Each day I will be providing my recommended player picks for your FanDuel daily fantasy hockey lineups.
My FanDuel NHL Plays will be broken down by player positions, and will include picks for cash games (50/50s/double-ups/head-to-head) and GPPs (guaranteed prize pool tournaments).
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Are you new to Daily Fantasy Hockey? Check out these strategies documents first for tips and recommendations to craft your winning FanDuel hockey lineups:
Introduction to Daily Fantasy Hockey: Breaking it Down
Winning Strategies for Cash Games (head-to-head, 50/50s)
Winning Strategies for GPP Tournaments
Advanced Tips for Winning by Utilizing Vegas Odds and Line Combinations
FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Research and Strategy Tools
The National Hockey League presents us with a solid six-game slate this evening to kick off the weekend. The Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals are the biggest favorites tonight and we have four teams (Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and the San Jose Sharks) playing on the tail end of a back-to-back.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders NHL Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings, $8,300 - The Vancouver Canucks are trending in the wrong direction and I expect the Detroit Red Wings to take care of business tonight. Howard has been terrific in December, posting a 1.91 goals against average and a .943 save percentage. Howard is a lock for the win and he is very moderately priced.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Braden Holtby, Henrik Lundqvist, Craig Anderson
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Roberto Luongo, Tuukka Rask, Alex Stalock, Connor Hellebuyck
CENTERS
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins, $7,500 – With the Bruins on the road, Bergeron will spend less time facing Sidney Crosby and more time against the Penguins weaker lines, which should only lead to more scoring chances. Bergeron is currently riding a six-game scoring streak and I expect it to reach seven after tonight.
Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals, $6,100 - The matchup may not be ideal, but any time the Washington Capitals are on home ice, I want a piece of their top line. Paying up for Alexander Ovechkin may be difficult this evening, but getting exposure to him through Backstrom is easily doable. The Capitals have scored the fifth most goals per game in the NHL and they own the league’s second best power play, thanks in large part to their number one line. Backstrom has multi-point upside again tonight.
Other Centers to Target (Cash Games) – David Krejci, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Eric Staal, Henrik Zetterberg, Bryan Little
Other Centers to Target (Tournaments) – Steven Stamkos, Ryan Spooner, Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele
WINGERS
Mike Hoffman, Ottawa Senators, $7,300 - Hoffman is having an incredible year (17 G, 30 PTS, 90 SOG in 28 GP) and he has been one of the best cash game players all season long. The San Jose Sharks are playing in consecutive road games and they will likely have back-up goalie Alex Stalock and his terrible numbers (2.95 GAA, .891 SV%) in goal. Look for another big game from Hoffman in this one.
Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings, $4,700 - The Vancouver Canucks are not a good hockey team and they are not only playing in back-to-back games, but this will also be their fourth game in six nights. The Canucks are a terrible possession team, which has resulted in allowing the most scoring chances and second most high-danger scoring chances in hockey this season. Detroit should dominate possession in this game and that means plenty of scoring opportunities for Abdelkader and the Red Wings’ top line. At $4,700, Abdelkader is a steal tonight.
Other Wingers to Target (Cash Games) – Alexander Ovechkin, Joe Pavelski, Loui Eriksson, Rick Nash, Nikita Kucherov, Bobby Ryan, Dylan Larkin, Blake Wheeler
Other Wingers to Target (Tournaments) – Mark Stone, Brad Marchand, David Perron, Jaromir Jagr, Jeff Skinner, Daniel Sedin, Elias Lindholm, Gustav Nyquist, Drew Stafford
DEFENSE
Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings, $4,600 - There are a plethora of great offensive defensemen in play tonight. However, Kronwall has just as much upside against this awful Canucks team and he comes at a discount. As a power play specialist, I except Kronwall to find the score sheet against Vancouver’s lousy penalty kill.
Other Defensemen to Target (Cash Games) – Erik Karlsson, Torey Krug, John Carlson, Brent Burns
Other Defensemen to Target (Tournaments) – Ryan McDonagh, Mike Green, Dan Boyle, David Warsofsky