New York Rangers Vs. Buffalo Sabres

The first of four games tonight features the New York Rangers at the Buffalo Sabres. There are some things to like about this game, but it’s very limited.

Let’s start with the New York Rangers. Their top line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello is the obvious choice, but that line is slightly overpriced on a short-slate. Zibanejad is the best option of the three if you wanted to go with a single bullet, but he’s a few hundred dollars less than Jack Eichel, and Eichel is a much better play.

The best punt option for the Rangers is on defence. Kevin Shattenkirk continues to see top power play minutes and he continues to be very affordable on both sites.

On the Buffalo side, Eichel and Skinner is the only mini-stack to consider. The duo are joined by Jason Pominville, so you can go with a full line stack in a GPP, but not in cash games. Pominville is a salary relief option that could hit value if Buffalo’s top line goes off, but don’t hold your breath on that.

In goal, Alexandar Georgiev is confirmed to get the start for the Rangers. He’s coming off a ridiculous 55-save performance, so his ownership might be a tad higher than it should be. He’s also $7200 on DK, so he’s a very attractive GPP play if you want to go that route.

Edmonton Oilers Vs. Carolina Hurricanes

If you play DFS regularly, you’ve probably been burned by Carolina more than once. Las Vegas has their team total at 3.5 goals, the second highest of any team in action, but we all know that Carolina is going to take a million shots on goal and not score.

If you do want to get burned by them, the top line of Nino Niederreiter, Sebastian Aho and Justin Williams is the line to target. All three play together on the top line and on the top power play unit. Niederreiter has the best price tag of the three on DK, so if you wanted to go with a single bullet in cash games, he would be the best option.

On the Edmonton side, It’s McDavid/Draisaitl or nothing. Head coach Ken Hitchcock has once again reunited the two superstars and they should have no problem generating chances, and hopefully, scoring goals. Both players are quite expensive to roster, but they are worth the risk.

New Jersey Devils Vs. Minnesota Wild

Here is the game most DFS players will be focusing on. The Wild opened as a -210 favourite, but that number has now climbed all the way up to -254. They also have a team implied total of 3.8, so not only are they heavy favourites to win, but they are expected to score quite a few goals.

The Devils don’t really have a “good” possession line, so any Minnesota line is a good option. Their top line of Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund is where most of the ownership will land, and for good reason. Parise and Granlund both play on the top power play unit together, so they make for a nice mini-stack. Coyle isn’t seeing any top power play minutes, but he is on the second unit and his DK price tag is only $4600. That’s some pretty good value for a player with an above-average matchup.

Their second line of Eric Staal, Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway is also in play. Zucker and Staal both play together on the top power play unit, and Zucker is a cool $4700 on DK. This mini-stack could be very popular, so you might want to go with MIN1 in a GPP if you want to get some exposure to them. Greenway is also an interesting option mainly because he’s $2500 on DK. At that price, he doesn’t have to do very much of anything to hit value.

On the blueline, Ryan Suter is an obvious choice, but depending on how you build your lineup, you can fade him in cash games. His price tag is better on FanDuel, so that would be the best place to use him.

In goal, Devan Dubnyk is confirmed to get the start. The Devils don’t generate much offence, and as a result, they don’t generate many shots on goal. He’s a lock for most cash game lineups, but don’t feel the absolute need to fit him in there. Yes he will be popular, but it could be very hard for Dubnyk to hit value if he gives up more than one goal.

 

Boston Bruins Vs. Anaheim Ducks

Here’s another matchup that DFS players will want to get a lot of exposure to. The Duck are coming of a 1-0 victory against the Vancouver Canucks thanks to a strong performance from rookie goalie Kevin Boyle. It’s always nice to see a rookie goalie pick up a shutout in his first NHL start, but let’s not expect him to repeat that again tonight.

For Boston, their top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Danton Heinen is going to be very popular. With David Pastrnak still out of the lineup, Heinen is going to be very chalky. He’s only $4100 on FD, so that would be the best place to use him.

As much as Boston’s top line will be popular, their second line will offer you the most value. Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci both play together on the second line and top power play unit, and while Krejci is a a little over priced at $5600 on DK, DeBrusk at $4700 really helps balance that out. If you can’t fit the top line into your cash game lineup, the second line is just as good, if not better.

In goal, Jaroslav Halak is confirmed to get the start for the Bruins. The Ducks played better last game, but they are still a terrible hockey team. They don’t take a bunch of shots, so that does limit Halak’s upside in GPPs, but for cash games, he’s the second best option behind Dubnyk.

As for the Ducks, their top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell is the only line DFS players should be focusing on. As mentioned earlier, the Ducks did play better against the Canucks, but they are still a #NotGood team that can’t seem win or score on a regular basis. You can go with the top line in a GPP, but that’s about it.