J.T. Miller Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections
Back to the well with top liner
J.T. Miller was one of the few Tampa Bay lightning in their top-six to get involved last time out as he assisted on Steven Stamkos' first period goal. Miller's price across the industry is attractive given his role on the team's top power play against a Washington team which has been short-handed the second most number of times in the National Hockey League. Though the Lightning have locked up the President's Trophy, there is no doubt this game has a little extra importance to them as the Capitals ousted them in seven games during last season's playoffs. Miller is a cheap way to gain exposure to the best team in the league.
This center is having an under-the-radar, but stellar, season
Obviously all of the attention this season is on Nikita Kucherov completely dominating the Art Ross race. The second biggest story on the Lightning is the continual breakout of Brayden Point. And then we have Steven Stamkos who is still having an elite season with 35 goals and 81 points in 72 games. He's been incredible and nobody is talking about it because of the rest of the team's success. His linemates are considerably cheaper than Kucherov's which makes this line stack with J.T. Miller and Ondrej Palat an interesting pivot in tournaments.
Top liner offers some much needed salary relief
Even with Tampa Bay scoring goals for fun, J.T. Miller has not been involved. Over his last eight games, Miller has a mere assist. Arizona is not the easiest of matchups either, but on a four game slate, Miller is a cheap way to gain exposure to Tampa Bay's offense and top power play unit. With a price tag around $4,000 across the industry, J.T. enters the conversation in all formats. Add Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat for a cheap, lesser-owned stack than Tampa Bay's popular second line.
Stamkos leads league in goals for december
Stamkos has been on fire of late as he brings his team into Edmonton to face an Oiler team that has given up four or more goals in four of their last five games. This should bode well for Stamkos here as he and Alexander Ovechkin lead the league with 10 goals since the beginning of the month. Stamkos has also kicked in six goals and eight assists on the power play while leading the team with 106 shots. Tampa has grabbed 11 power play goals over the last 10 games while Edmonton has given up seven power play goals over the last 10 games. The Lightning have shuffled the lines up a bit as Stamkos will now skate with J.T.Miller and Tyler Johnson so using him as a one-off here would more than likely pay-off this evening.
Great Spot For This Line On Home Ice
Nikita Kucherov along with his line-mates Steven Stamkos, and J.T. Miller are in a great spot on home ice as they host the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa is ranked last in goals allowed (67), shots allowed per game (39.3), and penalty kill percentage (67.3%). They have also allowed 21 goals in their last four games. Victor Hedman appears to be likely to draw back into the lineup tonight, and would be the preferred option on defense.
Despite Price Bump, Play This Talented Line
DraftKings had an egregious pricing error on the Lightning's last game, pricing Steven Stamkos and Kucherov far too cheap, which led to 30%+ ownership in tournaments. They have now been bumped up, but are still worthy of their lofty price tags. Tonight, they face a surprising Islanders team in first place in the Metropolitan division. Robin Lehner will be in goal, who has been great at home (1.50 GAA, .961 SV%) but average on the road (2.87 GAA, .912 SV%). J.T. Miller joins Stamkos and Kucherov, but isn't a must-play due to his relatively low ceiling. The Lightning are -210 favorites and I think they roll at home.
The top line for the Tampa Bay Lightning continues to be underpriced
Nikita Kucherov is $6,800, Steven Stamkos is $6,600 and J.T. Miller is $4,400. This line is so cheap on DraftKings but they've been playing great lately. Both Stamkos and Kucherov have five points in their last four games while Miller has picked up two points. This evening they're taking on the Edmonton Oilers who are on the tail-end of a back to back in which they had to fly from Washington to Tampa Bay. While this isn't necessarily a long flight, it's not like going from Washington to New York. There will be some fatigue as this is also their third game in four nights and fourth game in six nights.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's top line is significantly underpriced.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are significantly underpriced tonight. Steve Stamkos comes in at $5,300, Nikita Kucherov at $5,900 and J.T. Miller at a bargain priced $4,400. The fact that this line stack is just $15,600 is insanity. Both Stamkos and Kucherov were in the mid-high $7k range last season. Anyway, this stack is in a somewhat tough spot against the Nashville Predators but you're getting the discount to make it worth it. The Lightning have a 52.78 CF% which is 7th-best in the NHL so they are still a great possession team. Their PP has been clicking, too, converting 29.3 percent of their attempts which is the 6th-best.
Fade This Trio At Your Own Peril
Despite having 10 games to choose from tonight, the clear top line is Tampa Bay's top line which features Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and recently acquired J.T. Miller. With a combined 34 points over their last 10 games, this line has been unstoppable for the Lightning this season. They draw a juicy matchup against the league's worst defensive team in the Islanders, who have allowed the second most shot attempts and the most scoring chances over their last 25 home games. Also featured on the league's second ranked power play unit, I especially like Stamkos, Kucherov, and Miller's chances of breaking through on the power play against an Islanders penalty kill that ranks 30th in the NHL this season. This will certainly garner their fair share of ownership on tonight's 10 game slate, but their steep price tags throughout most of the industry could lower their ownership; giving you leverage over your price sensitive opponents in tournaments.
Do Not Fade This Line Tonight In Any Format
Throughout the 2017-18 season, the Ottawa Senators have been one of the weakest defensive teams in the National Hockey League (31st overall in CA/60. 22nd in HDCA/60 and 27th in SCA/60), however, in 2018, you could argue that the Senators are the worst defensive team in the game, excluding the New York Islanders of course. Since the beginning of January, the Senators remain dead last in CA/60, while ranking 27th in HDCA/60 and 30th in SCA/60. I should also mention, Ottawa is playing on the tail end of a road back-to-back, and they will be facing the most potent offense in the game. The Tampa Bay Lightning lead the league in goals per game (3.58), and their top line is the most explosive line in hockey, and I strongly suggest you get heavy exposure to them tonight in all formats. In cash games, rostering one of Steven Stamkos or Nikita Kucherov is a must, and if you can fit them both in, I would not talk you out of it. The moderately priced J.T. Miller is also in play for cash, as he seems to be skating on the Bolts number one line and top power play unit, and you can even dip down to their second line as well, with Yanni Gourde representing the best value. As far as tourneys go, unless you are only playing one lineup, or you are looking to go contrarian, fading the Lightnings top line is not recommended. If you are looking to get exposure to Tampa Bay without paying up for the big boys, the Bolts moderately priced second line is certainly in play, with all three members skating together on the second power play unit, along with defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.