Hello NHL DFS community! Hopefully, the last few days have been profitable for you all. Fortunately, for me, tonight we will NOT see the Edmonton Oilers. I have unsuccessfully played Connor McDavid three of the four nights he has taken the ice this season. That being said, I expect an explosion of offense tomorrow night against the Leafs. I forget, what is the definition of insanity again? let’s try to focus on tonight first before getting ahead of ourselves…
So there were eight games scheduled tonight, however the Carolina at Nashville game has just been postponed. At first glance, it is quite clear there is a lot of fantasy goodness. Another Ovechkin vs Crosby game, MacKinnon and the AVS taking on a horrible Kings team, along with the defenseless Blackhawks. Without wasting anymore time, let’s dive into it.
Center
Nathan MacKinnon (COL) $8,500 @ LAK
– Coming off three point performance, good for 32 DraftKings points
– Avs are a -240 favorite with a 3.5 implied team goal total
– Averaging 4.5 shots per game
– Plenty of value on the slate to pay up for MacKinnon
– Top forward line and PP1 unit
Aleksander Barkov (FLA) $6,900 vs. CHI
– “Always stack against Chicago” – a theme we need to stick to this year without Corey Crawford, Jonathan Toews, Kirby Dach, Carl Soderberg, and Alex Nylander
– Top forward line and PP1
– Line matched against Dylan Strome – below average faceoff %, CF%, SCF%, and defender all together
– Chicago has allowed FIVE goals against, in each of their three games this season… oof.
Morgan Frost (PHI) $2,700 vs. BUF
– Busted chalk from last night – will go completely under owned
– Set to play on top PP unit and third/second line with veterans Oskar Lindbolm and Jakub Voracek
– Flyers will bounce back after embarrassing loss to the Buffalo last night
– Centering a different line, Frost should avoid Buffalo’s top line this time around
Wing
Alex Ovechkin (WSH) $8,500 @ PIT
– Top option most nights, in terms of raw projections – the slate value allows you to pay up
– Last game against the Penguins, Ovi scored a goal, recorded an assist, six shots on goal, and 23.5 minutes of ice-time
– Penguins own 69.2 PK%, allowing four goals against through first three games
– Strong cash-game play and great pivot off MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche offense in GPP’s
Gabriel Landeskog (COL) $6,500 @ LAK
– Great piece of a mini-stack or full team stack along with Nathan MacKinnon
– $600 cheaper than teammate Mikko Rantanen, with similar upside (you can play both)
– Coming off a two-goal, 23 DraftKing point performance
– Eight shots on goal through first two games
– Logs ice time with Nathan MacKinnon on the top forward line and PP1 unit
– The Kings have allowed eight goals against in their first two games, against a Wild team, who has far less skill
Patric Hornqvist (FLA) $3,300 vs. CHI
– Coming off 19.3 DraftKing performance, scoring two points, three shots on goal, and a blocked shot
– Salary is far too low for Hornqvist, who will see top power-play unit time against the Blackhawks
– Not that the top Chicago line is good defensively, but Hornqvist and the second forward line will see a weaker matchup during even strength
– Provides high fantasy floor with peripheral stats (shots on goal and blocked shots) with a high ceiling
Defense
John Carlson (WSH) $6,900 @ PIT
– Quarterback top PP1 unit, alongside Alex Ovechkin
– Coming off a game where he recorded 0.0 fantasy points… Look for a massive rebound from a defenseman who has 25+ point upside
– Averaging 24 minutes of ice-time per game
– Pittsburgh is trending down, in terms of defensive capabilities and has unforeseen goaltending issues (Tristan Jarry is not a number 1, IMO)
Aaron Ekblad (FLA) $5,800 vs. CHI
– Stack against Chicago. Projecting anything less than five goals against would be incorrect
– Ekblad will log time on the top PP1 unit and is a great stacking option with any other forward
– Scored 15.8 DraftKings points last game, against Chicago, with a goal, four shots on goal, and a blocked shot
Erik Gustafsson (PHI) $3,100 vs. BUF
– Logs power play time on second unit and additional ice-time with Shayne Gostisbehere on IR
– Averaging 18 minutes per night. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a $3,100 offensive defenseman, it’s more than enough
– Contributes in all categories and will look to bounce back after ugly loss last night
Goalies
Alexander Georgiev (NYR) $7,800 vs. NJ
– Oh ya, the Rangers play tonight
– Has taken over the starting position after just one game, which was a shutout against the Islanders
– New Jersey has scored just four goals this season, through two games
– NYR are a -145 favorite, at home against the Devils
– New York should score more than enough goals to get Georgiev the win tonight
Feel free to reach out on twitter @j_maw for any additional lineup advice questions. Good luck tonight and let’s cash!
Fantasy Marksmen 