The fantasy NHL cheat sheet provides a quick daily read into the top lines, superstars, and value picks that should be considered going into puck drop.
TOP FANTASY LINES OF THE NIGHT
Carolina Hurricanes @ New York Islanders
John Tavares ($7,500) - Anders Lee ($6,000) - Josh Bailey ($4,800)
This line is starting to come together now that they have developed chemistry and that Eberle is solidified on the second line. Tavares, Lee, and Bailey have picked up points in 7 of the last 10 games, multi-point games have come in bunches for this line as the entire line has 5 multi-point games over the last 10 games even though Bailey has only spent 5 of the last 10 games on the top line but has matched their production due to him spending most of his power-play time on the first unit. Expect this line to continue rolling as they’re coming off a solid performance against a fairly stout St. Louis squad where Tavares picked up a single goal and finished the night with 4 DKPs, and Lee had a big night coming away with an assist and a goal and finished the night with 7.5 DKPs.
Dallas Stars @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos ($7,700) - Nikita Kucherov ($8,000) - Vladislav Namestnikov ($5,900)
This line is without a doubt the best line in the NHL and in fantasy and there is absolutely no reason to say otherwise at this point in the season; with a healthy Stamkos this shouldn’t come as any surprise. Stamkos has 31 points and has fired 58 shots on net; the other part of this duo is Kucherov who has 30 points and has been firing on all cylinders registering 73 shots on goal through 18 games. Namestnikov is having a strong start to the season acquiring 19 points (9G, 10A) in 18 games. Over the past 3 games Namestnikov has fired 15 shots on goal and has potted 4 goals. This is a good sign going forward for this young winger, his production should pick up. Dallas has had an issue in the goaltending department as of late so this is an excellent spot for any of these players.
Just missed: Connor McDavid ($7,800) - Patrick Maroon ($5,600) - Leon Draisaitl ($7,000)
SUPERSTAR TO BUILD AROUND
Max Pacioretty ($6,700)
Although Patches isn’t in the upper echelon salary wise ($7,000+), he’s still considered a superstar in the daily fantasy world. Patches has registered at least 2.0 DKPs in his last ten games. Patches may only have 1 goal and 2 points in his last 3 games (4.0 DKPs, 10.0 DKPs, 3.5 DKPs) but he has registered 23 shots on goal. This is a great sign for him going into tonight with a matchup against the Coyotes. The goals should start to accumulate in the near future.
VALUE ON OFFENSE
Brock Boeser ($4,600)
Boeser has seen his ice-time reduced as of late due to the Canucks inability to stay out of penalty trouble. However; despite only averaging 15 minutes over those four games Boeser’s in a good spot playing on the top line and on the second power play unit. Boeser’s been able to gather 2 assists and 9 shots over those 4 games. Boeser has a favorable match-up ahead of him when Vegas comes into Vancouver. The Golden Knights are coming off a 8-2 loss and have a depleted goaltending corps.
Tomas Hertl ($4,600)
Over the past 5 games Hertl has only been kept below 2.5 DKPs once; Which happened to be come at the hands of a red hot Lightning squad. Over those 5 games he’s registered 15 shots, and 4 points while working on both the second line and second power play unit. Hertl’s pricing could pay dividends due to his matchup against the Panthers. The Panthers had given up 46 shots on net to the Stars in their game on Tuesday and 46% of them came from their second line.
Just missed: Lars Eller ($3,700), Mathew Barzal ($4,800)
GOALTENDERS
Charlie Lindgren ($8,300)
Charlie Lindgren has taken over the #1 spot for the time being. Lindgren’s sporting a 3-1-1 record with a strong GAA (1.39) and SV% (.957) over the course of those 5 games. Lindgren has played excellent as of late, as of right now he’s averaging 7.0 DKPs per game. He has favorable matchup against the Coyotes whose averaging 2.3 goals a game and have one of the bottom 5 power-plays in the league, his salary may be steep, but the upside is certainly there going into tonight’s matchup.
Roberto Luongo ($7,300)
Despite starting the season off 1-3-1, Luongo’s past 3 games have been quite remarkable. Luongo’s only allowed 5 goals on 115 (957 SV%) and has averaged 7.9 DKPs over the past 3 games. He’s one of the lower priced goalies on the slate but he’s isn’t posed with an unfavorable matchup. The Sharks are Ranked 24th in goals/game and power-play efficiency, and they’re ranked 11th in shots per game which can be fruitful for Luongo’s stat line.
Just missed: Devan Dubnyk ($8,000)
VALUE ON DEFENSE
Jeff Petry ($3,500)
Even with Weber coming back into the line-up, Petry holds plenty of value. Petry has produced both SOG’s and blocked shots (16 BS, 18 SOG) over the last 10 games. Petry may lose his spot on the blue line within the first power-play and first pairing, but he should still average around 21 minutes of ice time as he was when Weber was healthy. Expect this two-way defenseman to cover his floor, as his salary for tonight’s matchup provides plenty of upside against the struggling Coyotes.
Mattias Ekholm ($3,700)
While Ekholm may take the back seat to Roman Yosi when it comes to power-play minutes. He still sees time on the second power play unit where he has produced over the last 3 games. Ekholm has put up 3 points and has chipped in an acceptable amount of blocked shots and shots on goal. With the Preds finding their offense as of late (4.4 goals/game over last 5 games), Ekholm will see plenty of opportunities to build off these numbers.
Just missed: Joel Edmundson ($4,100)
POWER PLAY DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson ($7,100)
Karlsson’s pricing for tonight’s matchup against the Pens puts him in a great spot. He has been on an absolute tear since he’s returned from his injury. Karlsson’s accumulated 17 points in 11 games, 4 of these points coming on the power play. Not only has his point production been strong, he’s averaging just shy of 3 shots a game. Expect an increase in goal production going forward if he continues to shoot on net like he has. There is a good chance that Karlsson will be the top performing fantasy defenseman tonight.
John Carlson ($5,600)
Carlson’s last 3 games have been quiet productive especially on the power play; He’s getting first unit power play minutes and has been able to produce 3 PPP over the last 3 games as well as chipping in another assist on even strength. The Caps have a favorable matchup against the Avalanche tonight as they have dropped two straight. The points should be readily available for Carlson as the Capitals have a high-powered offense.
Just missed: Alex Pietrangelo ($6,400)
Make sure to check back every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday as I will be providing cheat sheets for those slates. My line up for the slate will be posted prior to puck drop, and a line-up review will be posted the following morning.
I am not a promoter at Draftkings, but I am an avid fan and user (my username is HurtinAlbertan69). I often play in the games that I offer advice and insight on. Although I’ve expressed specific views and strategies in the article above, they do not mimic the strategies or players that I will deploy in the slate. I am not an employee of Draftkings (www.draftkings.com) and do not have access to any non-public information.
