDavid line in a very, very good matchup. It’s a small sample size, but the McDavid line is giving up 33.67 SCA/60 and 21.64 HDCA/60, setting this line up to be a potentially sneaky play.
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 – Evgeni Malkin/Jason Zucker/Bryan Rust: The second line for the Pens is in a very nice looking spot tonight against the Islanders, who bleed chances.
Carolina Hurricanes 3 – Jordan Staal/Jesper Fast/Jordan Martinook: This line absolutely exploded the other night, and they have a very good chance of doing that again tonight. They should match the Domi line for the Hawks tonight in a very, very juicy matchup.
Vancouver Canucks 3 – Elias Pettersson/Lane Pederson/Andrei Kuzmenko: This line doesn’t feel like a true third line, but the opportunity tonight is very good for them. Reimer for the Sharks has been struggling, so there should be plenty of chances for this game to go pretty high scoring.
NHL DFS Honorable Mentions: BOS1, LAK1, WPG1, OTT1, EDMPP
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on DraftKings. Be sure to stack!
Center: Jordan Staal ($2900) – Carolina Hurricanes
Wing: Andrew Mangiapane ($3300) – Calgary Flames
Defense: Samuel Girard ($2900) – Colorado Avalanche
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on FanDuel. Be sure to stack!
Center: Lane Pederson ($3200) – Vancouver Canucks
Wing: Jesper Fast ($4400) – Carolina Hurricanes
Defense: Mattias Ekholm ($4300) – Nashville Predators
Consider these NHL DFS plays for your cash lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Cash lineups do not need to be stacked, and it is recommended to play no more than two players from a given team.
Center: Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
Wing: Timo Meier – San Jose Sharks
Defense: Brent Burns – Carolina Hurricanes
Goalie: Pyotr Kochetkov – Carolina Hurricanes
In this section, we will highlight some NHL player props that we like for the upcoming NHL slate.
Carolina Hurricanes: Team total over 4.5 (+115 on DK Sportsbook)
Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+150 on DK Sportsbook)
Timo Meier (SJS): anytime goal scorer (+125 on DK Sportsbook)
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/
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Welcome back to another Friday Night WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article! Only a few slates left til 2023, and tonight we have a large 11-game slate tonight so there will be lots to enjoy this evening! Tonight’s 12/23 NHL slate begins at 7:00 pm ET. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!
— We’re starting off today’s article with the far and away best matchup on the slate as the league’s 3rd best offence goes up against the league’s 3rd worst defence. Statistically, this translates into a 3.65 goals-per-game average for the Oilers, while their divisional rival, the Canucks, cough up an average of 3.9 goals a game. Heading into Rogers place tonight, the Oilers hold the biggest implied total on today’s massive slate and are facing a team on the second half of a back-to-back who had a thrilling 6-5 game which ended in a shootout. In fact, the Canucks, in general, have been seeing a lot of extra ice time lately as their last six wins have either come by way of shootout or overtime, that fatigue will add up over time and I think it’ll have a part to play in tonight’s matchup against Connor McDavid (league leader in both goals and assists) and the Edmonton Oilers. Another Major target point in this matchup is power plays. The Oilers have the best power play in the league, their conversion rate is over 33%, and the Canucks Penalty Kill rate is the worst in the league at 67%, on top of that, the Canucks are also near the worst in the league in penalties drawn per game at 11, so the Oilers should have plenty of opportunities to capitalize on their league-leading power play, which all three of the top line play on as McDavid and Hyman appear on the top power-play unit and Puljajarvi appears on the Oilers second power-play unit. Overall, I’d say this is a clear mismatch, and I would urge everyone to take a piece of the Oilers for their DFS lines tonight.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Tyson Barrie
