We have three games today with some high-flying offensive teams. New Jersey and Edmonton are going to be popular, but can we find some value elsewhere? Will Connor McDavid break the slate because the Ducks are miserable? Can Dustin Tokarski be a good option in a GPP? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Friday, December 16th, but before you build those NHL daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS projections, the NHL Value Finder, and the NHL DFS lineup generator. Let's now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS slate.

 


Winnipeg Jets Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Players to target: Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Jason Zucker, Marcus Pettersson, Ty Smith, Dustin Tokarski, Pierre Luc Dubois, Kyle Connor, Cole Perfetti, Josh Morrissey.

A lot of people are going to overlook this game tonight, but we could be in for a high-scoring affair. The Penguins have the same implied team total as Edmonton, so they can be a nice option tonight. Winnipeg Might not be as attractive on a back-to-back, but they still have a ton of quality players.

Evgeni Malkin caught fire last game with his four points, but we know how inconsistent he can be. I would probably look to target Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust and save some salary for other centremen that I like more. Marcus Pettersson and Ty Smith are going to be counted on to block shots, so they are easy targets in all formats. Dustin Tokarski is $6500 on DK, and while his matchup isn’t great, the Penguins have a pretty good chance at winning this game.

Winnipeg’s top line could have a blast against a weak Pittsburgh blue line and a third-string goalie. Kyle Connor loves to shoot the puck and he’s worth every dollar. If you need a bargain option, Cole Perfetti is questionable for this game, but if he does play, he’s $3900 and skating on the second line. As always, you can complete your stack with Josh Morrissey, who continues to set career highs in every offensive category.


New Jersey Devils Vs. Anaheim Ducks

Players to target: Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Tomas Tatar, Ondrej Palat, Dougie Hamilton, Vitek Vanecek, Kevin Shattenkirk, Simon Benoit.
Let’s be honest for a moment-- there is no reason to love Anaheim tonight. They are going to get dominated by the Devils, so that’s where we will focus most of our attention.

I have no idea why there are so many New Jersey skaters at a discount, but we will take it. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Ondrej Palat and Tomas Tatar are all great value options on this slate. You can plug any combination that you want and still have salary left to build a good lineup. Dougie Hamilton is the only New Jersey defenseman I really like, so you either pay up for him or look for value in other games. Vitek Vanecek should get the call tonight, but if he doesn’t Mackenzie Blackwood isn’t a downgrade. Both are worth playing. 

I don’t care about Anaheim’s forwards because they might not touch the puck enough to even generate ten scoring chances. Instead, I’ll focus on Kevin Shattenkirk and Simon Benoit. Shattenkirk blocked four shots last game and could give up similar production tonight. Benoit is also capable of blocking shots, but he doesn’t do it consistently. The upside for him is that he’s only $2600 and playing him allows you to pay up elsewhere.


Edmonton Oilers Vs. San Jose Sharks

Players to target: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Ryan McLeod, Klim Kostin, Jack Campbell, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc, Nick Bonino, Matt Benning, Mario Ferraro, Marc Edouard Vlasic.

There are so many great options between Edmonton and San Jose that you could probably game stack and build a very good lineup. Edmonton is a dangerous team, but let’s not pretend like they are any good defensively. We could see the over hit in this game before the second period even ends. 

You don’t need me to tell you that Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman are great options tonight. We know the kind of damage they can do on any given night. Instead, I’m looking for any value I can find in this lineup and that leads me to Ryan McLeod and Klim Kostin. Both players are playing in the top six and are under $3500 on DraftKings. You’ll need that kind of salary savings if you want to afford the elite names. I don’t think Jack Campbell is a great option tonight, but goalies are pretty terrible on this slate, so if you’re chasing the win, Edmonton has a good chance of coming away with the two points.

I’m going to have a healthy amount of exposure to San Jose because the Oilers just can’t defend. Timo Meier is an obvious choice, but Kevin Labanc and Nick Bonino are two names that often get forgotten. Labanc is skating on the top line and is very affordable, while Bonino continues to be cheap and finds ways to score goals. As good as Erik Karlsson has been this season, he’s just not hitting value at his current price tag, so I can’t pay up for him on such a short slate. I'd rather play Matt Benning, Mario Ferraro or even Marc Edouard Vlasic, players who are cheap and capable of blocking shots. You know Edmonton is going to come out firing, so all three players could be in line to block more than three shots.

 
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