DFS Alerts

Arvidsson to Stay Hot on Home Ice

The Nashville Predators have had their problems over the last four games as their 7-2 win at home is the best game they have played. Losing at Carolina and Columbus as well as a 5-1 home loss to Winnipeg has left the team slowly losing ground to the Central Division leading Winnipeg team. Viktor Arvidsson has only played in 25 games this season and has lit the lamp 18 times to go along with seven assists while skating on the top line with Filip Forsberg. Arvidsson has also led the league with 44 shots on goal to go along with 10 goals over the last three weeks so taking a look at him here against a Florida team that played last night would be a bit foolish.

Look For Tkachuk to Fuel the Fire Tonight

When it comes to the Calgary Flames we always think of the top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan. I mean, why wouldn’t we as they combined for 49 points over the last 10 games going into last night’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Matthew Tkachuk makes for a decent one-off play here as he joins the top line when the Flames draw a penalty. Tkachuk’s numbers are right there with then top line as he has lit the lamp eight times to go along with six assists over the last 11 games.

Top Line Looks to Stay Hot

The other night, the trio of Cam Atkinson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Artemi Panarin was extremely popular thanks to a juicy matchup against the visiting Devils. They didn’t disappoint, all finishing the night with multi-point outings. Tonight, the matchup is tougher against a Canadiens team with a pair of hot goaltenders, but I think it should reduce ownership levels slightly. They’ll get the “second change” at home, which should allow the top line to be put in the most favorable matchups throughout the night.

Veteran backstop draws great matchup at home

With David Rittich getting the night off, Mike Smith, who is just $7,400 on FanDuel emerges at the top goalie option as Calgary checks in as the biggest favorite of the night. While shot volume in a concern, the win should be there as he will be backed by a dynamic offense averaging the most goals per game on home ice (4.29 GF/G). Smith is a building block in all formats on FanDuel.

On DraftKings, Anders Nilsson ($7,400) is an interesting tournament target against the certain heavy ownership on the Carolina Hurricanes. Nilsosn has performed well in his four starts with the Senators, going 3-1 while allowing just seven goals with some tough matchups against the Sharks and Avalanche sprinkled in there. Though they have been scoring lately, it is no secret the Hurricanes take a massive number of shots but struggle to convert them.

This centre is thriving as the go-to guy.

There was plenty of talk of how Mathew Barzal would do this season with John Tavares out of town. On one hand, he was going to be the top line centre, top power play unit, he was going to be the man. However, he was also now going to face the toughest matchups rather than having a bit more freedom on the second line. Well, he has shut the critics down as he has been completely dominant this season. Barzal has put up 13 goals and 43 points in 46 games playing in more of a 1a/1b line role as Anders Lee anchors his own line from the left side. Barzal will be with Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier as the New York Islanders take on the Washington Capitals this evening. The Islanders are on the tail-end of a back-to-back which is not ideal, but the Caps have struggled from a possession standpoint as of late. Since the Christmas break, Washington has the 24th ranked CF% at 47.53 and allowed a 60.99 CA/60 which is the sixth worst in that time frame.

This line has an elite possession mismatch tonight.

Carolina has really slowed down with their possession numbers as of late, not even landing in the top 10 since the Christmas break. As a result, they have dropped to second in the NHL this season with a 55.08 CF%, with the San Jose Sharks passing them. That’s okay, though, as they take on the Ottawa Senators who are dead last on the season with a 44.03 CF% and 26th since the break with a 46.89 CF%. The Hurricanes on home ice are in a great spot and we are looking at the top line comprised of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Michael Ferland — an upcoming UFA that is coming up in a lot of trade talks. All three of these players have at least 9 points in the 11 games since the break. Additionally they all play on the top power play unit together so a full-line stack is an elite play with full-game correlation.

This centre has been dominant since the Christmas break.

Since the Christmas break, Sidney Crosby has 4 goals and 14 points in 10 games centering the top line with Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust on his wings. The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to be a high-scoring team scoring 3.52 goals per game — good for the fifth best numbers in the NHL. Additionally, their power play has been clicking too. They have the 5th best PP which has converted at a 25.4 percent rate, however they are taking on the league’s best penalty kill. The Arizona Coyotes surprisingly have the best PK in the league killing off 88.2 percent of their penalties. It’s a battle of elite special teams, and with Patric Hornqvist on the shelf, Guentzel plays on the top power play unit so a mini-stack with him and Crosby makes sense.