— My second favourite line of the slate are the Dallas Stars, who also hold one of the highest implied totals of the slate at 4 implied goals coming in tonight at home against the Montreal Canadiens. Offensively, this matchup is a bit of a joke, the Stars are near the top of the league in most offensive stat categories, including goals per game (3.56) and shooting percentage (11.2), while the Canadiens are near the bottom of the league with a mere 2.7 goals per game average and a league’s worst 13.6% power play conversion rate. Defensively, things don’t get much better for the Canadiens, as the Stars are putting up modest defensive numbers this season, the Canadiens are giving up an average of 3.45 goals against per game and registering nearly 12 penalty minutes a game. All three of Dallas’ first line also appear on Dallas’ top power-play unit. Furthermore, Dallas’ top line in particular has been rolling as of late with 8 points over their last three games including three in their last game against the Edmonton Oilers last Wednesday. Robertson, in particular, will be a top player to watch in tonight’s game as he is just five goals shy of the league leader, Connor McDavid. Although, not as crucial as having a share of the Oilers’ top line tonight, I would definitely recommend including some shares of Dallas’ top line for your DFS Builds tonight.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Miro Heiskanen
Honorable Mention(s): Carolina Hurricanes 1 (Svechnikov-Stastny-Necas), Calgary Flames 1 (Dube-Lindholm-Toffoli), Arizona Coyotes 1 (Schmaltz-Boyd-Keller)
Best (Goalies to Roster)
Worst (Goalies to Target)
1. Jonathan Quick
Honorable Mention(s): Samuel Ersson
Michael Amadio
– Even though he has not recorded a lot of points this season, he has been on a bit of a roll with points in his last two games as he has taken a role on the Golden Knights’ top line alongside Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone as such he is seeing a spike in ice time and has been effective with it as last game, he put 5 shots on target while recording just shy of 16 minutes of ice-time. Tonight, the conference-leading Golden Knights are facing off against a middle-of-the-pack Blues team who have suffered from some shaky goaltending from starter Jordan Binnington who has given up an average of over 3 goals a game.
Honorable Mention(s): Erik Gustafsson, Dillon Dube, Mason Marchment
Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)
Center – Connor McDavid
Winger – Mark Stone
Defenseman – Erik Gustafsson
Goalie – Pyotr Kochetkov
All-Day Putting Up Points 3/3
Honorable Mention(s): Rapid Fire 2/2 All Day Slate
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We are back with another nice 8 game slate tonight! This is the balance that a lot of us wish for in the NHL schedule, but it usually doesn’t come this way, so take advantage while we can. Last night was a pretty good night with STL3 going off. Hopefully we can repeat that tonight. Check out our NHL DFS picks for FanDuel and DraftKings below. Good luck!
Goalies
James Reimer – San Jose Sharks: The Sharks host the Flames tonight, who have been struggling to score of late. Even though the Sharks will be without Hertl tonight due to suspension, this is a good spot for the Sharks. Reimer has been playing well since his return from IR.
Pyotr Kochetkov – Carolina Hurricanes: We haven’t come up with a nickname for him just yet, but Kochetkov has been playing very well this season. He gets an interesting matchup tonight against the Devils on home ice, where he should see some solid upside. There should be some solid shot volume in this game overall, but both teams have been limiting defensively of late.
Tristan Jarry – Pittsburgh Penguins: This one is a little risky, as the Pens host the Rangers tonight. There will be potential for upside, and the Rangers have been a little inconsistent. Overall, though, this could be a very tight game that is ripe for goalies in DFS.
High Risk Goalie Pick – Matt Murray – Toronto Maple Leafs: Murray and the Leafs host the Lightning tonight, and this should be a high volume night for Murray. He has been pretty solid this year, but the opponent makes him risky tonight.
Others to Consider: Vitek Vanecek (NJD), Carter Hart (PHI)
These NHL DFS 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).
Los Angeles Kings 1 – Anze Kopitar/Adrian Kempe/Kevin Fiala/Drew Doughty: On home ice, the Kings match this top line with the second opposing line. Tonight, they get to face the Ducks’ second line that absolutely bleeds chances. This line has a lot of potential tonight, and makes for a great late night hammer. This game overall should feature quite a bit of scoring.
