Vegas Golden Knights @ New York Islanders

We could be in for a bit of a lopsided game here, as Vegas comes in with the fourth highest Corsi For sitting at 62, while the Islanders are second lowest at only 50 Corsi For. This generally leads to a slower paced game since we don’t have a ton of back and forth action, meaning the fantasy value could be capped at some point. Regardless of the overall flow, the Golden Knights still make a good team to target tonight, since they come in with a high shot expectation, which should lead to a solid floor of points. The first power-play for the Golden Knights is where I would start my Vegas exposure for cash games or GPPs. Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Alex Tuch, Max Pacioretty, and Colin Miller are where you want to start and should bring plenty of goal potential against this Islanders team who are allowing just under three goals per game.

For the Islanders, they are a GPP option only for me on this slate, simply for the fact, their expectation for potential is so limited due to the Golden Knights having the lowest Corsi against this season sitting at 51.05. They simply don’t allow a ton of shots combined with the fact the Islanders don’t generate a ton of shots, we are looking at some very thin fantasy options. If you want to go to a stack simply for being contrarian, I understand that on a smaller slate, just know there is plenty of bust potential here. Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and Josh Bailey are on the cheaper side, so you’ll have plenty of salary if you decide to roster them.

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Chicago Blackhawks

We have two teams going in completely opposite directions in this game and it likely won’t end well for Chicago, who have lost seven games in a row. The Penguins were looking really, really bad for a while, but have now won six of their last 10 games and are moving forward. Despite the Blackhawks not being “good” this game still sets up for plenty of fantasy potential, since both teams are in the top-10 in Corsi For this season. This can lead to a higher paced game, where the shots will be flowing and thus leading to potential fantasy goodness.

Paying up for the top options on Pittsburgh can always bring upside, but getting a full stack into your lineup is difficult due to their prices. Also, trying to do a game stack and add some of the top options from Chicago can make a very difficult game stack, but certainly has its upside. Sidney Crosby still centers the first forward line with Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel on his wings. This is clearly the first option when it comes to stacking since Evgeni Malkin has Tanner Pearson and Riley Sheahan on his line. The bottom six forwards for the Penguins are not players you want to be targeting, so I generally shy away from them. You can always add Kris Letang to a stack, but he is always expensive.

On the Chicago side of things, they are inconsistent at times but are up against this Penguins team who are giving up over three goals per game this season. Patrick Kane is clearly the best and most consistent member of the offense and comes in with five points in his last five games, along with 19 shots. After that, we have Brandon Saad with two points and 13 shots in his last five games, Jonathan Toews with three points and 12 shots in that same span. If we are going to buy into the fact this game will be high-scoring, then you will need some Blackhawks in your lineups and this is the best place to start.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Calgary Flames

This game has the Flames coming in at -170, making them the largest favorites on the slate, along with an over-under sitting at six. This could be the spot to look for a cash game goalie since the Flames are very strong at home and the Flyers are one of the worst teams in the league.

This game is very simple in my opinion, you want to be rostering the Flames goalie if it’s Mike Smith or David Rittich. Then you want to be spending up for the top power-play unit with Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, and Mark Giordano, who will be back from his suspension. That’s really it in this game. Going to the Flyers is strictly for the sake of being contrarian in tournaments and generally not a play with a positive outcome.

Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks

This game has both teams coming in at -110 and an over-under set at 5.5, so we should be seeing a close, lower scoring game. This means the fantasy upside will be limited and you might want to be looking here for some goalies. The Ducks are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, so going to Ben Bishop in net for the Stars brings the win potential, but not the saves, since the Ducks don’t take a ton of shots. John Gibson on the other side is in a similar spot since the Stars come in with the lowest Corsi For this season at 50.13. Gibson could easily come away with the win here but only have around 22 saves. You can always go to a player like Tyler Seguin or Jamie Benn, since they generate decent shots on their own, just know their upside will be limited tonight. 

Optimal Lineups will be posted about an hour before lock.