Tonight’s Optimal Lineups are geared more towards GPP tournaments and was posted shortly after 4:00 PM ET. Even though it seems like it never happens, it is still a very good idea to come back to this page by the 7:00 PM ET roster lock in case there are any changes. We've had a few instances where information comes in late, forcing a pivot with less than 15 minutes to spare.

UPDATE 1: DraftKings (Updated: 5:20 PM ET)

OUT: Jeremy Smith

IN: Calvin Pickard

UPDATE 2: FanDuel (Updated: 5:20 PM ET)

OUT: Jeremy Smith

IN: Calvin Pickard

Pickard is confirmed as the Avalanche starter by @TFrei on Twitter. 


Even with the NBA on a break thanks to All-Star Weekend, the National Hockey League has decided to treat the sports world with a ginormous THREE game slate tonight. 

Three games is just a very scary proposition when it comes to cash games. They are still playable, but you have to understand that the risk increases tenfold, because there are fewer ways to differentiate your lineups from the rest of the pack. There's also hope that there's new NHL players who are making the jump over from DFS NBA thanks to the All-Star Break.

Regardless, my job here is to make the process of constructing those lineups as easy as possible. 


Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ -120 favorites; 6 O/U o120)

Starting Goalies: Matt Murray (Confirmed) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Cam Atkinson (GPP Only), Alexander Wennberg (GPP only), Nick Foligno (GPP Only), Brandon Saad, Seth Jones, and Zach Werenski

Top Values: Jake Guentzel, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Trevor Daley, Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner, and Oliver Bjorkstrand

This game is going to be extremely fun to watch. The Penguins are more than likely going to be shorthanded tonight thanks to injuries to both Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz in their 4-3 OT victory against the Jets. Regardless, we all know that the Pens supply as much offensive firepower as any team in hockey. They just have three very balanced lines, which makes it a little difficult to pick the right players. Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but if you’re looking to pay up for a Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, or Kris Letang, it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. 

Regardless, I’m not going to be the one whose going to be doubting the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. I can tell you that their record of 5-2-3 when playing without rest is far from perfect. I can also tell you that the last time they visited Columbus, they were shell-shocked with a 7-1 loss back on 12/22. That probably makes me less keen about paying up for the big boys outside of the always reliable Letang, but there’s plenty of value with guys like Jake Guentzel, Chris Kunitz, and Nick Bonino.

At the other end of the ice, there’s the Blue Jackets, who looked impressive against the Maple Leafs back on Wednesday night. We are more than likely going to see Brandon Dubinsky match up with Sidney Crosby’s top line. That’s generally not a good situation to be in, but Dubinsky actually has a spectacular track record against Crosby, who seemingly brings the best out of him. This season alone, Dubinsky has four points over two games against the Penguins. Otherwise, virtually any Blue Jackets player who is on the top two lines or gets power-play time is going to be in play. If you need value, I must highlight Oliver Bjorkstrand after the youngster's impressive showing against the Maple Leafs. Another interesting option is to play both of their top defensemen in Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. The two of them are as reliable as any two defenseman not named Kris Letang on tonight's slate. 

Colorado Avalanche at Carolina Hurricanes (CAR -240 favorites; 5.5 O/U u125)

Starting Goalies: Calvin Pickard (Confirmed) vs. Cam Ward (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Justin Faulk

Top Values: Blake Comeau (GPP Only), Mikko Rantanen, Mark Barberio, Elias Lindholm, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teraveinen, Noah Hanifin (GPP Only)

The Carolina Hurricanes are tonight’s dreaded post-bye week game participants. The last two victims in the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings actually got destroyed by the Arizona Coyotes of all teams. We are certainly going to be putting that terrible 3-9-2 post-bye week record to the test tonight because the Canes are going to be facing a truly AWFUL Colorado Avalanche team who couldn’t even muster more than 23 shots-on-goal against a Buffalo Sabres team who has been allowing over 30 on a regular basis. 

Technically, the Avalanche didn’t play too bad of a game against the Sabres last night, but they just can’t seem to put the puck in the net. The idea here is that goaltenders seem to struggle out of the bye week more than any other player. If we are banking on that idea, then it should be noted that the Avs best line in terms of CF% was the newly constructed Blake Comeau, Matt Duchene, and Mikko Rantanen ensemble. Even with that said, the trio combined for a whopping two shots-on-goal COMBINED. When all else fails, you probably want to go with Nathan MacKinnon’s top line, who will likely remain with Gabriel Landeskog. I’m also impressed by Mark Barberio, who seems to be the most aggressive Avs defenseman on the attack.