Ottawa Senators 1 – Derick Brassard/Claude Giroux/Brady Tkachuk/Thomas Chabot: The Sens head to Winnipeg tonight to face David Rittich and the Jets. Rittich has been pretty shaky of late, and the matchup for this line looks very good on paper. With Ottawa playing well right now, this is a solid play for tonight. A power play look makes sense if you want to get some access to the second line as well.
These are NHL DFS 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).
Philadelphia Flyers 1 – Morgan Frost/James van Riemsdyk/Owen Tippett/Tony DeAngelo: The Flyers are heavy favorites tonight on home ice against the Blue Jackets. However, the Flyers are also a mess of an organization, and they have been struggling mightily this season. The Blue Jackets are also bad, so this game really could go either way. It’s hard to deny that the Philly top line is in play, but they come with inherent risk.
Winnipeg Jets 2 – Pierre-Luc Dubois/Kyle Connor/Sam Gagner: The Jets host the Senators tonight in what should be a high event game. Both teams have solid rates offensively, and both goalies are fairly shaky. This line should see the likes of the top six for the Sens, which is a good matchup for them.
Seattle Kraken 2 – Alex Wennberg/Oliver Bjorkstrand/Jaden Schwartz: There is a nice matchup for this line if they match the same way that they did last time against the Blues. These guys should have some considerable upside tonight, and the Blues are on a back to back.
NHL DFS Honorable Mentions: ANH1, SJS1, CGY1, CBJ1, STL3, TORPP, TBL1, PIT1
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on DraftKings. Be sure to stack!
Center: Derick Brassard ($3600) – Ottawa Senators
Wing: Oliver Bjorkstrand ($3500) – Seattle Kraken
Defense: Alex Edler ($2800) – Los Angeles Kings
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on FanDuel. Be sure to stack!
Center: Derick Brassard ($4200) – Ottawa Senators
Wing: Danton Heinen ($4300) – Pittsburgh Penguins
Defense: Alex Edler ($4100) – Los Angeles Kings
Consider these NHL DFS plays for your cash lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Cash lineups do not need to be stacked, and it is recommended to play no more than two players from a given team.
Center: Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
Wing: Brady Tkachuk – Ottawa Senators
Defense: Rasmus Sandin – Toronto Maple Leafs
Goalie: Carter Hart – Philadelphia Flyers
In this section, we will highlight some NHL player props that we like for the upcoming NHL slate.
Alex Wennberg (SEA): over 0.5 points (+110 on DK Sportsbook)
Anze Kopitar (LAK): anytime goal scorer (+200 on DK Sportsbook)
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/
Sign up and get started with Win Daily Sports! We have your sport and the experts to help make you money. Why lose another buck when you can win TODAY!
The holiday week brings us the most balance in the NHL schedule that we have seen all year. We have a nice eight game slate to dive into tonight, which is a great slate size. Let’s get into our NHL DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck!
Linus Ullmark – Boston Bruins: Ullmark and the B’s host the Panthers tonight, and this is a very solid matchup, with upside. The Panthers have been struggling to light the lamp over their last five, but should still throw a decent amount of shots at Ullmark.
Charlie Lindgren – Washington Capitals: Lindgren has been playing very well recently, and he has a chance to extend that tonight with a home date against the Red Wings. Even with Larkin back for Detroit, this looks like a very good spot for Lindgren.
High Risk Goalie Pick – Juuse Saros – Nashville Predators: This is a tough pill to swallow, but no one will go here, and he will see a ton of shot volume. At home, with the shot volume, plus the fact that he has good numbers over his last five, make him a very interesting upside GPP candidate.
Others to Consider: Jordan Binnington (STL), Jake Oettinger (DAL)
These NHL DFS 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).
