John Carlson Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

This may be a perfect spot to insert John Carlson into your line-ups as he has found the score sheet in Washington’s last three home games. This should come as no surprise as the 23 points he has registered in front of the home crowd ranks second in the league where defensemen are concerned when found in that situation. Columbus has given up at least three goals in each of their last seven games which bodes well for Carlson as he and his team mates should have plenty of opportunities to put the puck in the net this evening.

The Washington Capitals have made it back to the top of the heap in the Metropolitan Division and they couldn’t have done it without the stellar play of defenseman John Carlson. Not only does he lead the team with 17 power play points, his 37 points are third most in the league where defensive scoring is concerned. Tonight we get the double bonus as not only does Washington play on home ice but they get to play the Ottawa Senators who are the second worst team in the Eastern Conference. Add in the fact that Ottawa played last night in New York and you have yourself a defenseman that should do very well this evening.

Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie will visit the Ottawa Senators tonight. Ottawa continues to be a team that we want to target against and they are playing their second game in as many nights. They currently are in last place in the league in CA/60 and GA/60. Special teams may play a big role tonight, as Ottawa’s weak penalty kill (74.5%), takes on the Capital’s seventh ranked power play (23.5%). Adding John Carlson to the stack is a nice addition, as he quarterbacks the team’s first power-play unit and correlates with all three forwards.

Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie will visit the Ottawa Senators tonight. Ottawa continues to be a team that we want to target against. They currently are in last place in the league in CA/60 and GA/60. Special teams may play a big role tonight, as Ottawa’s weak penalty kill (73.8%), takes on the Capital’s sixth best power play (25%). Adding John Carlson to the stack is a nice addition, as he quarterbacks the teams first power-play unit and correlates with all three forwards.

While the Capitals will undoubtedly be the highest owned team tonight, it's possible that John Carlson's ownership could be lower than expected. Alex Ovechkin will be the highest owned player on the slate, and paying up for both Ovi and Carlson is a tall order due to their salaries. Carlson is an ever-present threat to light up the scoresheet, especially on the lethal Washington power play. Carlson has 10 of his 16 points at home, where the Capitals host the struggling Penguins tonight.

The defending champion Capitals are in a perfect spot at home tonight against a Rangers team on the second end of a back-to-back. Henrik Lundqvist was in goal last night, so it will likely be Alexandar Georgiev in net for tonight's tilt. While most will (rightfully) look to load up on Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson could fly under the radar due to his expensive price tag ($6400 on DraftKings, $6200 on FanDuel). Carlson has been averaging 26+ minutes of ice time, including plenty of time with the man advantage. He has six points in five games and I wouldn't be surprised to see another multi-point effort tonight.

The Washington Capitals have started off hot, averaging four and a half goals per game in their first four contests. They host the speedy, high event Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, which should generate a plethora of scoring chances on both sides. The over/under for the game opened at a whopping seven goals. With the Cap’s second line focusing on slowing down the leafs, Alexander Ovechkin and his line mates Chandler Stephenson and Evgeny Kuznetsov will draw a favorable matchup on home ice. With the Leafs allowing four goals per game with their up tempo play, this line has multi-goal upside tonight. Stephenson doesn’t correlate on the top power-play unit, but his value does make this line easier to stack. While salary makes it tough, John Carlson is also an elite addition to this stack as he plays on the top power-play unit.

(UPDATE: Chandler Stephenson is expected to take Brett Connolly’s spot on the top line.)

Since the Feb 26th trade deadline the New York Rangers have been the National Hockey Leagues worst defensive team, ranking 31st overall in CA/60, 28th in HDCA/60, and 30th in SCA/60, resulting in the Blue Shirts allowing the most goals against per game during this stretch. In other words, the Rangers are the top team to attack tonight in all formats. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are starting to heat up offensively, sitting sixth overall in goals per game this month, and I think we see them score at least four more goals tonight at the Capital One Arena. In cash games, Alexander Ovechkin is a MUST play, followed by Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. If you need a little salary relief, both Tom Wilson and Andre Burakovsky fit the bill. As for tournaments, both of the Capitals top two scoring lines should be stacked heavily this evening, with power play quarterback John Carlson being added to the line stack whenever possible.

Reunited with playmaker Nicklas Backstrom on Washington's top line, superstar forward Alex Ovechkin has quietly enjoyed another fantastic offensive season; entering tonight's game with 14 points over his last 10 games. He'll have a fantastic opportunity to improve upon his recent success tonight against a weak Ottawa defense that has surrendered the most shot attempts and the most scoring chances among road teams on tonight's slate. A beast on one of the league's deadliest power plays, look for Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Carlson to come through on the man advantage tonight against an Ottawa penalty kill that ranks 29th in the league this season.

John Carlson was often looked at as a defenseman that would produce numbers across the board with his offence, shots and blocks. His blocks are down a bit this season, but his point and shot totals are on pace for career highs. Despite his blocks being down, he still averages 1.76 per game to go along with his offensive numbers, which makes him a high-floor and high-upside play. The Washington Capitals are hosting the Montreal Canadiens tonight, a team that has struggled this season and Carlson should have plenty of opportunities to get on the scoresheet.