NHL DFS Power Play - Playbook Core Plays: December 15

Washington Capitals  Vs. Chicago Blackhawks

With a small three game slate, we are going to need to dig deep and find some value. This game has a ton of great options, so let’s dig right into it.

For the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin is always a great option. He’s by far the most expensive winger on DraftKings, but he’s worth every dollar. If you need to balance out his high price tag, Aliaksei Protas is skating on the top line with him, and he’s very cheap on both sites. I wouldn’t expect much from him, and would probably only target him in a GPP.

Outside of those two options, I wouldn’t go much deeper. John Carlson is an option, but I’m not a fan of the price tag. Whoever starts in goal for the Capitals is a decent GPP play.

On the other side, Chicago has a lot to look at. Alex DeBrincat is back on the top line and is only $6500 on DK. He loves to shoot the puck, and I can see him doing a lot of that tonight. Dylan Strome is centering the top line and is seeing some power play time, and at $2700, I don’t see how we can say no to him. The upside with him is massive, and even if he does next to nothing, the price savings alone is enough to get him into my lineup.

On the blue line, Seth Jones is the defenceman I want to pay up for. Unlike Carlson, he’s going to block shots, and that added value justifies paying a premium to play him. He also plays on the top power play unit, so stacking all three players in a GPP works nicely. 

I won’t touch any goalies from this game because I don’t think we will see a low scoring affair. We can find better value in the other two games. 

New York Rangers  Vs. Arizona Coyotes

It’s going to be hard to fade the New York Rangers considering how great their matchup is. The Coyotes are a #NotGood team and will be without their best defenceman Jacob Chychrun for at least the next week.

For New York, I’m going to target certain pieces of their lineup, and that starts with Chris Kreider. The man continues to score goals and is starting to shoot the puck more. His $6400 price tag is a bargain on this slate. I would also look at playing with Kaapo Kakko or Dryden Hunt, depending on how much salary you have left over. Kakko is skating on the top line, so you could go with a winger-winger stack and feel good about your lineup. Hunt is skating on the second line, but is cheaper on DK and has more points over his last ten games. If you want to get extra creative, you can stack both Hunt and Kakko together and have a ton of salary left over.

The one defenceman I want to have in my lineup is Adam Fox. The shot volume hasn’t been there over the last ten games, but he’s been blocking shots. We could see the script be reversed in this game, and that wouldn’t be a bad thing. I would ideally pair him with Kreider for a power play mini-stack.

We could see Keith Kinkaid get the start tonight, which feels like a trap, but he could end up helping you hit the money in cash games. He’s $6500 on FanDuel, so he’s going to be a chalk play. He’s $8100 on DK, so we can easily fade him there. The Coyotes don’t generate enough shots, so using him in a GPP probably isn’t the best idea.

I don’t like anything the Coyotes have to offer up front. They aren’t good, and I’m not wasting a dollar on their below-average forwards. 

With that being said, I will be looking at Shayne Gostisbehere as a serious option. With Chychrun out of the lineup, no one is going to challenge Gostisbehere for playing time. He doesn’t block a ton of shots, but we may get a few lucky one tonight considering how much ice time he could see. He played over 26-minutes last game, and I expect the same tonight. 

In goal, Scott Wedgewood is confirmed to get the start. He’s affordable, and he’s going to see a lot of action. He’s been beat up over his last five starts, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. I would only consider him if you’re going extra contrarian in your GPP build.

Seattle Kraken  Vs. Anaheim Ducks

I love this matchup for the Anaheim Ducks, and you can guarantee I’m going to have a lot of exposure to them. 

Everything starts with Troy Terry, who just continues to score goals at a crazy pace. He has the same number of goals as Kreider (17) this season, but he’s only $4300 against a below-average Seattle team. I can’t explain why that is, but we will take it. 

He skates on the same line as Ryan Getzlaf, so you can pair both together for a nice mini-stack. Ideally, both players would skate on the top power play unit, but that isn’t the case. If you want the power play correlation, Sam Steel is the player to pair with Terry. He’s $2500 on DK and picked up an assist last game. I wouldn’t mind using both players in a cash game lineup.

On the back end, Cam Fowler is the defenceman we want to target. Jamie Drysdale is on the top unit, but he has three points in the last ten games, and isn’t doing much outside of that. He did have five blocked shots in one game, but the shot volume hasn’t been there and his ice time feels a bit limited. Kevin Shattenkirk has two points in the last ten games, and isn’t seeing enough ice time to warrant his $4100 price tag. That brings us to Fowler, who is cheaper than both players, and has seven shots in the last two games. He's got the most upside when taking into account his price tag, and he is skating on the second power play unit. He’s also seeing over 24-minutes a game, which is a huge factor in his ability to hit value. I’ll take my chances with him on this slate.

In goal, Anthony Stolarz should get the start for Anaheim, and he’s been lights out over the last five games. John Gibson is out due to injury, and considering how well Stolarz has done in a short period of time, he should see the bulk of the starts moving forward. Seattle doesn’t generate a ton of offense, but I would still look at him in a GPP just because of how affordable he is on DK.

For Seattle, There’s nothing I really like. Jordan Eberle is the only player I would consider, but he isn’t shooting the puck enough and that limits his upside. Even in a GPP, this risk is hard to swallow. They are also playing on back-to-back nights, which means we should see Philipp Grubauer tonight. He’s given up three or more goals in all of his last six games, so I’m not going anywhere near him. 

For your mental health, just stay away from Seattle and go with every other option mentioned in the Playbook.

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