Lineups were posted around 5:00 PM ET. Be sure to check back prior to roster lock in case there are charges. Keep in mind, they are GPP lineups, so the risk is bigger. I would definitely avoid playing them in cash.
It’s Wednesday night, which means, in the world of hockey, it’s going to be NBCSN’s “Wednesday Night Rivalry”. In the world of DFS hockey, it’s going to be a small three game slate. The nice thing about tonight’s slate is that ALL three games are going to start at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.
As I seem to mention time and time again, three games slates tend to be a very scary proposition when it comes to cash games. Yes, cash games can still be playable, but playable with the understanding that your risk increases tenfold because there are less ways to differentiate your lineups from the rest of the pack.
This means, I absolutely recommend shifting your focus to GPPs with the shorter slates. Playing GPPs with the larger slates can be very overwhelming, but with a narrowed list of options available, it’s not as daunting a task to find the right combination.
With only three games to work with, I am going to continue with my new format where I include projected lines for each team. My favorite line stacks of the night will be in GREEN. Secondary line stacks will be in GOLD. Contrarian stacks will be in BLUE. Players who will be on the POWER-PLAY are going to be in BOLD CAPS.
DETROIT RED WINGS at BOSTON BRUINS (BOS -250 favorites; 5.5 O/U u140)
Starting Goalies: Jared Coreau (Likely) vs. Tuukka Rask (Confirmed)
Detroit Projected Lines (Subject to Change)
DET1: GUSTAV NYQUIST - HENRIK ZETTERBERG - TOMAS TATAR // I love everything about Zetterberg but the matchup against BOS1 is not ideal
DET2: ANDREAS ATHANASIOU - FRANS NIELSEN - Anthony Mantha
DET3: JUSTIN ABDELKADER - Darren Helm - DYLAN LARKIN
DET4: Drew Miller - RILEY SHEAHAN - Luke Glendening
DETD1: Danny DeKeyser - MIKE GREEN
DETD2: NIKLAS KRONWALL - Nick Jensen
DETD3: Xavier Ouellet - Robbie Russo
DETPP1: Nyquist/Nielsen/Abdelkader/Zetterberg/Kronwall
DETPP2: Athanasiou/Sheahan/Larkin/Tatar/Green
Detroit is 5-4-1 when playing without rest.
Boston Projected Lines (Updated: 4:30 PM ET)
BOS1: BRAD MARCHAND - PATRICE BERGERON - DAVID BACKES // Zetterberg's line is TOUGH, but so is BOS1. Something's gotta give and BOS1 will probably still have their way, possibly via the PP
BOS2: DAVID PASTRNAK - DAVID KREJCI - DREW STAFFORD // better matchup which avoids the Zetterberg line.
BOS3: FRANK VATRANO - AUSTIN CZARNIK - Jimmy Hayes // Vatrano makes a good standalone play in cash games, especially if he's confirmed to be on the top PP; can also pair him with BOSPP1 if he does get the nod
BOS4: Tim Schaller - Dominic Moore - Riley Nash
BOSD1: Zdeno Chara - Brandon Carlo
BOSD2: TOREY KRUG - Adam McQuaid
BOSD3: Kevan Miller - COLIN MILLER
BOSPP1: Marchand/Bergeron/Pastrnak/Vatrano/Krug // No information on who will replace Spooner on PP1, but Vatrano’s skill set matches what Spooner did on the right side of the umbrella.
BOSPP2: Czarnik/Krejci/Backes/Stafford/C.Miller
Boston has a huge expected goal total of 3.45, which is actually the highest of the night. Without a doubt, their top line of Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastrnak are going to be very popular. There are two issues I find with playing BOS1. 1) They are going to be matched up with Henrik Zetterberg's top line. If you've been reading my writeups and playbooks, you'd know that Henrik Zetterberg has been an unsung hero for the lowly Red Wings, and has been playing spectacular hockey. Even though he is playing on a bad hockey team, he still has a 5v5 GF% that is over 61%. This is actually better than Bergeron's line, which has a GF% that is around 56%. And 2) They are ALL very expensive.
I happen to like Krejci's second line with Stafford and Pastrnak. Even though this stack is one of my favorites, it clearly still carries some risk because it is a newly constructed line that probably doesn't have much chemistry. It's obviously a good play for GPP purposes. Honestly, the easiest play might just be Tuukka Rask, who, knock on wood, should be a pretty safe bet for a win.
