DFS Alerts

This winger is going to get a big pay day this summer.

Jeff Skinner is second in the NHL in goals, six behind Alex Ovechkin. With 31 goals in 50 games Skinner is on pace to smash his career-high of 37 as he is on pace for his first 50-goal campaign. He’s been playing on the Buffalo Sabres top line for most of the season alongside Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Tonight the Sabres have a premium matchup as they host the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are allowing 3.71 goals against per game which is the second-worst mark in the NHL and have decided that rolling out Cam Ward tonight is a good idea. Ward has been horrendous this season with a 3.87 GAA and .888 SV%.

Finding a goalie on our first big slate after the break

On FanDuel, Carter Hutton checks in at a comical $7,300 due to his recent struggles. Conversely, he is the most expensive goalie on DraftKings at $8,300. Do not let Hutton’s topsy-turvy play be too discouraging as he has had some tough matchups, particularly on the road. On home ice Hutton has held it down with a 10-4-2 record, 2.36 GAA and .927 SV% – a stark contrast from his road numbers. Though Hutton will have to deal with Patrick Kane who always loves to play in his hometown, he will be backed by Jack Eichel and company. It would be a mistake not to play Hutton in cash games on FanDuel.

On DraftKings, where goalies are more clustered and evenly priced, some interesting options are Andrei Vasilevskiy ($7,900) who is priced down after some recent struggles, including a trip to New York back in early January. It’s a nice price on a quality goalie. Cam Ward who is just $6,800 offers tournament appeal if Buffalo’s top line is held in check and Patrick Kane powers the Blackhawks to the road upset as Ward should see 30-plus shots.

Productive January for Penguins' top liner

After a disastrous December where Simon had no points in seven games, Simon came back with a vengeance in January with 8 points (3G, 5A) in 11 contests while averaging nearly 15 minutes of ice time per game. With his return to the top line alongside superstar Sidney Crosby and the often-overlooked Jake Guentzel, Simon will continue to have chances to produce. A matchup with an Ottawa team bleeding goals on the road is certainly one to exploit even at significant ownership tonight. Simon’s price across the industry gives him cash game and tournament appeal as Pittsburgh’s top line should dominate the Senators at even-strength.

Carolina blue liner turning the corner

With a plethora of options from the blue line tonight, Dougie Hamilton will not see much traffic, especially given the mediocre matchup against Vegas. However, Dougie came alive in January, potting five goals including a multi-point effort to enter the break. Dougie has a reasonable floor given his shot volume as he sits third overall in most shots on goal by a defenseman, trailing only Brent Burns and Roman Josi. If filling out your roster and you want a low-owned solo play in tournaments, roll the dice with Dougie as he should get his usual three shots on goal with a chance of hitting the scoresheet.

This centre leads his low-scoring team in points.

The New York Rangers have stacked their top line with what little offensive talent they have. Mika Zibanejad is centering Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider, and the trio also play on the top power play unit together which gives them full-game correlation and elite upside on a three-game slate. They visit the New Jersey Devils, a team that in January has allowed 59.87 CA/60 which is the 9th most and their 45.83 CF% ranks 29th. The Rangers struggle to score with a 27th ranked 2.73 GF/GP, but the matchup is decent enough that they should be able to put the puck in the net.

This winger has a solid matchup against a tired squad.

The Columbus Blue Jackets take on a Winnipeg Jets team that is playing their third game in four nights since the All-Star break. The Jets have struggled in January with possession with just a 46.93 CF% which ranks 25th and giving up a 61.08 CA/60 which is the sixth-worst. Cam Atkinson leads the team in goals with 28 — 9 more than Artemi Panarin who is in a distant second. Additionally, he smashes the shots on goal as well with 191 which is 61 more than Josh Anderson’s second-highest. Atkinson plays with Artemi Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois on the top line which is a great line stack tonight.

This winger leads his team in goals and points and has a premium matchup tonight.

Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals (28), points (59) and shots on goal (190) which gives him a high floor for cash games but also an elite ceiling in tournaments. David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand have a fantastic matchup against a Flyers team that has a 46.58 CF% in January — the fourth-worst mark in the NHL. Additionally, they’re allowing a 62.89 CA/60 which is the third-most in January. On the flip side, Boston has been dominant with a 53.01 CF% and 59.93 CF/60, both rank seventh in the NHL in January. Stack him up with his two linemates for increased upside in tournaments.

Ranger winger saw season-high ice time last time out

For whatever reason, though partly aided by the absence of Mats Zuccarello, Vladislav Namestnikov saw over 24 minutes of ice time against the Flyers – by far a season high. While there is no guarantee he will see even 20 minutes tonight, especially with Zuccarello expected to return, Namestnikov realistically will see 15-16 with some power play time. A matchup against the New Jersey Devils is nothing to be afraid of despite them upsetting the Penguins last time out. Namestnikov is just $3,00 on DraftKings which gives him some cash game appeal despite the inherent risk. Namestinkov has 11 shots on goal over his last four games

Power play specialist could see increased role

With Sami Vatanen out indefinitely due to a concussion, Will Butcher is a possible beneficiary. Even if he doesn’t see any increased minutes, Butcher has shown promise with the man-advantage in his young career. Furthermore, Will has gathered three assists over his last two games as the Devils look to crawl out of the basement. The Devils have been much better on home ice and have the pleasure of taking on a Rangers’ team which has struggled while short-handed. Butcher makes sense in all formats.

Dirt-cheap center should see solid minutes again

With Boone Jenner not on the Blue Jackets’ road trip, an opportunity exists for Alexander Wennberg to get some top-six minutes. Wennberg is not one to shoot much, but he does see power play time. Wennberg figures to see the Jets’ second line for the most part, and it is a line that has struggled mightily at even-strength, particularly of late. At $2,800 on DraftKings, Wennberg is an interesting, next-to-zero-ownership option to free up salary.

This winger leads his team in points per game.

It is Alexander Radulov — not Jamie Benn or Tyler Seguin — that leads the Dallas Stars in points per game and is the only player on the roster that is scoring at more than a point per game with 41 points in 39 games. The Stars have broken up their stacked top line with Radulov and Seguin being joined by Mattias Janmark. Janmark had 19 goals last season but has struggled mightily this season with just 3 goals in 49 games. This line is a great spot to bounce back for him playing with Radulov and Seguin.

This centre is expected to be in a high-scoring affair.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to be in a shootout tonight. So, getting the most exposure to this game would be ideal. Sidney Crosby is centering Jake Guentzel and Dominik Simon on the top line for the Penguins, and while name value isn’t great, Guentzel is actually a great compliment for Crosby. While it would be nice to see Guentzel on the top power play unit over Patric Hornqvist, that hast not happened yet. This is a line that you’re looking to cash in at even strength tonight.

This winger has cooled off a bit, but still has a great matchup tonight.

After putting up 53 points in 29 games through November and December, Nikita Kucherov has “just” 13 points in 9 January games. He is still playing on a line with Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson, a line that has been fantastic this season. The Tampa Bay Lightning visit Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins in what is expected to be a high-scoring game. Kucherov and Point make for an interesting two-man mini-stack as they both play on the top power play unit while Johnson is relegated to PP2.

Elite Center Could Go Overlooked

Even on a two-game slate, the center position is loaded tonight. Despite just having four teams to chose from, we still have the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Seguin, Steven Stamkos, and Jack Eichel. Oh yea, and Brayden Point. Point doesn’t have quite the name recognition as the rest, but arguably belongs in the discussion from a talent perspective. In his only other game against the Penguins this year, Point registered a hat trick. While I don’t expect a repeat performance, he should find the scoresheet at slightly subdued ownership.

Center Gets Bumped to First Line

Although it’s unlikely he’ll play more minutes than true #1 center Tyler Seguin, currently Radek Faksa is listed as the center on the Stars first line with Jamie Benn and Blake Comeau. It’s possible that the team will reunite the Benn-Seguin-Radulov line during the game, but even if that happens, Faksa will still see plenty of minutes. He’s also guaranteed a spot on the #2 power play, which is a nice bonus for a player that’s cheap across the industry.