The Hurricanes have been pretty inconsistent, but the good news for them is that they have played the least amount of games, meaning they have more games available to make up the points they need to make the playoffs. There has been some major line shuffling seemingly every few weeks in Raleigh, and that has left the most reliable line as the top line of Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, and Elias Lindholm. Lindholm is someone who is constantly overlooked, yet he has nine points over his last eight games. Aho is probably more appealing though because he’s someone who is more apt to shoot the puck. Point production is also still there with nine points over his last 10 games. 

The big question mark here is going to be Jeff Skinner, who has only produced two points over his last 11 games. He’s still someone who supplies massive upside though thanks to his high shot volume. It’s also probably never a bad idea to consider Justin Faulk, who leads the team with 10 points over his last 10 games. If you’re using him in GPPs, it’ll be a good idea to pair him up with his linemate, Teuvo Teravainen

Florida Panthers at Anaheim Ducks (ANA -150 favorites; 5 O/U o135)

Starting Goalies: James Reimer (Confirmed) vs. John Gibson (Confirmed)

Top Plays: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, and Cam Fowler

Top Values: Jaromir Jagr, Reilly Smith, Nick Bjugstad, Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Nick Ritchie, Hampus Lindholm, and Brandon Montour (only if Sami Vatanen doesn’t play)

When two teams meet again after playing to a 2-1 nail biter, it usually doesn’t end up being too appealing for DFS purposes, but with only three games in play, it’s something you have to consider.

Regardless, the Panthers are on an emotional high. After a rough loss to the Kings last week, they have responded with a combined 11 goals in two games. Most importantly, their healthy lineup is getting production from ALL three lines. Like I’ve been saying over and over again lately, when a team has THREE lines that have the ability of producing, it makes it a lot more difficult to roster them in DFS. The good thing about it though is that each of those three lines are relatively affordable. In GPPs, I am very tempted to use the Panthers top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Jaromir Jagr. This trio was outstanding last season, and thankfully, it seems like no chemistry was lost from Huberdeau’s extended absence. 

For the Ducks, besides having to deal with Antoine Vermette being a complete moron, giving a linesman a love tap/slash late in a 1-0 game against the Wild, and getting himself an automatic 10-game suspension, they’ve actually looked good. Beating the Wild is no easy task, but shutting them out is even more impressive. Most of the praise should go to John Gibson, who has been outstanding after a bit of a lackluster start to the 2016-17 season. 

Offensively, I’m not as impressed, but there are signs of hope. Most of the problems the club is having is thanks to a subpar season from Corey Perry. There has been no calls of “Scorey” Perry or “MVPerry” this season, but he has definitely stepped up his play as of late. We should see Perry’s line match up with Bjugstad’s line, which is a much better matchup than either FLA1 or FLA2. There’s also a lot of value that I like from the Ducks, and one of them is going to be Nick Ritchie. He gets a bump thanks to Vermette’s stupidity, because he gets to jump up to the top six and get some time on the 2nd power-play unit. Also, I'm not saying guys like Ryan Getzlaf or Ryan Kesler aren't in play, I just think there's probably a better way to use your funds tonight. 

Recommended GPP Stacks (cutting them down big time and focusing on the main stacks that I really like from each game tonight)

PIT2: Malkin/Hornqvist/Daley

PITPP1: Crosby/Malkin/Kessel/Letang (use two forwards and Letang)

CBJ1: Jenner/Dubinsky/Atkinson/Werenski

CBJ2: Saad/Wennberg/Bjorkstrand/Jones

COL1: Landeskog/MacKinnon/Nieto/Barberio (not 100% this line remains together)

COL2: Comeau/Duchene/Rantanen (not 100% this line remains together)

CAR1: Aho/Staal/Lindholm/Faulk

CAR3: Skinner/Teraveinen/Stempniak

FLA1: Huberdeau/Barkov/Jagr/Yandle

ANA2: Ritchie/Rakell/Perry/Montour (Montour, only if Vatanen doesn’t play)