Jason Zucker Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Jason Zucker has been quiet recently, picking up just a point over his last six contests, but he should like his chances against the generous Chicago defense. In three meetings against the Blackhawks this season, Zucker has 13 shots on goal in route to a pair of goals and an assist. Zucker and his linemates figure to be locked into a high-event matchup with Chicago's top line which has been surrendering chances left and right. Zucker's price makes him a primary cash game play and an under-the-radar tournament play given his recent woes.

Zucker appears to be back on Minnesota's top line, and though the team has struggled lately, the Dallas Stars have not been much better. Dallas owns a 6-11-2 record on the road where they've dropped four consecutive games, allowing 19 goals in the process. Zucker picked apart Dallas last season, potting three goals and two assists with 14 shots on goal in just four games, and his price across the industry is attractive. The Dallas Stars' plodding pace leaves a lot to be desired, but Minnesota's top line should have their fare share of chances at even strength and on the power play. This game is certain to be overlooked, so take advantage of Zucker who has scored seven of his nine goals on home ice this season.

With both Alex Edler and Chris Tanev hurt for the Vancouver Canucks, their defense is depleted and their already questionable defense and goaltending is going to have a tough test tonight. The Minnesota Wild line of Eric Staal, Jason Zucker and Nino Niederreiter is the one I'm focusing on tonight as two of them (Zucker and Nino) are on the top power play unit as well which gets you some solid correlation. The Wild shoot only 30.3 times per game on average which is just 23rd-best, they should get plenty of opportunities tonight.

I want to call Eric Staal, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jason Zucker the top line in Minnesota but it is probably more of a 1a/1b situation. Either way, they have a premium matchup tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. So far this season, Chicago has surprised in the goal-scoring department. However, they are also giving up 4.67 goals per game. Additionally, Cam Ward is starting tonight and he has been horrific despite being 2-0-1. He has an ugly 4.63 goals against

average and .843 save percentage. The Blackhawks are also giving up 29.7 shots per game, which isn't much and further shows the struggles of Ward.

The Colorado Avalanche are having a very good season (36-24-8), and they may very well be the most surprising team in the National Hockey League this season. With that being said, we have seen some cracks in their defensive armor over the last six weeks (sitting 28th overall in CA/60, and 21st in both HDCA/60 and SCA/60), and they can certainly be exploited on the road, where they are allowing the second-most goals against per game (3.53). The Minnesota Wild are having a great offensive month (averaging 3.77 goals per game, good for fourth overall), and they have been a top nine offense on home ice this year. In cash games, I am all about Eric Staal, but I am perfectly fine going with either of his linemates (Mikael Granlund or Jason Zucker), if you are using your Center spots elsewhere. In tournament play, I am definitely going to be stacking the Wilds number one line (while adding either Ryan Suter or Jared Spurgeon whenever possible), but we do have other options to consider. The Wilds top line is not cheap, and they will likely see heavy ownership, but their second line has shown signs of life recently, and they (along with defenseman Mathew Dumba) make for a nice low-owned contrarian stack.

It's been just 19 games this season, and Jason Zucker has already scored 11 goals. This is halfway to his career-high of 22 goals from last year. There is a bit of concern here as he has a 21.7 percent SH% this season, compared to his career average of 12.7 percent. He has scored eight goals in his last six games, which included six straight goals for the Minnesota Wild. His is playing alongside Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu at even strength, which is a great line to stack. Even though Zucker actually gets bumped to the second PP unit, Koivu and Granlund stick together on the top unit. The New Jersey Devils are allowing 64.32 CA/60, which is the second most in the NHL so although Cory Schneider has been solid, when the Devils allow so many shot attempts there is bound to be some goals against.

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to play high-event hockey, which has them scoring plenty of goals (second-most goals per game), but also giving them up (allowing the third-most goals against per game). The Maple Leafs style of play makes them vulnerable at times, especially when things are not clicking defensively, which is the case at the moment. Toronto has lost five of their last seven games, surrendering 28 goals against in the process (averaging 4.00 goals against per game during this stretch), and this is why we should be targeting the Minnesota Wild offense this evening at the Air Canada Centre. Both Nino Niederreiter and Jason Zucker see a ton of ice time at even strength and on the power play, and with a plus matchup on deck, both of these snipers have multi-point upside. Considering their inexpensive price and favorable matchup, Niederreiter and Zucker become two of the top point-per-dollar plays on the wing tonight.

With the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars looking like the top offenses to target, we are going to need to find some salary relief, as all three of these teams top lines are very expensive to roster. Although we can look to players like Zach Hyman, Jakub Vrana and Devante Smith-Pelly, all of these players lack power play time, making them a lot less appealing in cash games. So lets dig into some inexpensive options that see time on the power play. All three members of the Vancouver Canucks top line (Sven Baertschi, Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser) are certainly playable everywhere tonight. Not only are they moderate-to-low priced across the industry, they also have massive upside (as we saw Saturday night), and the Detroit Red Wings are a favorable matchup. Outside of the Canucks top line, we also have Jason Zucker and Kyle Connor. Both of these talented skaters play on their teams top line and number one power play unit, making them solid additions to your cash game lineup or as part of a line stack in GPPs. Lastly, we will look at the Vegas Golden Knights top two scoring lines. Sure, the Golden Knights have overachieved, but their offense is legit and the Maple Leafs are far from a defensive juggernaut. Both David Perron and Reilly Smith have multi-goal upside and they will not break the bank.

Zucker's price has not moved much despite him logging a bevy of minutes. With the injuries to Charlie Coyle, Zach Parise and Nino Niederreiter, Zucker has stepped into a significant role. The Wild and Jason will benefit from Mikael Granlund who returned last time out to pick up an assist as the Wild pounded the Islanders for six goals. Zucker skates with Granlund on the top line and top power play. Minnesota plays their best hockey at home, and they should like their chances to exploit a Pittsburgh team which sports the National Hockey League's second-worst 5v5 adjusted xGA/60 (2.77).

The spot is not ideal for Minnesota as they are in Calgary on the tail-end of a back-to-back, but with the Wild decimated by injuries up front, Zucker is seeing a bevy of minutes. Zucker is priced at $4,200 and $5,100 on FanDuel and DraftKings, respectively, and that seems far too low for someone being asked to step into a pivotal role. Jason has three multi-point games in five contests for the Wild, and despite the less-than-ideal spot, Jason is a worthy source of salary relief, especially in cash games with so many studs available.