OTTAWA SENATORS at DALLAS STARS (DAL -123 favorites; 5.5 O/U o125)
Starting Goalies: Craig Anderson (Confirmed) vs. Kari Lehtonen (Confirmed)
Ottawa Projected Lines (Updated: 4:30 PM ET)
*Kyle Turris will be out of the lineup tonight nursing an injury*
OTT1: ALEXANDRE BURROWS - DERICK BRASSARD - MARK STONE
OTT2: RYAN DZINGEL - ZACK SMITH - Chris DiDomenico
OTT3: MIKE HOFFMAN - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Tom Pyatt
OTT4: Victor Stalberg - Chris Kelly - Tommy Wengels
OTTD1: Mark Methot - ERIK KARLSSON
OTTD2: DION PHANEUF - CODY CECI
OTTD3: Mark Borowiecki - CHRIS WIDEMAN
OTTPP1: Stone/Brassard/Hoffman/Phaneuf/Karlsson
OTTPP2: Dzingel/Smith/Burrows/Ceci/Wideman
Dallas Projected Lines (Subject to Change)
DAL1: JAMIE BENN - JASON SPEZZA - TYLER SEGUIN
DAL2: DEVIN SHORE - Radek Faksa - PATRICK SHARP
DAL3: Remi Elle - CODY EAKIN - ALES HEMSKY
DAL4: Adam Cracknell - Curtis McKenzie - BRETT RITCHIE
DALD1: ESA LINDELL - JOHN KLINGBERG
DALD2: Dan Hamhuis - Stephen Johns
DALD3: Patrik Nemeth - Jamie Oleksiak
DALPP1: Benn/Eakin/Seguin/Sharp/Lindell
DALPP2: Ritchie/Shore/Hemsky/Spezza/Klingberg
The Stars were able to sneak away with two big victories on their dad's/mentor's strip against the Panthers and Capitals. But, you know, I'm still a skeptic. You see, the problem that I have with those two victories is that they allowed a total of 86 shots-on-goal against their goaltender, Kari Lehtonen. Lehtonen flat out stood on his head against the Capitals, stealing a victory against the Capitals, who his multiple goal posts, and had the Stars reeling throughout the second half of the game. Regardless, with DFS, we're only concerned about offensive production, and when you have the super line of Benn/Spezza/Seguin playing together throughout the night, you have to view them as a safe bet for production.
On the other end of the rink, you have the Senators, who continue to play good hockey. The addition of Alex Burrows has definitely given the Senators some added grit. Considering their opponent is the Stars, the clear target is going to be Ottawa's top power-play unit, who will have plenty of good opportunities against the league's worst PK.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS at WINNIPEG JETS (PIT -131 favorites; 6.5 O/U u120)
Starting Goalies: Matt Murray (Confirmed) vs. Connor Hellebuyck (Confirmed)
Pittsburgh Projected Lines (Subject to Change)
PIT1: Chris Kunitz - SIDNEY CROSBY - CONOR SHEARY // Can always stack the even strength line as well
PIT2: Carl Hagelin - EVGENI MALKIN - PHIL KESSEL // Can always stack the even strength line as well
PIT3: JAKE GUENTZEL - NICK BONINO - PATRIC HORNQVIST
PIT4: Tom Kuhnhackl - Matt Cullen - Scott Wilson
PITD1: Brian Dumoulin - JUSTIN SCHULTZ
PITD2: MARK STREIT - Ron Hainsey
PITD3: Ian Cole - CHAD RUHWEDEL
PITPP1: Kessel/Crosby/Hornqvist/Malkin/Schultz
PITPP2: Guentzel/Bonino/Sheary/Streit/Ruhwedel
Winnipeg Projected Lines (Subject to Change)
WPG1: NIKOLAJ EHLERS - BRYAN LITTLE - BLAKE WHEELER
WPG2: MATHIEU PERREAULT - MARK SCHEIFELE - PATRIK LAINE
WPG3: Shawn Matthias - ADAM LOWRY - Joel Armia
WPG4: MARKO DANO - Andrew Copp - Chris Thorburn
WPGD1: Josh Morrissey - JACOB TROUBA
WPGD2: Tobias Enstrom - DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN
WPGD3: Ben Chiarot - Paul Postma
WPGPP1: Perreault/Little/Lowry/Wheeler/Byfuglien
WPGPP2: Ehlers/Scheifele/Dano/Laine/Trouba
This game has a GINORMOUS game total and I happen to like everything about it. These two teams met in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago in a very entertaining 4-3 victory for the Penguins. Winnipeg has been playing better defense lately, but they haven't faced any teams who are as cohesive offensively as the Pens. My favorite plays for the Penguins tonight are going to be their top two power-play units. The Jets have taken the 3rd most minor penalties in hockey this season and that's just a terrible combination when you're facing three of the best players in hockey, in Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby. I've also said it a few times now, but Justin Schultz, without Kris Letang in the lineup, has been extremely undervalued. His salary has finally jumped up, but it's still a situation where he should give you a decent floor with strong upside.
As for the Jets, it's generally gone very well playing their top two lines in recent weeks, but it's always tough facing Crosby and Malkin's lines. The Jets have been using both the Little line and the Lowry line against their opposition's top line, which should give Mark Scheifele's line with Mathieu Perreault and Patrik Laine the best matchup against the Penguins. Jacob Trouba remains a great value on FanDuel but he should spend most of his night matched up against Crosby. Dustin Byfuglien has been putting up a huge floor lately and will get the better matchup at even strength.