The FanDuel main slate lineup was posted early in the morning and may be changed depending on any developments prior to roster lock. The DraftKings lineup for the 4:00 PM ET main slate will be posted before 1:00 PM ET. 

UPDATE #1: FanDuel Cash (12:35 PM ET)

OUT: Alex Galchenyuk, Mikkel Boedker

IN: David Krejci, Patrick Eaves

Weighing out final options has me leaning toward getting exposure to the Stars top power-play unit. A lot of good players available today, but also a lot of expensive players. Would love to have a piece of Seguin, Bergeron, Galchenyuk, Pacioretty if possible, but just didn't work out. 

UPDATE #2: DraftKings Cash (3:40 PM ET)

OUT: Anze Kopitar, Drake Caggulia, Phil Kessel, and Ondrej Palat

IN: Evgeni Malkin, Nic Dowd, Leon Draisaitl, and Brenden Perlini


Even though we have seven games scheduled for the Martin Luther King Day edition of NHL action, the limited prize pools, terrible slates, and even the lack of slates (come on FanDuel, ONE slate?) are not going to be the best for DFS. So rather than doing the traditional Playbook, I will be breaking down each of the seven games, and providing cash lineups for the “main” slates for both DraftKings and FanDuel.

DraftKings Main: 4:00 PM ET roster lock (4 games total; includes late swap)

FanDuel Main: 1:00 PM ET roster lock (5 games total; no late swap)

Yes, even though FanDuel has no late swap, and we have a plethora of non-confirmed goaltenders, they’ve decided to make the 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT slate their one and only slate of the day. My advice with that FanDuel slate is to be aggressive in GPPs and play it safe in cash games. When I say play it safe, I’m talking about only playing a goalie that you KNOW is going to be starting. When I say, be aggressive, I’m talking about playing a goalie that you may not know is going to be in net. 

New York Islanders at Boston Bruins (BOS -200 favorites; 5.5 O/U u120)

Probable Goalies: Thomas Greiss (Confirmed) vs. Tuukka Rask (Confirmed)

Top Plays: John Tavares, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, and Torey Krug

Top Values: Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, and Frank Vatrano

Virtually all of the offense that the Islanders have been able to generate have come from their top line of Anders Lee, John Tavares, and Josh Bailey. Considering they will be matched up with Patrice Bergeron today, it’s going to be a tougher hill to climb if they’re going to put up any type of production. Still, even though the Bergeron line has been on top of their game, I actually think that NYI1 could be a sneaky stack, and someone like Bailey, Lee, and Leddy are very interesting value plays. 

As for the Bruins, again, the Bergeron line has been hot, and I’d say they are your safest bets for production once again. Obviously, it isn’t going to help when you consider that they are very expensive on FanDuel, but with a reasonable amount of options today, you probably at the very least should consider it.

Dallas Stars at Buffalo Sabres (DAL -115 favorites; 5.5 O/U u120)

Probable Goalies: Kari Lehtonen (Confirmed) vs. Robin Lehner (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Patrick Eaves, Jason Spezza, John Klingberg, Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Evander Kane, and Rasmus Ristolainen

Top Values: Tyler Ennis and Brian Gionta

These two teams can drive you nuts just because of the fact that they are so damn inconsistent. The Stars are an absolute headache to watch. They’ve come out with some solid defensive showings in recent weeks, but ultimately, they are inconsistent, and subpar in their own zone. This should open things up for both teams. For the Stars, it’s just really tough to depend on anyone other than their “top line” of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Patrick Eaves. I put “top line” in quotations, mainly because Head Coach Lindy Ruff tends to have a quick leash, mixing up lines, and pulling goaltenders as soon as he sees something he doesn’t like. I think an under-the-radar play is also Jason Spezza, who will probably be on the 2nd line, but that just means he’ll take a bigger role offensively, get a slightly better line matchup, and have lower ownership.

