DFS Alerts
This centre is looking to break his goal-scoring slump.
With just one goal in his last seven games, Auston Matthews is in a bit of a goal-scoring drought. With Zach Hyman back in the lineup, Mike Babcock has not only switched up the lines at even strength by putting Matthews between Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen, he has also switched up the struggling power play units. Matthews is now on PP1 with Johnsson, Marleau, Nylander and Gardiner. This is actually okay for DFS because you now have Johnsson on the same power play unit as Matthews for some correlation. With Kapanen now playing on PP1 with the other big guns, this line stack is still an elite one due to their even strength play and presence across the two power play units.
Other tagged players: Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson
Florida defenseman riding four game point streak
The Panthers have dropped three consecutive games, but Aaron Ekblad has picked up a point in each of his last four contests. During this stretch, Ekblad has 11 shots on goal and a matchup with the leaky Oilers’ defense is exploitable. On a slate where Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson are in a tough matchup on the road in Vegas, finding defensemen with upside at a reasonable price can be hard to find, but Ekblad fits the bill. He is a worthy target in tournaments either as a solo play or in Florida builds.
Rookie goalie coming off shutout in debut
Jordan Binnington stymied the Philadelphia Flyers on the road last time out as he made 25 saves in route to a shutout. The 25 year old performed admirably in the American Hockey League for the San Antonio Rampage before his call up, posting a 2.08 GAA and .927 save percentage. Although Montreal averages the fourth-most shots per game (33.8 SF/G), they are middle of the pack in scoring (3.00 GF/G). St. Louis for whatever reason has been awful on home ice, but a lot of that can be attributed to Jake Allen. Binnington could build off his first win and is an interesting target in tournaments.
Points in back to back games for aging sniper
Ilya Kovalchuk has picked up an assist in each of his last two games as he has benefited from top line minutes with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Ilya’s return to the National Hockey League has been a relative disappointment, but he had been battling a nagging injury for some time. With the Senators in town on a back to back, Kovalchuk is a nice target in tournaments at an affordable price tag against a team allowing nearly four goals per contest on the road.
Value Winger Could Be on First Line
The Anaheim Ducks have shuffled their lines more than any team this year, largely due to a bevy of injuries. They are finally starting to get healthy, and their lineup looks like a competitive one rather than a pushover. Daniel Sprong was on the first line in practice yesterday with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell, who could return tonight after a lengthy absence. Sprong isn’t a special talent, but opportunities are king in fantasy and his price tag is right.
Other tagged players: Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell
This winger has been fantastic since returning from injury.
Ondrej Kase didn’t play his first game until November 12th, but he’s amassed 19 points in 25 games including a team-leading 11 goals (tied with Pontus Aberg). He has spent some time on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell, but he is currently slated to play on the Anaheim Ducks “third” line with Nick Ritchie and Adam Henrique. Taking on an Ottawa Senators team that allows a league-worst 67.0 CA/60 and has a 43.86 CF% which also ranks 31st. Kase plays on the top power play unit but Henrique and Ritchie play on the second unit which allows for a mini-correlation there.
Other tagged players: Nick Ritchie, Adam Henrique 
This player leads the league in goals since December 1st.
Although there has been plenty of talk about how incredible Nikita Kucherov has been over the last couple months, Johnny Gaudreau has been keeping pace over the last couple months. Since December 1st, Gaudreau is 2nd in points with 35 but 1st in goals with 16. He’s playing alongside Sean Monahan who is 4th since December 1st with 27 points and Elias Lindholm who is tied for 9th with 24 points.
Other tagged players: Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm 
Despite missing all of December, this player leads his team in goals.
Despite missing the entire month of December, Filip Forsberg is still tied for the team-lead in goals with 14 in 27 games. The elite top line is back together with Forsberg joining Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson as the Nashville Predators start to finally get a bit healthier. The Preds are taking on the Chicago Blackhawks are have allowed an abysmal 63.34 CA/60 over the last three weeks which ranks 29th and their possession has been equally terrible with a 45.24 CF% which ranks 27th.
Other tagged players: Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson 
Goalie Looking to End Winless Drought
It seems strange to target a goalie who hasn’t won in his last six starts, but that’s where we are on a short slate for tonight. Although Gibson’s record is nothing special, his underlying numbers aren’t bad (.923 SV% and 2.64 GAA). Tonight, he faces a putrid Ottawa team who is 4-14-1 on the road this year. Anaheim is a huge favorite (-220) and I expect Gibson to pick up the all-important win bonus tonight.
Chicago Goaltender should see a heavy amount of shots
Delia has been outstanding in five starts, posting a 2.19 GAA and .947 SV%. In those five appearances, opposing teams have peppered Delia with over 41 shots on goal per game. Nashville has been better after their short losing streak, but they’ve been mediocre on the road all season long. Of course, getting some important pieces back should help them, but Delia could pay off his cheap salary (DraftKings – $6,900) on shot volume alone. He makes sense in tournaments to get away from more popular options like John Gibson or Pekka Rinne.
Flames' blue liner has seven points over last six contests
Mark Giordano is the top play on defense by a considerable margin tonight, but if looking to differentiate, Noah Hanifin is a worthy option to save salary. Hanifin has been racking up the assists lately and should have a good chance to pile them on again tonight against a Colorado team that has played awful hockey over the past month. Moreover, Colorado is on the tail end of a back to back after getting smoked by the Jets for seven goals last night. Hanifin is under $5,000 on DraftKings and FanDuel which makes him a viable option in all formats.
Veteran center showing signs of turning the corner
Ryan Kesler may have just six points in 40 games, but over his last five games, the underlying stats have been promising as Kesler is sporting a 60.68% CF at 5v5. Ottawa continues to get obliterated on the road where they have allowed an unbelievable 4.89 goals per game. Although both teams are in the midst of deep losing streaks, it is hard not to side with the home team here as their quality should prevail. Kesler is dirt-cheap across the industry and could be in for a big game as he looks to turn his season around.
Defenseman Thriving Under Expanded Role
The loss of Dustin Bfuglien for an extended period of time has led to Josh Morrissey taking on more responsibilities for the Jets, including the role of quarterback on a lethal number one power play unit. Morrissey has been seeing 25+ minutes per game lately, up significantly from his usual 20-21 minutes. Over his last two games, he’s registered 8 shots on goal, and I expect that trend to continue. A home matchup with the Avalanche should feature plenty of goals, and Morrissey should find the scoresheet.
Other tagged players: Dustin Byfuglien 
Defenseman in Excellent Bounce-back Spot
I wrote about Brent Burns yesterday, and he produced a rare fantasy dud by his lofty standard, registering just three shots on goal and no points. Prior to last night, he had 10+ DK points in three straight games. Injuries to the blue line for the Sharks has led to even more of a dependence on Burns and teammate Erik Karlsson, who have both logging close to 30 minutes lately. They are on the second of a back-to-back, so their workloads could be slightly less, but I’d still expect 25+ minutes from both. They should be staples in your lineups and are relatively affordable compared to their forward counterparts.
Superstar Looks to Get Back on the Scoresheet
Nikita Kucherov’s stretch over the last month has been unheard of, but he had a rare pointless game in his last outing against the Sharks. Not only did he not register a point, he didn’t have a shot on goal. That should change tonight against the Blue Jackets. Prior to the poor showing, Kucherov had seven consecutive multi-point games. I think he makes it eight of nine this evening. He can be stacked with even-strength linemates Braden Point and Tyler Johnson, or additionally with Stamkos or Hedman on the powerplay.
Other tagged players: Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson