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
We have another huge night of NHL action with ten games scheduled. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Los Angeles Kings are your biggest favorites, and we have seven teams (Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues) playing on consecutive nights.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders NHL Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning, $8,900 - Bishop has been one of the few bright spots for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. He has been very consistent in net, posting a 2.00 goals against average and a .927 save percentage on the year. Bishop plays his best hockey on home ice (1.92 GA, .929 SV%) and I expect him to cruise to an easy win over the struggling Vancouver Canucks tonight.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Henrik Lundqvist, Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Quick
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Brian Elliott, Tuukka Rask, Roberto Luongo, Karri Ramo, Louis Domingue
CENTERS
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, $9,400 - The Vancouver Canucks are a complete mess in terms of advanced analytics. Vancouver is not a good possession team, which has lead to them allowing the most scoring chances against and the fifth-most “high danger” scoring chances against in hockey this season. Stamkos is starting to heat up with three goals in his last two games and he has “hat trick” upside in this plus matchup on home ice.
Other Centers to Target (Cash Games) – Tyler Seguin, Paul Stastny, David Krejci, Henrik Zetterberg, Sean Monahan
Other Centers to Target (Tournaments) – Bryan Little, Adam Henrique, Mika Zibanejad, Mikael Granlund, Artem Anisimov, Nazem Kadri, Antonie Vermette
WINGERS
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames, $8,900 - Gaudreau has caught fire in December, racking up seven goals and 13 points in nine games. The Winnipeg Jets have really struggled away from home and the Calgary Flames are on a roll, winning seven of their past 10 games, thanks in large part to Johnny Hockey. The Winnipeg Jets are not only playing their second game in as many nights, but they refuse to play disciplined hockey. Winnipeg continues to lead the National Hockey League in penalty minutes per game and they own one of the league’s worst penalty kills. Look for Gaudreau to light up the Jets at both even strength and on the power play.
Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks, $5,500 - The Chicago Blackhawks may be on the road, but they are the rested team in this game with Dallas playing last night in Minnesota. Despite being one of the NHL’s best possession teams, Dallas has allowed the second-most “high danger” scoring chances allowed in hockey this year. Look for Panarin and his linemates to dominate when on the ice.
Justin Abdelakder, Detroit Red Wings, $4,700 - Abdelkader broke out of a mini-slump with his 11th goal of this season Sunday in Detroit’s 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames, and he remains one of the top values plays across the industry. Playing on the Red Wings top line and number one power-play unit, Abdelkader should have plenty of scoring opportunities in this one
Other Wingers to Target (Cash Games) – Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, Vladimir Tarasenko, Lou Eriksson, Rick Nash, Zach Parise, Nikita Kucherov, Mats Zuccarello
Other Wingers to Target (Tournaments) – Blake Wheeler, Gustav Nyquist, Mark Stone, Mikael Boedker, Patrick Maroon
DEFENSEMEN
Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning, $5,100 - The Vancouver Canucks are not just playing ugly hockey, they have also been a very undisciplined team this season. They have taken the sixth-most penalty minutes per game this year and they have not done a very good job killing them off (22nd-ranked penalty kill). Look for Stralman to break through with the man advantage in this game.
Other Defensemen to Target (Cash Games) – Erik Karlsson, Kevin Shattenkirk, Torey Krug, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Kronwall, Anton Stralman, Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Suter
Other Defensemen to Target (Tournaments) – Dan Boyle, Jared Spurgeon, Alec Martinez, Dmitry Kulikov, Michael Stone