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NHL Plays will highlight the best and the most underrated daily fantasy options among forwards, defensemen and goaltenders.
Please note, these players were chosen early in the day, so make sure to check NBC Sports EDGE’s player news for any lineup changes, injuries and potential changes in the crease for starting goaltenders.
Additionally, it is worth reminding everyone that FanDuel allows you to roster nine players (2C, 2W, 2D, 2UTIL 1G) with a salary cap of $55,000, while DraftKings has a cap of $50,000 for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 1G, 1UTIL) and Yahoo has a $200 budget for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 2G).
Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out NBC Sports EDGE’s Player News, and follow @NBCSEdgeHK and @CoreAbbott on Twitter.
Wednesday has five games on the schedule.
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Forwards:
Connor McDavid (Edmonton) - C - $8,800 (FanDuel), $8,300 (DraftKings), $35 (Yahoo)
McDavid and the Oilers host Vancouver in their season opener on Wednesday night. He amassed eight goals and 22 points in 10 games versus the Canucks last season. McDavid can be stacked with his linemates or played on his own because of his offensive explosiveness.
Jonathan Toews (Chicago) - C - $5,500 (FanDuel), $6,000 (DrafKings), $21 (Yahoo)
Toews missed the entire 2020-21 season because of chronic immune response syndrome. There was not a guarantee that he would be ready for the season opener, but he certainly looked good to go during the preseason and he expects to be in the lineup. The Chicago captain has plenty of bang for the buck upside if he plays in his first regular-season game since March 11, 2020. Toews is slated to center the second line and he will also be on the top power-play unit of the Blackhawks.
Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg) - W - $6,800 (FanDuel), $6,500 (DraftKings), $24 (Yahoo)
Winnipeg won’t have Mark Scheifele in the lineup for opening night because he still has one more game left to serve on his suspension from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the team still has plenty of offensive weapons to make this game difficult for Anaheim. Ehlers is expected to take a big step forward this season after he generated 21 goals and 46 points in 47 games last year. Additionally, he has eight markers and 12 points in 12 career contests against the Ducks.
Bargin Bin: Nazem Kadri (COL) - C - $5,200 (FanDuel), $5,200 (DraftKings), $14 (Yahoo), Ryan Strome (NYR) - C - $5,700 (FanDuel), $4,600 (DraftKings), $21 (Yahoo), Dominik Kubalik (CHI) - W - $5,800 (FanDuel), $5,500 (DraftKings), $18 (Yahoo), Zach Hyman (EDM) - W - $5,800 (FanDuel), $5,900 (DraftKings), $23 (Yahoo), Conor Garland (VAN) - W - $5,300 (FanDuel), $5,600 (DraftKings), $19 (Yahoo)
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Defensemen:
Neal Pionk (Winnipeg) - $4,800 (FanDuel), $5,000 (DraftKings), $16 (Yahoo)
Pionk has been a productive multi-category defender for the Jets over the past two seasons. He has tallied nine goals and 77 points in 125 appearances with the team, while accounting for shots, hits and blocks as well as power-play points. He offers plenty of bang for the buck potential for Wednesday night. Additionally, Pionk had one goal and one helper in three outings against Anaheim back in 2019-20.
Bargain Bin: Darnell Nurse (EDM - $5,500 (FanDuel), $6,300 (DraftKings), $22 (Yahoo), Tyson Barrie (EDM) - $5,900 (FanDuel), $5,900 (DraftKings), $22 (Yahoo), Jeff Petry (MON) - $5,100 (FanDuel), $5,600 (DraftKings), $13 (Yahoo)
Goaltenders:
Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg) - $8,400 (FanDuel), $7,900 (DraftKings), $39 (Yahoo)
Hellebuyck captured the Vezina Trophy in 2019-20 and finished fourth in voting as the league’s best goaltender in 2020-21. He posted a 2.58 goals-against average and .916 save percentage last season to go along with four shutouts. Hellebuyck and the Jets will visit the low-scoring Ducks on Wednesday night. Anaheim ranked last in the NHL a season ago with 2.21 goals for per game played. Hellebuyck has a 7-1-1 record with a 2.19 GAA, a .925 SV% and two shutouts versus the Ducks in his career.
Bargain Bin: Jake Allen (MON) - $7,500 (FanDuel), $7,300 (DraftKings), $22 (Yahoo), Mike Smith (EDM) - $7,600 (FanDuel), $8,000 (DraftKings), $28 (Yahoo)