Move to top power play for promising blue liner

Carolina’s morning skate indicates Jaccob Slavin will be on the team’s top power play unit which should like their chances to convert at least once against the Senators. Slavin has two goals and three assists in eight January games, and his price across the industry is attractive. Slavin is just $4,200 on FanDuel making him a core play in cash games and a worthy tournament target as he shouldn’t need to do much to pay off the cheap salary.

Rookie will thrive against defensively-challenged visitors

Andrei Svechnikov has gone eight consecutive games without a point, but tonight is a good night to take advantage of his cheap price tag against everyone’s favorite team to pick on – the Ottawa Senators. The last time these two teams met, Carolina put five past Ottawa on the road. While Anders Nilsson has performed admirably since his trade from Vancouver, he will need to be extra sharp against a Hurricanes’ team which is certain to dominate shot share in this one. The second overall pick in the 2018 draft is an excellent play in tournaments.

This centre is looking to turn around his goal-scoring slump.

Auston Matthews is in a bit of a goal-scoring slump at the moment with just 1 goal in his last 10 games. However, he has still been able to pick up the points as he’s had nine points in those games. If you’re still averaging 0.9 points per game during a cold streak, you’re a special player. It looks like he’s going to be reunited with William Nylander again tonight as the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs — winners in just two of their last seven games — take on the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning. Since the break, Toronto has actually been playing well from a possession standpoint but have just been unable to score. Their 64.76 CF/60 ranks third and 52.4 CF% is seventh in the 8 games since Christmas. On the other side, Tampa Bay has just a 48.53 CF% which sits 22nd in the NHL in the same period.

This winger has been a dominant goal-scorer this season.

Injuries have shortened his season so far, but when he’s been healthy Viktor Arvidsson has been a beast. He’s played in just 24 games this season, but with 17 goals and 24 points, he’s been arguably the Nashville Predators best player. Obviously that goal total is inflated a bit with an unsustainable 21.5 percent shooting percentage considering his career average is 11.8 percent. However, he should still be able to dominate the scoresheet playing on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg as usual. Tonight, the Predators host the Winnipeg Jets — a team that has turned to Laurent Brossoit a bit more lately with Connor Hellebuyck struggling. While as of now there is no confirmation on the goaltending, it is still a premium matchup for a Nashville team that has a 62.21 CF/60 since the Christmas break — 5th best in the NHL.

This player's struggles are the product of one bad month.

The struggles this season have been documented in-depth for Vladimir Tarasenko, but it was really just the month of December that was a nightmare for him. He had an abysmal 2 points (both goals) in 13 December games. Other than that, he has a respectable — but not great — 13 goals and 27 points in 31 games. With four goals and seven points in seven January games, there is hope that Tarasenko can have a hot second half to the season. There is likely to be a bit of positive regression to the mean in the goal-scoring department as his 9.4 percent shooting percentage is down over 3 percentage points from his career 12.7 percent shooting percentage. If he gets that back up, along with the St. Louis Blues simply playing better as of late, than he could have a big second half.

Second year blue liner coming alive recently

While Sergachev’s ice time fluctuates, he has been efficient in January with five points (2G, 3A) in six games while taking 14 shots on goal. In a game that should be played at another frenetic pace, much like the Maple Leafs and Lightning first meeting on 12/13, Sergachev could continue his hot streak. Sergachev costs just over $4,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel which opens up salary to grab some of the high-upside forwards in tournaments. Look for both teams to hit the back of the net multiple times.

Discount on minutes-chewing veteran defenseman

Ryan Suter continues to log heavy minutes for the topsy-turvy Minnesota Wild. While Suter has just nine points in 23 away games, he has thrived on home ice, averaging nearly a point per game (1G, 20A in 23 games). On a night where the usual top defensemen are not in action, Suter becomes a nice source of salary relief, particularly against an Anaheim team that has dropped 12 consecutive games. Ryan Suter is under $5,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel which makes him a strong play in cash games.

Target this cheap Toronto Maple Leaf in tournaments

The results have not been there for William Nylander, but the peripherals are as strong as ever. Nylander sports a team-best 35.61 scoring chances per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, much of which has come away from Auston Matthews. With Mike Babcock reuniting Matthews, Nylander and Hyman, a line that had a bunch of success last season, this could be a blow-up spot, even against the best team in the National Hockey League. In four meetings with the Lightning last season, Nylander potted a pair of goals and an assist. Take a chance on the low-owned Nylander tonight.