For the Sabres, the best thing they have going is the constant aggressiveness from Evander Kane. As I’ve mentioned countless times before, he’s going to put up a high shot volume, but whether or not those shots end up hitting the back of the net or even on target, that’s going to be questionable. It does look like Tyler Ennis will be back into the lineup, and that would put him on a line with Ryan O’Reilly, and Kyle Okposo. He’s still listed as a game-time decision, so we’ll have to see how it goes. If Ennis does happen to join them, I like him as a value play. But regardless, I am going to like O’Reilly because the Seguin line tends to allow a lot of goals because of their style of play. 

Montreal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings (MON -130 favorites; 5.5 O/U u135)

Probable Goalies: Carey Price (Confirmed) vs. Jared Coreau (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov, Paul Byron, Shea Weber, Anthony Mantha, Henrik Zetterberg, and Mike Green

Top Values: Phillip Danault, Nathan Beaulieu, Gustav Nyquist, and Andreas Athanasiou

The return of Alex Galchenyuk to the Montreal Canadiens lineup is absolutely huge. They have been lacking quality depth throughout their four lines and Galchenyuk’s return and to a lesser extent, Andrew Shaw’s return (I say lesser extent thanks to his hit on Jesper Fast on Saturday), could be what the Habs need to secure home ice advantage throughout the Playoffs. Pacioretty and Radulov were dominant without Galchenyuk, but the trio together should be light’s out. Another under-the-radar play could be the combination of Philip Danault, Paul Byron, and Andrew Shaw. Even if Shaw doesn’t play today (wouldn’t be surprised after seeing that hit), I think it could be an interesting play regardless of who replaces Shaw. Additionally, Nathan Beaulieu isn’t nearly as good of a value play with Galchenyuk in the lineup, because it has led to a one defenseman alignment on the top power-play, meaning Beaulieu is now on the 2nd unit. 

The Red Wings are looking better offensively, but still struggle hard in their own zone. “All-Star” Frans Nielsen has not been as impactful of a player as he was with the Islanders the past few seasons, and that includes his role as a defensive stopper. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to like about various pieces of the Red Wings top six. Andreas Athanasiou is someone who has been longing for consistent playing time and offensive opportunities, and he’s definitely getting some right now. The only bummer with him is the fact that Head Coach Jeff Blashill has been heavily dependent on his top line for the power-play, which has been dreadful throughout the season. The trio of Anthony Mantha, Henrik Zetterberg, and Gustav Nyquist are definitely in play today, and one of my favorite “mid-range” options who give you plenty of upside at a reasonable price. 

Winnipeg Jets at San Jose Sharks (SJ -220 favorites; 5 O/U o140)

Probable Goalies: Michael Hutchinson (Confirmed) vs. Martin Jones (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau, and Brent Burns

Top Values: Drew Stafford, Mathieu Perreault, and Mikkel Boedker

The Winnipeg Jets have been winless since Brock Lesnar stepped on the Jets logo in their locker room. That “curse” will end eventually, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen today in San Jose, with a hungry Sharks club looking to rebound after their poor performance against the Blues on Saturday. The Jets top line has been strong offensively since the trio of Ehlers, Scheifele, and Wheeler were reunited. The only problem with that line is that they will undoubtedly allow their fair share of goals, and that includes Ehlers, who has been on the ice for more 5v5 goals against than any other forward in hockey. 

That’s a statistic that should certainly help San Jose’s top line as well as Brent Burns, who all tend to face their opposition’s top line at home. You can also expect the Couture line to take a few shifts against WPG1, which is a good thing, because there isn’t exactly much value to be had from the Sharks outside of the two wingers outside of Couture, in Kevin Labanc and Mikkel Boedker.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Los Angeles Kings (LA -150 favorites; 5 O/U o135)

Probable Goalies: Ben Bishop (Confirmed) vs. Peter Budaj (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, and Alec Martinez

Top Values: Vladimir Namestnikov, Anton Stralman, Nic Dowd, Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown, Jake Muzzin, and Derek Forbort

If this game took place two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have liked the Lightning’s chances, but even though they lost their previous game against the Blue Jackets, I have to say that they look significantly better. A few guys bring it every single night and that includes Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov, but they’ve gotten some better performances out of their goaltending, and amazing play from Ondrej Palat. 

