Peter Budaj Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The morning skate suggests Andrei Vasilevski will get the night off which bumps Peter Budaj into a prime spot. Budaj is cheap, especially on FanDuel ($7,900) despite being the biggest favorite of the night against a Philadelphia team which came up short against the Florida Panthers last night. Although Budaj has been average at best this season, he has been one of the more capable backups in the National Hockey League over the last couple seasons. A big advantage of rolling out Budaj tonight is the likely victory that he will pick up, as the Tampa Bay Lightning offense should be able to dictate their game as they do so often on home ice. There are a number of strong options in net tonight, but a Lightning win seems the most secure thing, so rolling with Peter makes a lot of sense.

The Colorado Avalanche have been very good at the Pepsi Center, but they have not been as successful on the road, posting a 4-7-1 record, while ranking 27th overall in goals per game. The Tampa Bay Lightning on the other hand have been lights out on home ice (11-2-1), and Vasilevskiy has posted elite numbers this season (2.21 GAA, .932 SV%). The Bolts goaltender may not see a ton of shots in this game, but he is a lock for the win and he is your best chance at a shutout. If you would rather not pay up for Vasilevskiy this evening, Tuukka Rask has similar upside, with a lower price tag. Additionally, if Peter Budaj gets the start, play him with confidence and enjoy the discount. (analysis by Pepsi7)

With Andrei Vasilevskiy getting a night off, Peter Budaj emerges as one of the chalkiest options between the net in recent memory. Not only are the Lightning currently sitting as -225 favorites over the Colorado Avalanche, but they also own an absurd 11-2-1 record at Amalie Arena thus far this season. While Budaj's work (in a very limited sample size) has been subpar thus far with his new team, his 2.12 GAA and .917 SV% in 51 starts with the Los Angeles Kings last season is encouraging. On the sites where he's priced well below that of his teammate Mr. Vasilevskiy, it'll be tough to ignore tonight's home matchup against the struggling Colorado Avalanche. (analysis by jmbwngfn)