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:
Daily Fantasy Hockey Primer: 2014-15 Season
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
Thursday evening brings us a fantastic and exciting 11-game schedule. It should be another big night for your cash games, and the GPP options are unlimited. With an 11-game slate, it can be difficult to figure out what teams and players you want to target. Let’s see if I can help you out with those decisions.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings, $10,800 – Quick looked great in his win over Florida Tuesday night (.938 SV%) and he has been a rock in net all year long for the Kings (2.06 GAA, .938 SV%). The Carolina Hurricanes do not travel well (2-6-2) and are a mess on the back end. Look for the Kings to dominate this game from puck drop. Quick should roll out another strong performance and is your safest bet for a win tonight.
Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues, $6,700 – Allen has been a terrific value play in net all season (1.67 GAA, .933 SV%) and he fits the bill again tonight. The matchup is not ideal, facing the Montreal Canadiens on the road, but I think he makes a great roll of the dice at his discounted price. He might be best suited for GPPs tonight, but with the Blues’ great defensive system, he has a shot at a win regardless of his opponent.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Antti Niemi, Corey Crawford, Ben Bishop
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Darcy Kuemper, Kari Lehtonen, Carter Hutton
CENTER
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars, $8,800 – Seguin broke out of a mini-slump with two goals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday evening. Seguin leads the NHL with 14 goals and is third in the league with 26 points this season. The Arizona Coyotes have traditionally struggled away from the desert and Mike Smith has been awful in net most of the year (3.31 GAA, .890 SV%). Seguin is one of the best young scorers in the game and should be in line for another multi-point effort tonight.
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings, $7,200 – Kopitar has points in four of his last five games, including three multi-point performances. The Kings are a very tough team to beat on home ice and Kopitar has done most of his damage in the Staples Center. Since the 2012/13 season, Kopitar has 74 points and a +34 rating in 76 home games.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Mike Ribeiro
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Mikko Koivu, Nicklas Backstrom, Tyler Bozak
LEFT WING
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild, $9,000 – Parise had a huge game (2 G, +2, 4 SOG) in the Wild’s win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday and he appears to be 100% healthy. The Wild seemed lost without their leader in the lineup, but he paid immediate dividends once he returned. The Philadelphia Flyers continue to struggle defensively and in goal this season, allowing 33.2 shots per game and 55 goals on the year. Parise won’t come cheap, but he is a great cash game play tonight.
James Neal, Nashville Predators, $8,300 – Nashville scored nine goals against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday and yet their best sniper did not register a point. However, Neal does have points in four of his last five games and has found great chemistry with linemates Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. The Senators continue to allow way too many shots on net (34.8) and have given up 16 goals in their last four games. Most will fade Predators because they are not an explosive offense, but they have been very good this season and are a sneaky play tonight.
Other Left Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Alexander Ovechkin, Jamie Benn, Patrick Marleau
Other Left Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Marian Gaborik, Valtteri Filppula, Gabriel Landeskog
RIGHT WING
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers, $8,800 – Voracek is having a great season (26 PTS, +5 and 60 SOG in 17 GP) and seems to have taken another step towards stardom. Voracek see a ton of minutes every game (23:53 last night) and loves playing at home (5 G, 15 PTS, 31 SOG in 9 GP).
Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning, $5,000 – Callahan continues to play on the Bolts’ top line and see minutes on the number one powerplay unit with linemates Valtteri Filppula and Steven Stamkos. The Toronto Maple Leafs just look awful right now on the back end. They allow the 4th-most shots against per game in the league at 33.6 and just gave up nine goals to a Predators team that is average offensively. Callahan has three goals and four points in his last four games, and I think he finds his way onto the score sheet again tonight.
Other Right Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Joe Pavelski, Phil Kessel, Vladimir Tarasenko
Other Right Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Jason Pominville, Filip Forsberg, Cody Eakin
DEFENSE
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings, $5,500 – Doughty has not posted the numbers we expect from him, but a lot of that has not been poor play, but bad luck. He has only one goal on the year, but has fired 51 shots on net this season. His luck will soon change, as Doughty does have four points and 15 shots on goal in his last four games. The Hurricanes are a team we can pick on, so Doughty is my top defenseman of the night.
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators, $5,200 – This is more of a GPP play, but I would not talk you out of using Josi in your cash games either. Josi has been hot in his last three games (1 G, 4 PTS, +3, 7 SOG) and will not be highly owned tonight. I mentioned earlier how Ottawa has struggled on the back end this season, and I look for that to continue tonight.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Jake Muzzin, Jason Garrison, Keith Yandle
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Ryan Suter, Trevor Daley, Mike Green