Welcome to Wednesday’s 14-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 Wednesday, December 27th, 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 27th

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

These 14-game slates can be tricky but have no fear, Fuzzychris is here! We need to make some tough choices and that means fading some good options. On large slates like this one, it’s important to find players that can hit value. You can’t be taken a 0 from anyone. We also need to make sure our goalie is the right one. There is no shortage of options, so we should be able to identify a few that are worth it.

 

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Ilya Sorokin Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Juuse Saros Vs. Carolina Hurricanes

MacKenzie Blackwood Vs. Los Angeles Kings

 

Best Odds for a Win

David Rittich Vs. Anaheim Ducks

Vitek Vanecek Vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Connor Hellebuyck Vs. Chicago Blackhawks

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets

It’s always a risk to pay up for the most expensive goalie on the slate, but Connor Hellebuyck is worth every dollar. Despite being on the road, Winnipeg is still a really good defensive team. Chicago’s offence is below-average and they don’t pose a real threat. If you’re going with an elite goalie, make it Hellebuyck.

Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

This might feel like a tough matchup for Ilya Sorokin, but the Penguins are a below-average offensive hockey team. They are scouring just 2.94 goals on the road despite taking over 30 shots on goal. His SV% has been really good this season, but he’s still facing too many shots. His 10-4-7 record is good enough to be part of the conversation at least.

Martin Jones, G, Toronto Maple Leafs

I want to throw myself off a bridge for thinking about playing Martin Jones, but here’s the reality: the Ottawa Senators are a bad hockey team. On the road, they are scoring 3.55 goals per game, but they are also allowing 3.91. We know that the Leafs are a high-scoring team that can roll with the punches, but can Jones really get the job done? I want to say yes. He’s definitely a risky play, but in a GPP, I’ll gladly take my chances.

Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary Flames

I know Jacob Markstrom is a good goalie, but his 8-9-2 record is hard to swallow. The good news is, Seattle can’t score goals on the road. They come into tonight ranked 29th in that category, so we have to believe that Markstrom can keep the puck out of his own net. His other numbers are decent, so he isn’t really the problem. I think we can steal him at low ownership, but like Jones, he’s probably better suited for GPPs even with the low upside.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s no secret that the Tampa Bay Lightning are significantly better on home ice. They are 10-3-3 at home and Andrei Vasilevskiy is a big reason for that. Florida is also really bad at scoring goals on the road-- averaging just 2.67-- which is behind teams like Anaheim, Arizona and Montreal. There is enough upside here to consider playing him in all formats. If anything, we can get him at low ownership.

 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 

New Jersey Devils Vs Elvis Merzlikins (4.4)

Los Angeles Kings Vs. MacKenzie Blackwood (4.4)

Vegas Godlen Knights Vs. John Gibson (4.0)

 

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils

Jack Hughes has been quiet over his last five games, but one thing is for sure: he loves to shoot the puck on home ice. He has 74 shots on goal compared to just 47 on the road. Columbus is a bad defensive team and the Devils are expected to score early and often in this one. I have no problem with using Jack as a single bullet in all formats.

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

I don’t want to pay $10,000 for Auston Matthews on DraftKings, but I also can’t just completely ignore him. He has 28 goals on the season including 14 in his last ten games. We know that AM34 is a goal-scoring machine that loves to shoot the puck. He has scored 19 of his goals on home ice and like Hughes, is significantly better on home ice. At his price point, he needs to finish with over 20 fantasy points, which seems like a lot but is entirely possible. 

Quinton Byfield, W, Los Angeles Kings

How are we still getting Quinton Byfield at under $5K  on DK? The kid continues to see time on the top line and top power play unit and has six goals in the last ten games. He has played under 15 minutes in two of the last five games, but that isn’t something I'm too concerned about considering the opponent. San Jose is bad all around but are even worse on the road. Once you’ve picked your goalie, the next player you add to your lineup is Byfield.

Jonathan Marchessault, W, Vegas Golden Knights

Jonathan Marchessault has 17 goals in 35 games this season and continues to shoot the puck a ton. He isn’t always consistent, but he is the clear shooter on his line. The move to the second line only amplifies that, because it’s not Chandler Stephenson or Pavel Dorofeyev who are going to be stealing his opportunities. This is a great spot for him to produce.

Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Remember how we talked about Tampa being a much better team on home ice? Victor Hedman has six points in the last four games and may see even more usage with Mikhail Sergachev out of the lineup. He’s on the top power play and has played over 27 minutes in two of the last five games. The high volume mixed with the $5500 price tag makes him very appealing in all formats. 

Timothy Liljegren, D, Toronto Maple Leafs

Timothy Liljgren only has three points on the season, but two of them have come in the last three games and he has blocked 18 shots in the last four games. Ottawa is a shooting machine and that fits the game script perfectly for Liljgren. He’s $3200 and has a ton of upside. If he can collect a point, that would be the cherry on the ice cream.

 

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