Mattias Ekholm Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

With both Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson being priced into the next stratosphere maybe taking a look down the list of defensemen is the thing to do here. With Ryan Johansen out of the Nashville line-up the Predators will look to their back line more than ever for a little bit of scoring. This is where Mattias Ekholm comes in as he has racked up 14 of his 36 points over the last 11 games. Even with Ryan Johansen out for tonight’s game it still looks like the Predators can handle the Panthers on home ice this evening.

Filip Forsberg, Kevin Fiala, and Ryan Johansen may go overlooked this evening with all the high-powered offenses in play. While Nashville has been plagued with injuries and have been relatively quiet as of late, this appears to be a great spot for their top line to get on the score sheet. Chicago has been a below average possession team posting a CA/60 of 57.74. They will also be starting back-up goalie Cam Ward tonight whom enters the game with a 3.73 GAA. Mattias Ekholm is the correlation play on defense as he plays on the top power play unit. This stack comes in at a very moderate price tag across the industry allowing you to pay up for some other studs.

Returning to Ottawa where he spent the majority of his career, Kyle Turris and the second line of Nashville will look to get back on track following a rough loss to Toronto last night. Despite their recent struggles, Nashville's second line which features Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and newly acquired Kyle Turris are primed for a major bounce back game tonight against a weak Ottawa defense that allows the most shot attempts on home ice and own the league's second worst adjusted xGA/60 over their past 15 games. Narratives aside, this trio draws a fantastic matchup against an undisciplined Senators squad that continues to take too many penalties for their own good and ranks 28th in penalty kill percentage this season. This bodes well for the second line of Nashville who have combined for 36 power play points this season.

Ekholm has not done much in his last couple games, but on the 25th he potted a goal and an assist as the Predators won 3-0. Nashville's defensive corps is crowded, but Ekholm could prove useful tonight, particularly in tournaments as a pivot from the more popular options in Roman Josi and P.K. Subban. Ekholm figures to slot onto the team's top power play unit tonight with P.K. Subban operating as the right-side defenseman. Ekholm is cheap across the industry and should see a bevy of opportunities against an Islander team sporting the worst penalty kill rate (73.7%) in the Eastern Conference. Mattias is already one goal away from tying his career high (8) set back in 2015-16. He is worth a roll of the dice in tournaments given the cheap price tag.

It is the same old story for the Winnipeg Jets as they continue to be one of the National Hockey Leagues most penalized teams, taking the fourth-most minor penalties so far this season. Additionally, the Jets penalty kill has been less than stellar, ranking 20th overall. This of course opens the door for the Nashville Predators power play, and their three-headed monster on defense. The Predators have the second-best power play in the league, and their offensive depth on defense is a big reason why. When debating between the three for your cash game lineup, I would roll with Roman Josi, followed by P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm. If you are stacking the Predators in GPPs, keep in mind that Subban is on the top power play unit, while Josi and Ekholm skate on the second unit.

If you're looking for value tonight, look to the top line of Nashville which features Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and newly acquired Kyle Turris. With a combined 27 points over their last 10 games, this trio draws a fantastic matchup against a disappointing Edmonton team that lacks the depth defensively to slow down Nashville's three line scoring attack. Also sharing time on the league's second ranked power play, Turris, Fiala, and Smith should be very busy on the man advantage against an Edmonton penalty kill that ranks dead last in the NHL this season.

With Ryan Ellis still sidelined for the Predators, Mattias Ekholm is taking a major step forward and quickly becoming a fantasy asset. The 27-year-old showed plenty of offensive upside with a 35 point season in '15-16 and has erupted for three goals and six assists in his last nine games. He's averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice-time per game this season and has grabbed the reigns as the point-man of Nashville's second power-play unit. With Winnipeg still owning a rather suspect penalty kill (80.3% thus far this season), Ekholm looks far too cheap across the industry given his recent hot streak.

If you're looking for value tonight, look to the second line of Nashville which features Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and newly acquired Kyle Turris. Fresh off a two point performance in their first game together, this trio draws a sneaky good matchup against a Washington Capitals team that has not played quality hockey of late; entering tonight's game allowing the second most scoring chances per game this season. Back home where they play their best hockey, look for head coach Peter Laviolette to get this line matched up against the third line of Washington and in key offensive zone faceoffs to easily pay off their cheap salaries.

If you're looking for value tonight, consider taking Nashville's third line, which features Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and Colton Sissons. With a meager seven points through their first nine games, this trio will look to bust out in a big away taking on a weak Calgary third line that remains a liability in their own end this season. Also featured on Nashville's second power play unit, Smith and Fiala have logged 36.5% of Nashville's total power play time this season, where they will be taking on a Flames squad that is among the most penalized teams in the NHL. This bodes well for this underrated line combination, who all come with significant savings in salary that will allow you to load up the rest of your lineup with higher priced studs.