For no apparent reason at all, the NHL has scheduled three afternoon games on a Monday with four night games to follow. It could possibly be due to it being Canadian Thanksgiving, but none of the early games feature Canadian teams, so who knows.
No matter, Tom Vecchio has the early slate covered for you right here, and game breakdowns of the main slate games are below with Optimal Lineups that will be updated in the afternoon if necessary.
As stated previously, my strategy on short slates is to play a smaller percentage of my bankroll than normal and to skew a bit more towards GPPs than normal. Normal would be an 80-20ish split between cash and GPP, but lean more towards 50/50 on short slates.
Chicago @ Toronto
There was no line in Vegas for this game as of this writing, but it wouldn’t at all be a surprise to see the over/under for this one higher than the standard 5.5 goals. Both teams finished top 10 in goals scored last season, and they each have a whopping 15 goals scored through only two games played this season.
Toronto coach Mike Babcock consistently used Nazem Kadri’s line against opposing top lines in home games last season, and continued that same usage in Toronto’s first home game this year. When these teams played in Toronto last March, it was Patrick Kane’s line that got the Kadri treatment, so it should be Kadri against Kane and Auston Matthews against Jonathan Toews. That leaves the Tyler Bozak line to face Chicago’s bottom six.
Facing the bottom six is obviously a plus for the Bozak line, and Bozak, James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner, all stay together on the top power play unit, which adds to their appeal. JVR is priced a bit better on FD while Bozak and Marner are priced a bit better on DK. Those are the sites on which to use those players to get exposure in cash, but the line is in play as a stack option on either site. Morgan Rielly joins that line on the power play, and he’s priced a bit better on FD.
Auston Matthews is talented enough to always warrant consideration even when his individual matchup isn’t ideal. He’s a bit more affordable on FD where the cap is usually a bit softer, so you could fit him in there if you want to.
As for the Hawks, Toews is joined at even strength by Brandon Saad, who also joins Toews on the top power play unit, and Richard Panik, who plays on the second PP unit. Toews is priced better on DK while Saad is priced a bit better on FD. Duncan Keith skates with Toews/Saad on the top PP unit, and he’s priced nicely on DK.
Goalies in this one are a bit dicey given all the firepower these teams have on offense, and with neither team expected to be heavily favored neither goalie is much of a cash option. But neither goalie should be highly owned, so they could have GPP appeal. Frederik Anderson is cheap enough on either site to take a shot on in tournaments, and Corey Crawford is cheap enough on DK to consider as well.
Washington @ Tampa Bay
This is a tough matchup to parse. The line is basically even money on this game with the lesser Tampa team getting a bump as a result of being the home team, and the over/under is a standard 5.5 goals. Moreover, neither team presents an individual line that’s a particularly good matchup for opposing skaters. There’s simply nothing obvious to pick on here, so this is not a game that necessitates cash exposure.
In GPPs, you could consider each team’s star players given the amount of upside they have. For the Bolts, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on the top line are as dangerous a pair as you’ll find in the league. Both guys have reasonable price tags on DK, so you could consider a Tampa stack there. Vladislav Namestnikov joins them both at even strength and on the power play, and defenseman Victor Hedman joins them on the top power play unit. Hedman is also more affordable on DK.
For the Caps, the Evgeny Kuznetsov/Alexander Ovechkin pair is another dangerous combo with upside no matter the matchup. That pair is together at even strength and stays together on the top power play. Jakub Vrana joins the pair at even strength, and defenseman John Carlson joins the pair on the top power play unit. Ovi is priced better on FD than DK, so that would be the site to stack Caps.
With the money line on this game being damn near even money, neither goalie is overly appealing in cash games. Moreover, neither team was a great matchup for goalies last season as each team ranked higher in goals scored than they did in shots on goal, so it’s probably best to avoid the netminders in this one.
Winnipeg @ Edmonton
Now we’re talking, finally a game on this slate with a clear favorite. The Oilers opened as a healthy -170 favorite over the Jets. The Jets are a very friendly matchup for opposing skaters as they had the fourth most goals against last season, and they’ve already given up 13 goals in two games this season.
Edmonton matched lines up evenly in their first home game of the season, so we can expect to see top six against top six with Connor McDavid’s line getting Mark Scheifele’s line and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ line getting Bryan Little’s line. Little’s line is the better matchup, so both Edmonton top six lines are in play tonight.
McDavid is referred to commonly as McJesus for a reason, so it’s hard not to want exposure to his line when his team should have the highest implied goal total of the slate. McJesus himself is super expensive, so if you can’t fit him in, linemate Leon Draisaitl isn’t a bad alternative as he also skates on the top power play unit with McDavid.
From the second line, RNH is priced very reasonably on both sites, and Milan Lucic also has appeal as he also skates up on the top power play unit with McDavid. Lucic is priced a bit better on DK than FD. Another way to get some McDavid exposure is with defenseman Oscar Klefbom who skates on the top power play unit. Klefbom is priced better on FD than DK.
One other Oiler of note is Kris Russell. Russell is a salary relief option on either site due to his ability to consistently block shots and his role on the second power play unit. He averages over three blocked shots per game last season and blocked six in Edmonton’s opener.
As a heavy road underdog, the Jets shouldn’t see high ownership tonight, so if you wanted to stack their top line in a GPP, that would be an option. Mark Scheifele is joined by Blake Wheeler both on the top line and on the top power play unit with Nikolaj Ehlers skating with them at even strength. Their collective value is a bit better on DK than FD.
As for goalies, Cam Talbot is an obvious cash option with Edmonton being a heavy home favorite. Unfortunately, he’s easily the most expensive goalie on DK, which could be prohibitive. Try to fit him in there if possible, but he’s almost an auto-start in cash on FD due to his reasonable price tag there.
Calgary @ Anaheim
The final game of the night is another tough one to parse. Anaheim will be favored at home but will not be nearly as clear of a favorite as Edmonton is. The problem with Anaheim is that they’re dealing with injuries as both Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves are out right now, and Ryan Getzlaf has missed the first two games with a lower body injury, though it’s possible he plays tonight.
Anaheim’s best offensive players currently healthy are Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg. Perry and Rakell have been skating together at even strength, and Silfverberg has joined them on the top power play unit. Rakell’s price tags aren’t too appealing, so the plays to get exposure to Anaheim in cash are probably Perry on DK and Silfverberg on FD. Defenseman Brandon Montour has been playing with them on the top power play unit and is a nice salary relief option.
In net, John Gibson is a cash game option on DK where he’s the second most expensive goalie, but $300 cheaper than Talbot. Talbot is definitely the play on FD, but if you need the extra $300 on DK, Gibson is your man in cash.
For the Flames, you could consider their top line in a GPP simply due to their upside, but Anaheim is not a great matchup for opposing skaters, even with a few guys ailing. There are enough other GPP options tonight that you probably don’t have to force it with Flames.