We have a shart three game slate today, but it’s interesting enough to put some lineups together. Three of the six teams are playing on back-to-back nights, and we have a couple of backup goalies making their season debut. Let’s dive right into the numbers and see who we should be targeting tonight.
New York Rangers @ Carolina Hurricanes
The New York Rangers really don’t look that great after two games. They lost 3-1 to Buffalo last night despite outshooting them 44-29. Alexander Georgiev is confirmed to get the start for the Rangers, so we can expect Caroline to find the back of the net a couple of times in this contest. Las Vegas has Carolina’s team total sitting at 3.6 goals, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs. There’s a ton of value here that needs to be taken into consideration, specifically Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. The two play together on the top line and top PP unit and are reasonably priced on FanDuel. They are a nice cash game option to consider.
On the back end, Justin Faulk is seeing some time on the top PP unit, so he’s the best option to look at. He’ hasn’t done much in two games, but until he loses his top power play spot to Dougie Hamilton (which will happen one day), he should be looked at in cash games. His price tag is reasonable on either site.
No goalie has been confirmed yet for Carolina, but if Petr Mrazek gets the start, he’s a lock in cash games. The Hurricanes are -200 favourites to win, the highest of any team on this slate. It’s not a sexy play, but it’s a logical one.His $7600 price tag on FD is just perfect.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Chicago Blackhawks
This game could be a bloodbath by the time it’s all said and done. Garett Sparks is confirmed to get the start and there’s a good chance Cam Ward gets the call for Chicago. Both teams played last night, so there’s no real advantage to either team.
If Ward does get the start, it’s hard to fade the Leafs’ top line of Patrick Marleau, Auston Matthews and Tyler Ennis. Head coach Mike Babcock likes to get Nazem Kadri out there against the opposing team’s top line, giving Matthews all the room he needs. Matthews has a steep price tag, but it’s still less than his teammate John Tavares, who is also in a good spot. The real bang for your buck on this line is Ennis. He’s playing with Matthews on the top line and is getting some PP2 minutes. At $4400 on DraftKings, that’s a good price to roll with. You could stack the entire line in a GPP and still have room to build a decent lineup.
The cash games players most people will be targeting are Tavares and Mitch Marner. They are an expensive duo to roster, but they play together on the top power play unit, and they aren’t going to be facing the best opposition. Is it wise to fade JT/Marner? No, so you might need to get some exposure here in case they go off.
The only defeceman worth looking at for Toronto is Morgan Rielly. He’s on the top PP unit, so that’s all I’m really for in a defenceman on a short slate like this one. His $5200 cap hit on FD is good enough to roster in cash or GPPs.
Let’s flip to the Blackhawks, who also have a very nice matchup. Garret Sparks was trash in the preseason, so he could get lit up like a christmas tree in this game.
Jonathan Toews will most likely be matched up with Kadri’s line, so Chicago’s second line of Brandon Saad, Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz is the line to be looking at.Saad is $4700 on DK, compared to $6100 on FD. You can use him on either site, but he’s best suited for cash games on DraftKings. Schmaltz and Kane both see time on the top PP unit, so they are a nice duo to look at in cash games.
I don’t feel comfortable talking about Brent Seabrook, but here we are. He’s $4500 on FD and he’s on the top power play unit. He’s averaging 13.2 fantasy point per game (small sample size), but it’s better than nothing, right? Again, it’s not a sexy play, but there’s no way Duncan Keith is worth his price tag on either site. He’s a decent GPP play if you stack the entire PP unit, but that’s as far as it goes.
Detroit Red Wings @ Los Angeles Kings
This is the matchup most people are going to forget about, but there is more than enough value in this game to not sleep on it.
The Red Wings have the lowest team total on this slate, so Jonathan Quick is a nice option to consider. As we all know, LA can’t ever confirm their goalie before lock (5:00pm ET today), so you will have to monitor this situation very closely. If all goes according to plan, Quick gets the start and we all sleep well.
**UPDATE** Jonathan Quick has been rules out for today with a lower-body injury. Jack Campbell is expected to start.
Sticking with the Kings, everyone is going to be looking at Anze Kopitar and Ilya Kovalchuk, but that’s the wrong place to be looking. Kopitar isn’t a bad play, he’s just too expensive for my like in cash games on this slate, while Kovalchuk doesn’t merit his $6800 price tag on FD. Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli all play together on the second line and the second power play unit. This is every a DFS player wishes for. Dion Phaneuf joins them on that unit, so you can go with all four in a GPP and no one would call you crazy. You can also pay up for Drew Doughty, but don’t go out of your way to try and fit him into your lineup. If you aren’t a fan of stacking an entire line in cash games, Toffoli/Carter is the mini stack to go with.