There is a solid six-game Monday slate to comb through, with a few attractive options on the board. Let’s dive into some NHL DFS picks from each position, including a cash-game building block in Roman Josi as well as some other players worth considering like Vladimir Tarasenko.
NHL DFS Picks for Today | December 12
Cam Talbot or Anton Forsberg (Senators vs. Ducks): $7,000 FanDuel | $8,400 DraftKings
Keep an eye on the Senators’ goaltending situation leading up to lock tonight as Cam Talbot is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue but has not been officially ruled out of tonight’s start. As a result, it’s certainly possible Anton Forsberg goes for the Senators against the visiting Anaheim Ducks.
It’s been a tough go for the Ducks at both ends of the ice this season as they’ll enter this one ranked 30th with just 2.43 goals per game on the season while their 31st-ranked power play sits at just 15% on the campaign. The underlying metrics support the anemic results as the Ducks sit 30th in expected goals for per 60 minutes at five-on-five while they rank 28th in shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five as well.
While they may not see a ton of rubber, whichever goaltender the Sens end up going with has plenty of upside. Talbot has a 2.76 goals against average (GAA) and .909 save percentage in 14 appearances while Forsberg has produced a 3.24 GAA and .908 save percentage for the season.
Neither netminder has been spectacular but both projects extremely well in this home matchup tonight.
Defender
Roman Josi (Predators vs. Blues): $8,300 FanDuel | $8,800 DraftKings
Easily the priciest blueliner on the slate, Josi leads Stokastic’s projections by so much that he needs to be a lock in lineups tonight, at least in cash games.
Josi and the Predators take on a Blues team that has struggled mightily on the back end while getting very poor goaltending. Their underlying metrics aren’t terrible, but they still sit 29th in overall defense and dead last with a 65.6% penalty kill. Their .910 save percentage at five-on-five this season sits 24th but clearly that NHL-worst penalty kill has been a major backbreaker for this club.
While the Predators haven’t been anything special offensively, Josi has been excellent. He’s notched five goals and 21 points in 25 games this season but has once again been a shot-on-goal machine with 113 on the season. He’s easily atop the defenseman rankings in shots, sitting a cool 16 ahead of second-place Dougie Hamilton.
With the way the Blues have yielded offense of late Josi is a lock this evening on the road.
Jared Spurgeon (Wild vs. Oilers): $4,800 FanDuel | $4,800 DraftKings
To go lighter on the wallet, Jared Spurgeon’s value projection fits quite well in lineups tonight as the Wild take on the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers are another club that’s struggled to defend. Their 3.46 goals against per game on the season sits 22nd in the league now while they also rank 27th with a 71.3% mark on the penalty kill. For good measure, the Oilers also rank 25th in expected goals against per 60 at five-on-five.
For his part, Spurgeon gets second-unit power play minutes but has been solid across the board. He’s notched two goals and 11 points in 27 games; however, he’s also put 51 shots on goal and blocked another 54 in that time. For what it’s worth, Spurgeon’s 3.9% shooting rate is well below his 7.7% career mark and due for a nice raise moving forward.
He’s cheap on the pocketbook but projects to deliver nice value in this matchup.
Wing
Alex DeBrincat/Drake Batherson/Thomas Chabot (Senators vs. Ducks): $20,000 FanDuel | $17,100 DraftKings
This three-man stack projects for major value over at DraftKings but should be worth paying up for at FanDuel as well.
Stokastic’s projections have Drake Batherson and Alex DeBrincat near the top of the value chart in this matchup with the Ducks. Keep an eye on DeBrincat’s status, however, as he too is questionable with an undisclosed ailment for the Sens.
Nonetheless, he’s finding his groove with 5 points over his last five games. Now, with just seven goals he’s fallen well behind his usual goal-scoring pace, but he’s also put 93 shots on goal while his 7.5% shooting rate is roughly half of his 14.8% career mark. Expect a notable uptick in that department moving forward.
Batherson has notched 5 points over his last four games and is now up to 23 points in 27 games on the season. He too has suffered from some poor puck luck as his 8.6% shooting rate is well under his 13.4% career mark. He’s averaged 3.5 shots per game over his last four so he’s feeling it now.
As for Thomas Chabot, his price tag is attractive at both sites. The Senators No. 1 blueliner will carry six goals and 15 points across 22 games into tonight’s contest and continues to log major minutes at 26:07 per game this season. That should work well for him against the NHL’s worst defense at 4.21 goals against per game while the Ducks’ 66.7% penalty kill sits 31st.
This three-man stack should be able to go off tonight in this favorable home matchup.
Vladimir Tarasenko (Blues vs. Predators): $5,200 FanDuel | $5,200 DraftKings
As for as value projections go Vladimir Tarasenko is right up there with the best of em’ on this slate. He hasn’t been himself the last couple of seasons as injuries have hampered his production, but he appears to be finding himself again this season.
He’s not putting up elite numbers with eight goals and 21 points in 26 games but does have three goals over his last five contests. He’s not shooting the puck as much, with just 68 shots on goal for the season, but this is a nice home matchup for him to stay hot.
The Preds sit 16th in overall defense, but also 20th on the penalty kill, 22nd in shot attempts against per 60 minutes at five-on-five and 21st in expected goals against per 60 at five-on-five action. Netminder Juuse Saros hasn’t found his game consistently this season with a 3.05 GAA and .906 save percentage in 19 games.
Look for Tarasenko to stay hot in this matchup tonight.
Sleeper
Andrew Mangiapane (Flames vs. Canadiens): $4,700 FanDuel | $3,100 DraftKings
He carries more value upside at DraftKings, but not many will pay a steeper price at FanDuel for a player that should be able to get in on the offense in a road matchup against the Montreal Canadiens.
Indeed, Andrew Mangiapane might have just 13 points in 28 games on the season, but he’s also recorded 4 points over his last five coming off a 2-point effort Saturday in Toronto. The floor isn’t super high with just 53 shots in 28 contests but he’s getting second-line minutes and skating a healthy 16:26 per game.
The matchup is a favorable one against a Canadiens back end that sits 24th overall defensively and 27th in terms of expected goals against per 60 at five-on-five. Additionally, only the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets have produced a worst five-on-five save percentage than Montreal’s .898 mark.
Mangiapane has a nice opportunity to generate more offense in this one tonight.
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