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
I like to refer to Monday nights as the calm before the storm. We generally have a quiet night of hockey on Monday before the NHL explodes with a big slate of games on Tuesday evening. This theory holds true as we have just three games on tap tonight, followed by 10 tomorrow night.
The New York Islanders and the Chicago Blackhawks are your biggest favorites and the Calgary Flames are the only team playing on consecutive nights. Getting exposure to the Islanders and Blackhawks offenses makes sense in your cash games, and I think both teams playing at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto could be sneaky in GPPs.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders NHL Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders, $8,700 – The New York Islanders are off to a great start in 2015-16 (5-2-1) and Halak has been superb in net (2.36 GAA, .920 SV%). On the flip side, the same cannot be said about the Calgary Flames’ start (2-6), and they are also struggling to score goals this season (ranked 25th in goals per game). To make matters worse for Calgary, they are playing on back-to-back nights. Look for the Islanders to dominate this game and for Halak to lock up a win and 25-plus saves.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Crawford
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Mike Smith, Frederik Andersen, Jonathan Bernier
CENTERS
John Tavares, New York Islanders, $9,200 - The Calgary Flames have been a mess in their own end this season. They are getting dominated in the possession game on a nightly basis and they are ranked 28th in goals against per game (3.88). John Tavares is a cash game stud and easily the top play at center tonight in this matchup.
Other Centers to Target (Cash Games) – John Tavares, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Nazem Kadri
Other Centers to Target (Tournaments) – Sean Monahan, Frans Nielsen, Artem Anisimov
WINGERS
James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs, $6,500 - The Toronto Maple Leafs offense has not been as bad as I thought it would be. As a matter of fact, they are currently ranked third in the NHL in shots per game (33.9) this season. JVR is coming off a big night against the Montreal Canadiens (1 G, 1 A, 5 SOG), and I think he hits the scoresheet again in this one.
Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks, $3,400 – Panarin has looked fantastic in his rookie season, producing eight points in his first eight contests. Of course, playing alongside superstar Patrick Kane at both even strength and the power play has certainly helped. Until his price starts to match his production, Panarin will be a staple in my cash games.
Other Wingers to Target (Cash Games) – Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Corey Perry, Anders Lee
Other Wingers to Target (Tournaments) – Kyle Okposo, Johnny Gaudreau, Max Domi
DEFENSE
Nick Leddy, New York Islanders, $4,800 - The New York Islanders are in the best spot to produce tonight, so why not roster power-play quarterback Nick Leddy? I mentioned earlier that I expect this game to be all about New York’s offense, and Leddy can light up the Flames at both even strength and on the power play.
Other Defensemen to Target (Cash Games) – Brent Seabrook, Morgan Rielly
Other Defensemen to Target (Tournaments) – Mark Giordano, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Trevor Daley