Welcome to Saturday’s 12-game NHL Slate. We have a massive slate with a ton of good options to choose from. If you’re rocking with just one lineup, you’ll have to make some choices. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Thursday, December 21st, 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 look closer at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.

 

NHL DFS Playbook December 23rd

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

These 12-game slates can be intimidating with the massive pool of players we have to choose from. We need to identify who we are willing to pay up for and who to fade. It’s important to find solid value plays to help us jam as many studs as possible. The worst part, and maybe the most important, is picking the right goalie. There are so many options on the board and taking the wrong one can greatly diminish our chances of cashing.

 

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Alex Nedeljkovic Vs. Ottawa Senators

Daniil Tarasov Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Charlie Lindgren Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

 

Best Odds for a Win

Alexandar Georgiev Vs. Arizona Coyotes

Thatcher Demko Vs. San Jose Sharks

Jordan Binnington Vs. Chicago Blackhawks

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks

I normally don’t like spending this much on a goalie, but Vancouver is hosting the San Jose Sharks, who are far and away the worst team in the sport. They are at the very bottom of the league in scoring with 69 goals on the year and Demko sits at the top of the Vezina Trophy race. He’s 2-0 against the Sharks on the season, allowing a single goal in each game, and is a safe but expensive option. 

Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers

While Buffalo did just demolish the Maple Leafs, I have zero fear in starting Shesterkin at home. Igor is 3-3 at home this season but Buffalo is just not a good team. Shesterkin struggled in early December but he’s coming off two straight wins against very good teams in Boston and Toronto, and Buffalo should be very outmatched in this game.  

Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues

It terrifies me when Jordan Binnington is in a favorable matchup, but he’s been much better at home this year. He holds a .915 SV% and 2.92 GAA at home with a 7-3 record. He’s been so up and down all year but the Blackhawks are just not a good team. He would not be my first choice in a single entry, but he warrants consideration in multi-entry contests.

Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

Carolina is a very good team, but Sorokin is also a very good goalie. He would be less appealing in this matchup, but his price is super low on DraftKings at $7,100 and he still has the talent to shut down good teams. It’s always risky picking a goalie on the road, but given his price, he’s worth some roster consideration with the salary relief he will provide for other positions.

 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals  

Vancouver Canucks Vs Mackenzie Blackwood (4.2)

Colorado Avalanche Vs. Connor Ingram (4.0)

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Daniil Tarasov (4.2)

 

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

I know his price looks crazy but what Auston has been doing this year is equally crazy. He has 26 goals in 29 games, including ten goals over his last six games. He almost has to score goals to pay off this price tag, but scoring goals is exactly what this guy does. Columbus is generally a solid defensive team, but the last time these two teams met we saw an offensive explosion. 

Mika Zibanejad, C, New York Rangers

Zibanejad was relatively quiet to start the season but he is on fire right now. Over his last five games, he has scored five goals and collected four multi-point games. He has a very appealing price tag and the Rangers hold the best power play in the league at 31.3% while Buffalo ranks 15th on the penalty kill at 80.4%.

Mitchell Marner, W, Toronto Maple Leafs

Marner has been overshadowed by the seasons Auston Matthews and William Nylander are having, but he’s been excellent in his own right. He has 13 goals and 21 assists through 30 games and skating on a line with Auston gives him built-in ceiling potential every night. I would have no problem rostering Nylander as well but the nearly $2k in salary we can save on Marner is appealing.

Patrick Kane, W, Detroit Red Wings

I was not buying into the whole Patrick Kane is back narrative when he signed with Detroit, but he has quickly proved me wrong. In nine games he has nine points, including three straight multi-point games. New Jersey has been dreadful on the defensive side of the ice and given the fact Kane is skating the top line with Dylan Larkin and Alex Debrincat, I have no issues getting to him.  

Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks

His price tag may feel a little high, but it’s down $1k on DraftKings from where he was to start the month of December. Picking on the Sharks has been a theme all season and this game will be no different. Quinn is having a Norris-caliber season and he has eight points in three games against the Sharks this year.  

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Detroit Red Wings

While you could pay up for Moritz Seider, I like saving some salary by going down to Gostisbehere. He loves to shoot the puck and can pick up a block here and there, but his upside comes from skating on the top power-play unit. Detroit’s power play has normalized down to 22.1% but they had various injuries to their top guys through the season. Now with everyone healthy and the addition of Patrick Kane, I am in favor of rostering anyone from the group.

 

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