This is a tough slate to navigate as we have two huge favorites that are going to get most of the ownership (TB and PIT), and then after that there isn’t much to be excited about outside of the obvious STL1 stack. Here are a few players we’re spotlighting for this 4-game slate, with Awesemo starting out with his take, and then some additional analysis by myself (Tommienation1).
Top-Tier
Victor Hedman ($6,200 DK/$6,900 FD)
“Hedman regularly sees 25 minutes, and assuming he sees somewhere close to that tonight, he’s got a great chance to put up a big fantasy score in multiple ways tonight.”
He may lead the slate in minutes played tonight and his team has 4 total, which is rarely seen in the NHL. You’re not going to save salary on either site, but Hedman (“A” points grade) has attempted the 2nd-most shots over the Lightning’s last 5 games with 28, and gets top power-play time on one of the league’s best power-plays. He’s one of our top spend-up spots on the night for both cash-games and tournaments.
Sidney Crosby ($7,500 DK/$9,000 FD)
“The Penguins’ best player should have a great chance to contribute tonight at home against the Senators with a 3.8 team total.”
Crosby should matchup with the Duchene line, which has been pretty bad defensively all year, allowing 34.7 Scoring Chances Against per 60 minutes and 10.5 High-Danger Chances Against per 60 minutes. The Crosby line should be playing their usual high-event style of hockey and Crosby himself will play on the top power-play against the Sens’ 28th-ranked penalty-kill. You’re not going to be sneaky playing him, but he has a great chance to put up multiple points with the Penguins expected to score a bunch.
Value
Patrik Berglund ($3,700 DK/$4,600 FD)
“Berglund makes for a nice value at under $4K on DraftKings as he’s one of the few players at this price that gets 15-16 minutes as well as power-play time on this slate.”
Berglund (“B” value) has been aggressive offensively over his last five games, attempting 24 shots and creating 18 Scoring Chances. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, have been very giving over the last month, allowing the most shot attempts and the 2nd-most Scoring Chances Against per 60 minutes and High-Danger Chances Against per 60 minutes. Most DFSers won’t go beyond the Blues’ top line, but Berglund makes for an interesting contrarian one-off tonight in tournaments.
Brett Ritchie ($2,900 DK/$3,300 FD)Â
“Ritchie skated with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn at practice yesterday, and assuming he’s there tonight, this is way too much value to leave him off in most formats.”
Ritchie is a guy who isn’t scared to shoot, and even in a matchup that isn’t great, the Seguin line could have some success against Ryan Kesler’s line at even-strength. Ritchie usually gets power-play time on one of the units, and as a punt play on DK and FD, it’s simply too good to pass up on in cash.
