NHL DFS Playbook: December 28

Get in on all the action over at Yahoo We have a contest set up for tonight, and if you sign up and make your first deposit using the code: XMAS100 you will get a free $100 in credit.

Today's ten-game NHL DFS slate is highlighted by Sidney Crosby who is due for another big night. Also don't miss out on some of the great value plays available on the wing tonight with Kasperi Kapanen of the Penguins facing the Sabres. As always don't forget you can use the lineup generator to help put your lineup together as well.

Canadiens at Lightning

Teams will start fresh following the Holiday/COVID break, but both teams will be missing significant pieces. Montreal will look to Nick Suzuki, who has led the team in both scoring and shots through 31 games this season.  You can look to pair him with Brendan Gallagher who has a nice floor with his shot volume. Tampa could see Brayden Point return to their lineup today which would provide them with a nice boost. If he does play he is certainly usable tonight with Montréal short players, as is Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn.

On Defence, for Montréal, it is going to be David Savard on DK to get you some cheap blocked shots, or bust as the Canadiens defence hasn’t been productive this season. Tampa will have Victor Hedman, who has among the highest floors and ceilings as he will contribute to all scoring categories.

Montréal is going with Samuel Montembeault, while Tampa Bay counters with Maxime Lagacé. Neither are seasoned NHL goalies, but if I had to pick one I would take Lagacé at home in a GPP, but I would avoid the situation in cash games.

Golden Knights at Kings

With this game in Los Angeles, I would typically fade Vegas’ top line, as they are going to see a lot of Anze Kopitar. This means that can look at using Vegas’s second line, and Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith in particular. This doesn’t mean you need to fade Max Pacioretty entirely, but I wouldn’t want to over-invest in trying to stack him with his linemates. For the Kings, you can look at Kopitar who leads the team in points, and Dustin Brown, who leads the team in shots on the top line for the Kings. You can take at Alex Turcotte who looks set to make his debut tonight on the second line, you are going to get him near the minimum price, and last but not least Viktor Arvidsson has been a volume shooter all year.

Shea Theodore should see a bump in his minutes with Alex Pietrangelo out again for Vegas. You can also look at Nic Hague who has been a solid contributor for shots and blocks, and Zach Whitecloud. For the Kings, you can use Drew Doughty, but there isn’t a whole lot else there that is overly interesting

In goal today, if Robin Lehner gets the start, he is certainly playable, if Lehner cannot go it will be Laurant Brossoit in net, who I have much less faith in and has been difficult to predict. It looks like the Kings will likely go with Jonathan Quick, who is someone you can use in a GPP, but I don’t trust him enough in this matchup for a cash game.

Coyotes at Sharks

The Coyotes are always difficult to predict. Clayton Keller leads the team in points, and he has 77 shots in 29 games so far this season as well. In his two previous games prior to the break, he has 15 shots and five points, so if you’re going to play an Arizona forward he would be my choice. For San Jose, you can look to stack Logan Couture with Timo Meier. Meier has averaged more than four shots per game this season, but he wont’ sneak up on anyone tonight as the Sharks will be highly owned. If you’re playing in a GPP you can also look to get some value from Alexander Barabanov who has moved up to play with Couture and Meier.

With Jakob Chychrun out for this game, that should really open up minutes for Shayne Gostisbehere who already leads all Coyotes defensemen in points. If you’re looking for some cheap blocks, you can look at Dysin Mayo who averages nearly two blocked shots per game. The Sharks have seen a lot of productivity from Erik Karlsson, and Brent Burns continues to shoot the puck in volume, even if it's not the same value we have seen from him in years past. Additionally, you can always look to Mario Ferraro, who leads the NHL in blocked shots if you’re playing on DK, but keep in mind as Arizona’s shot volume goes down so will the potential for blocked shots to occur as well.

Scott Wedgewood is expected to get the start for Arizona tonight. He hasn’t played well this season and he isn’t a goalie I would be looking to use in this matchup. San Jose is expected to counter with James Reimer. Reimer has had an excellent season so far this year and would be my pick for a cash game goalie tonight, the biggest issue with him in GPP games is will Arizona shoot enough for him to get to value if he gives up a couple of goals. 

{{item.name}}

Position	Top Tier	Mid-Tier	Value-Tier
{{position.position.alias}}	{{position.top.name}}	{{position.mid.name}}	{{position.value.name}}