Boston Bruins Power Play – Patrice Bergeron/Brad Marchand/Jake Debrusk/David Pastrnak/Hampus Lindholm: The Bruins have a solid matchup tonight against a middle of the road penalty killing unit for the Panthers. The Bruins have been cruising, while the Panthers have been leaky defensively. There is a chance that the Panthers will also be without Barkov tonight, which would make this an even better play.
Vegas Golden Knights 2 – William Karlsson/Jonathan Marchessault/Reilly Smith: The Knights host the Sabres tonight, and this one is mostly about the goalie matchup. The Sabres, as of this morning, appear to be rolling out Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who has not been very good this season. Without Eichel, the Knights have had to rely on this line for scoring, and tonight is no different. They should have a solid matchup tonight against the top line for the Sabres.
Washington Capitals 1 – Dylan Strome/Alex Ovechkin/Conor Sheary/John Carlson: Ovi continues to chase the great Gordie Howe on the scoring list, and he has a chance to tie and even pass him tonight against a porous Detroit defense. It is going to be hard for the Wings to contain this line tonight, and this is a great spot for Ovi and this top line.
St. Louis Blues 3 – Robert Thomas/Jordan Kyrou/Ivan Barbashev: Listing a third line as a line to build around feels weird, but the matchup for this line is undeniable. The Blues will be facing a Canucks team that is bleeding goals and chances. The matchup for this line appears to be against the bottom six, which sets them up VERY nicely tonight.
These are NHL DFS 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 – Nick Bjugstad/Lawson Crouse/Matias Maccelli: The Coyotes are rarely listed as a DFS play, but this game can be looked at for some scoring. Both they and the Canadiens are terrible on defense and in net, so there should be a healthy amount of scoring here. The risk? Well, it’s the Coyotes, and good luck trying to determine where the scoring comes from. This line should have a decent number of chances tonight, so they are worth a GPP look.
Dallas Stars 1 – Roope Hintz/Joe Pavelski/Jason Robertson/Miro Heiskanen: The top line for the Stars has a very nice matchup tonight against the Blue Jackets’ top line. They should see plenty of chances, but Dallas has been fairly quiet of late. Tonight is a potential get-right spot for them, and they could be very sneaky.
Edmonton Oilers 1 – Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl/Zach Hyman/Darnell Nurse: This top line for the Oilers is always in play, and they get an interesting matchup tonight. Nashville has been somewhat limiting defensively, which is what makes them a little risky, along with the fact that they are so expensive.
Nashville Predators 1 – Thomas Novak/Mikael Granlund/Filip Forsberg/Roman Josi: While the top line for the Oilers faces off against the Predators’ second line, this line should be set up against the depth for the Oilers. That, plus the fact that Campbell is very shaky in net, makes them a very interesting play tonight.
NHL DFS Honorable Mentions: MTL1, BUF1, COL2, STL2
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on DraftKings. Be sure to stack!
Center: William Karlsson ($4300) – Vegas Golden Knights
Wing: Lawson Crouse ($3200) – Arizona Coyotes
Defense: Esa Lindell ($3100) – Dallas Stars
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on FanDuel. Be sure to stack!
Center: Thomas Novak ($3000) – Nashville Predators
Wing: Lawson Crouse ($5000) – Arizona Coyotes
Defense: Trevor van Riemsdyk ($3700) – Washington Capitals
Consider these NHL DFS plays for your cash lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Cash lineups do not need to be stacked, and it is recommended to play no more than two players from a given team.
Center: Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers
Wing: Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
Defense: Roman Josi – Nashville Predators
Goalie: Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars
In this section, we will highlight some NHL player props that we like for the upcoming NHL slate.
Nick Suzuki (MTL): over 2.5 shots on goal (+145 on DK Sportsbook)
Lawson Crouse (ARI): anytime goal scorer (+235 on DK Sportsbook)
Ivan Barbashev (STL): anytime goal scorer (+320 on DK Sportsbook)
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/
Sign up and get started with Win Daily Sports! We have your sport and the experts to help make you money. Why lose another buck when you can win TODAY!
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