Afternoon games can be tricky to play, but the Kings have played in about four or five afternoon games at Staples Center this season, and will be well-prepared for today’s contest. The best thing going for the Kings right now is that they’re finally getting a more solid contribution from their captain, Anze Kopitar. Kopitar couldn’t buy a goal a few weeks ago, but has finally snapped out of his scoring skid, and passes the eye test on the ice. He won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward for a reason last season, and looks stronger and stronger with the puck. There’s also the usual suspects in Carter, Pearson, and Doughty for the Kings, but there’s finally some solid value in Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown, and Jake Muzzin, who are all contributing. 

Update: Anze Kopitar is out due to an illness.

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT -130 favorites; 5.5 O/U u115)

Probable Goalies: Braden Holtby (Confirmed) vs. Matt Murray (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Alexander Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, and Kris Letang

Top Values: Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson, and Matt Niskanen

The Capitals will be looking for their 10th straight victory tonight in Pittsburgh, as they are looking for a repeat of their 5-2 victory over the Penguins this past Wednesday night. The story of the night was Alexander Ovechkin, who hit 1000 points in his career. While he gets a tough even strength matchup against Sidney Crosby’s top line, it doesn’t change that he’ll certainly be in a good situation against the Pittsburgh PK while on the power-play. Nevertheless, if we are talking even strength, I am probably going to have to look at the Capitals’ 2nd line, which has been surging, largely because of the strong play from Justin Williams. 

So of course, yes, all this does mean that I am going to be fading Sidney Crosby. T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom have been two of the most underrated defensive forwards this season. Had Oshie not gotten hurt, I think he could have realistically made a strong case for some year-end award nominations. By the way, John Carlson left the game against the Flyers with a lower-body injury, and is going to be a game-time decision. Matt Niskanen was able to step up in his absence, and score two goals. Niskanen has always performed well with Carlson out of the lineup, and his value would certainly get a boost if Carlson is scratched tonight. (Update: Carlson is officially out)

Arizona Coyotes at Edmonton Oilers (EDM -220 favorites; 5.5 O/U u135)

Probable Goalies: Mike Smith (Not Confirmed) vs. Cam Talbot (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Radim Vrbata, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Patrick Maroon

Top Values: Brendan Perlini, Peter Holland, Michael Stone, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drake Caggulia, Oscar Klefbom, and Andrej Sekera

The Coyotes are obviously not a good team, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t have viable DFS options. I actually view them as some premium value plays thanks to some of their absurdly cheap price points. This includes Brendan Perlini, who is a true sniper, and is only $3000 on DraftKings tonight. 

Then again, the Oilers may have even better value. You need to remember that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a former #1 overall pick for a reason, folks. Injuries and subpar team play has killed him in the past, plus, he has been playing some tough competition this season. He has shown an ability to rack up points in bunches and given the favorable matchup against the Coyotes, he is someone you should absolutely consider. Another great value play is Oscar Klefbom, who has been racking up points in a variety of different ways as of late. And lastly, and obviously, if you are paying up, you can absolutely take your pick of either McDavid, Maroon, or Draisaitl, who have contributed the bulk of the Oilers offense in recent weeks. 

Some GPP Stacks to Consider:

BUF1: Ennis-O’Reilly-Okposo-Ristolainen (Confirm Ennis is playing)

BOS1: Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak-Krug

NYI1: Lee-Tavares-Bailey-Leddy

MON1: Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Radulov-Weber

SJ1: Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski-Burns

LA2: Pearson-Carter-Brown-Muzzin

PIT2: Malkin-Hornqvist-Letang

EDM1: Maroon-McDavid-Draisaitl-Klefbom