Mikael Backlund Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The new Calgary Flames lines have been out there for a game or two now, but this one is definitely one worth looking at. Matthew Tkachuk is having an impressive season, but it is often overlooked because of how good Johnny Gaudreau has been and offseason acquisition Elias Lindholm has also had impressive numbers. Well, Tkachuk is second on the team in goals with 34 and sits fourth in points with 76. The Flames have been elite as of late, with a league-best 58.35 CF% and a 68.1 CF/60 which ranks second best in the NHL over the last month. Tkachuk will be playing with Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik again as "The 3 M's" are back together.

Matthew Tkachuk is having a fantastic season but it has often been overlooked by the fact that Johnny Gaudreau has been one of the best offensive players in the NHL. However, Tkachuk has 33 goals, 41 assists and 74 points in 73 games — all of which are career highs. His 9 goals in the last month are tied for second among all NHLers and he has done his damage away from the teams top players, as he has been situation on the second line — albeit the top power play unit — for the majority of the season. A home matchup against the Ottawa Senators who are on the tail-end of a back to back and have allowed 34 goals in their last 10 games seems like a great spot to continue his goal-scoring ways. Unfortunately, neither of his linemates — Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik — play on the power play with him, but he's still a great play and the line stack is in an elite matchup.

Matthew Tkachuk is having a great season with 25 goals and 60 points in 63 games, but this has been largely overshadowed due to the dominance of the top line in Calgary. The Flames are in New Jersey to take on the Devils who are depleted with injuries and have also struggled as of late. The Flames have a 64.4 CF/60 which is the third-best in the NHL over the last month as well as having a strong 53.76 CF% which ranks fifth in the NHL over the same time period. Tkachuk is playing on the Flames second line with Mikael Backlund and Sam Bennett and while Tkachuk plays on the top power play unit without either of his even strength linemates, this is still a line worth stacking.

With center so top heavy tonight, there is a certain opportunity cost to playing someone like Mikael Backlund, but he is in play for the sizzling Flames. Backlund has a goal and three assists over his last three games and could find the scoresheet again tonight against a Buffalo team leaking many goals recently. He and his linemates Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk have been on fire over the past week, combining for 14 points in just three games. Backlund and company make for an interesting moderately-priced stack in tournaments.

Mikael Backlund hasn't seen less than 18 minutes of ice time over his last four games, and he's been producing while out there. In his last two, he has four points (two goals, two assists) to go along with seven shots on goal. While on home ice, Backlund's line is generally deployed against the other team's top skaters to shut them down, but he should get better matchups on the road, as teams will want to avoid the tough matchup. He's facing the Ducks on the second of a back-to-back, which should give the Flames' fresh legs a nice advantage.

Mikael Backlund has put together another consistent season, collecting 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) in 69 games. While it doesn't seem like Mikael will match his career-high of 53 points set last season, if there were ever a time to catch up quickly, it is tonight against the disastrous defense against the New York Islanders. The New York Islanders have allowed the most goals per game (3.53 GA/G) in the National Hockey League. The Flames' top line of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau are sure to be popular, and for good reason, but Backlund should not be overlooked as he and Matthew Tkachuk form a nice one-two punch on the team's second line. Tkachuk is riding a seven game goal drought, but he has been firing the puck, collecting 30 shots on goal in total during this stretch. If some of those shots start to fall tonight, Backlund could pick up a pair of assists with relative ease. And of course, Backlund could bury a pair of goals himself too. This line has big upside in this plus matchup.

The New York Rangers struggles are no secret, and while they were able to pick up a win last time out, the defense was again atrocious, allowing five goals to the Vancouver Canucks. Calgary, especially the top line of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan will be popular tonight for an endless number of reasons, but the second line should not be overlooked as they could have their fingerprints all over this game. After an eight game point drought, Mikael Backlund has come alive, particularly in his last three games, recording two multi-point efforts. In a meeting against the Rangers less than a month ago, Backlund was pointless despite peppering Henrik Lundqvist with seven shots on goal. Back on home ice, Mikael Backlund and the underrated second line could be in for a monster night.

Mikael Backlund picked apart the Florida Panthers last time out as he posted his first three point game of the season with the help of an empty netter after Matthew Tkachuk did some dirty work to win the puck. Backlund is on pace again to match or exceed his point total from a season ago, all while logging almost two minutes more per game. After taking a verbal assault from their coach, the Flames seemed to have found another gear winning six straight contests. Backlund figures to be involved again, and if the Flames have a late lead, you can count on him to be on the ice for any empty net opportunities. No matter that, Backlund is a nice pivot from Sean Monahan at center.

Outside of the Washington Capitals there doesnt seem to be many obvious spots to attack, but I do like the Calgary Flames and their second line tonight. The Triple-M line is not only inexpensive to stack, they also possess multi-goal upside. The Montreal Canadiens have not been playing strong defensive hockey of late (ninth-most goals against per game this month), and Carey Price is really struggling, posting a 3.14 GAA and a .906 SV% in the month of December. Looking to this line for value in cash games certainly makes sense, and I would also suggest stacking them if you are a multi-entry GPP player.

If you're looking to differentiate your lineup without completely fading the Flames in a great spot at home, look to the second line of Calgary which features Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, and Michael Frolik. Known more for their "shutdown" capabilities, this line has produced a combined 19 points over their last 10 games together. They draw a juicy matchup against the league's worst team in Arizona, who continue to struggle on the road this year. In a game Calgary should dominate from start to finish, there's no reason to assume this trio won't be able to pay off their very manageable prices tonight.