This Saturday of the NHL DFS season is chock full of plays, traps, and more. First off, let’s remind everyone of the Votts media list and a few links to follow one more time.
When you are making your teams, one needs to make sure your goalie is actually confirmed and starting. Sites like Dailyfaceoff.com, Leftwinglock.com, and Goaliepost.com are great places for information. Another great source exists in team the form of team beat writers. Jeff has created a list on Twitter @Votts_DFS  for all of the NHL teams, and a separate list of all the beat writers for you to follow, it’s a great tool and a necessity. The advanced stats that I use and reference in this article come from Corsica.hockey and naturalstattrick.com.
If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me on our premium Slack chat, or you can hit me up on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS.
A Quick Note…
There is a four game slate for the afternoon and we are covering that via social media. The picks below cover the seven game main schedule.
Full Schedule For Saturday October 27th, 2018
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Prices are in DraftKings format unless noted.
NHL DFS GPP Plays For Saturday
High Priced Shots
John Tavares ($6,900) — The cheaper Toronto play presents itself here because of how pricey Toronto is. Yes, the Toronto power play first unit should be a part of stacks tonight. Note, this is not something one should try in every lineup or even half. However, the name of the game in GPP’s is goals and points. Also, Winnipeg comes in as the team not rested. Tavares is a nice bridge at a slightly depressed price compared to Auston Matthews. One can string along either top Toronto defenseman, Kasperi Kapanen, or even Nazem Kadri (if one is feeling lucky). A Tavares projection is rising because of the likelihood of increased scoring chances. High-event hockey is probable here.
Jack Eichel ($6,300) — Eichel is a somewhat risky play. The center possesses the ability to shoot the puck a ton (five plus shot potential is moderate). However, these two teams have a history as far as having some snooze inducing contests at times. Scoring is still over six goals per night, so it may be worth taking some darts from this late hammer or even a minor stack. There are a few intriguing options at slightly lower prices. The concern is that Columbus goaltending (particularly Sergei Bobrovsky) starts looking like Bobrovsky. On the other hand, Eichel will get his chances and the power play could take advantage of a weak Columbus penalty kill. Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby can be a play. Even check out Elias Petterson in his likely return tonight for Vancouver. Patrice Bergeron is a safety valve for Boston line one interests.
Alex DeBrincat ($6,800) — It seemed like a wild debate is in place between DeBrincat and Colorado line one. It is hard to fade that first line of the Colorado Avalanche but more will try this tonight even against the Minnesota Wild. DeBrincat and Chicago is on fire. The winger has eight goals and 14 points on the young season. What is more important is the better shot selection. St. Louis has had huge issues defensively and with Jake Allen in net, an adventure is always likely. Chicago has a 60% chance of scoring three or more goals on Saturday night.
Vladimir Tarasenko ($6,400) —Â Tarasenko fires the puck on net at around four shots per night and attempts over seven. That latter number should come up as the season goes on. Chicago is a team that pushes 5 on 5 pace at a rate that goes off the charts. They, like Toronto, should allow enough opportunities. Tarasenko has just three goals on the season but did score in his last game. A breakout game seems on the horizon. St. Louis can score three plus goals as easily as they yield them. The first meeting of the season was a wild affair so do not be shocked if this one ends the same.
Into The Middle
Zach Parise ($5,800) — Parise shoots at a rate which represents his pre-2012 rates which is astounding. He has 11 points in nine games and nearly 30 shots. Minnesota and Colorado has an implied goal total over six tonight and a big reason is that Colorado on the road is typically 3/4 of a goal to full goal worse. Parise is back to getting his high amount of power play time as well. All these signs point to a good night at a still, reasonable price. This bracket has a ton of value. Even Steven Stamkos has value on DraftKings tonight as he is below $6,000.
Boone Jenner ($4,600) — It is acceptable to take some risks in this price range. Jenner shoots a lot (3+ shots per night). Looking into the Columbus-Buffalo tilt raises eyebrows as well. A two goal breakthrough game might scare some off but a streak has potential here. Shot potential is very high in this game on both sides and watch Buffalo’s power play as well. Anthony Duclair presents himself as another possible choice and comes in a good bit cheaper. Pierre Luc-Dubois could roam up projections as well, tonight. That gets one exposure to Artemi Panarin and that elevated high-danger chances per 60.
Max Domi ($5,400) — Domi priced too low is something we have heard before. Right now, he is at about $1300 per point. His floor is higher than most but Montreal gets a Boston team that can be very up or down. Shooting at two plus shots a night is a good sign for the center. Again, tonight has several prime match-ups and a few that are on the verge of being there. Domi tallying ten points and four goals in the early going is significant. That top Montreal line is working well and their speed game does create havoc for the opposition. Five power play points is the real surprise here. Montreal’s power play looks better than it has in a few seasons.
Derick Brassard ($4,500) — Brassard remains lower priced for now and that is great for players. The risk involves how much of a leash he has on the top Pittsburgh line with Sidney Crosby. If he keeps getting two and three assists a night, then that is great for investment. Ice time may only be around 15-16 minutes a night but on the wing, Brassard used his speed better against Calgary and attempted six shots (four on net). Vancouver can give up a lot of chances and their defense, without Alex Edler, takes a big hit. Getting a top-line winger for a pretty cheap price is why DraftKings has so many values tonight.
Throwing Some Darts
Jack Johnson ($3,500) — The risk is dangerous with Johnson but the hope is that he is sheltered similar to how he was against Calgary. If that is the case, then he becomes effective as a floor play — racking up blocked shots and getting a couple shots on net. Among floor plays, guys like Ian Cole and David Savard come to mind as well. They rank higher in projections but are also a few hundred dollars higher. Vince Dunn spiked in price up to $5,400 so that is why he is not in play. Rasmus Dahlin playing on the first unit power play for Buffalo is something to keep an eye on and may be worth a dart tonight.
Lawson Crouse ($3,300) — This presents extreme risk because Crouse sees little more than 12-13 minutes a game. However, his shot rate per 60 is higher than a second line winger (2.2 actual shots on net per game). However, in GPP’s, it is about goal scoring and if one can take a dart here, then why not. Crouse saw top six time at even strength with very little power play time. Arizona’s top six is among the top six in the league in generating shots and scoring chances. That may surprise some. Zach Sanford is an intriguing bottom six risk from St. Louis for his ability to get chances and into goal scoring areas.
Antti Raanta ($7,400) — Raanta played okay so far in the early going but his .911 save percentage is deceptive given that Arizona allows just 26 shots a night. That is an unusually low number for them but they generate well over 30 shots a contest. Tampa is not rested and Arizona is which means pricing is based on reputation alone here. The Coyotes are much more dangerous with Alex Galchenyuk in the lineup. That makes Raanta or even Darcy Kuemper a decent value play. Yes, one can use them in GPP’s because of the lower price.
Goading The Goalies
Again, our best bet with this slate is to simply wait for more confirmations to come in. The problem lies in that there are only a couple confirmations and likely goaltenders so far. Morning skates reveal a few more but alas sometimes the wait can be right until warm-ups on a busy Saturday. Looking towards the lesser games tonight might actually pay off in GPP’s. Also, keep an eye on who starts for teams on no rest and some road opponents. Joonas Korpisalo of Columbus may attract more ownership than usual tonight because most feel Buffalo might generate enough action for a GPP play. Can Corey Crawford continue his hot start? Also, who starts for Vancouver tonight? Again, this is a good question and not an automatic answer.
More picks and choices will be available on Slack and social media later.
Best of luck on Saturday! This will be a fun ride.
