Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 3/3/17

Hello, hockey fans and welcome to an awesome six-game Friday slate in the National Hockey League. We get five of the top 10 offenses and six of the bottom 10 defenses in action which should produce some high scores. There are three teams(ARI, TOR, NYI) playing on back to back nights with the Leafs and Coyotes also playing a third game in four nights. Let's dive in and take a look at some of the top plays from the projection system.

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.

GOALIES

Corey Crawford FD - $8800 DK - $8400
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 19.48 DK - 4.87

Let us start off with Crawford who has been sick for a couple of games, but the Blackhawks are red hot so it doesn't matter who is in net for this team right now. Darling played the last two games and only gave up three goals on route to winning both. He gets a matchup vs. Islanders are coming off of a 5-4 victory last night in Dallas, but Dallas is an awful defensive team. This isn't the easiest night for goalies, but the Hawks have won their last five games and they are on home ice, so strongly consider Crawford in all formats.

 

 

Brian Elliott FD - $7800 DK - $8000
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 17.54 DK - 4.39

Elliot has cemented himself as the #1 goalie in Calgary and he's been on fire lately. He has won his last four starts and has allowed only four goals in his last three games. The Flames have won five in a row and tonight they welcome the Red Wings and their fifth worst offense to town. The Flames are listed as -150 favorites and I believe that they will dominate this game from the start. Elliot is also a good play this evening in all formats.

 

 

CENTERS

Sidney Crosby FD - $8900 DK - $8300
Opponent - TB
Proj Pts FD - 14.05 DK - 4.04

Sid the Kid has been held pointless for two games. Why is he at the top of the center position? The center position is thin but it's very rare to see a superstar go three games without a point. Crosby still fired six shots on goal in his last two games. He has 34 goals and 33 assists this season and is chasing McDavid for the points lead. Tampa is middle of the pack defensively and with the Pens losing their last two games, I expect Crosby to be firing on all cylinders. Try and fit him into your lineups in all formats.

Stack With: Jake Guentzel, Chris Kunitz

 

 

Paul Stastny FD - $5600 DK - $4800
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 8.64 DK - 2.73

This is more about getting exposure to anyone playing against the Jets so this guy wins kind of by default. Stastny does play on the top line and the #1 PP unit, so there is value here at his cheaper prices. The Jets are fourth worst in the league in goals allowed (3.19) and they take a lot of dumb penalties. They have also allowed 11 goals in their last two games. Yikes! Stastny scored a powerplay goal last game and has nine shots in his last two games. We need to spend up at the winger position today, so Stastny gives you some salary cap relief in all formats.

Stack with: Alexander Steen

 

 

Victor Rask FD - $4300 DK - $4900
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 9.19 DK - 3.21

Here we have another guy who is too cheap right now considering his recent production and opportunity. Rask also faces an inferior opponent tonight in the Arizona Coyotes who are ranked 2nd worst in the league in goals allowed per game (3.25.) Rask is on a three-game point streak with a goal, two assists and seven shots on goal. He also sees time on the #2 pp and averages a total of 17 minutes of ice time per game. At a sub $5K price tag, Rask is one of the top value plays on the projection system.

Stack with: Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm

 

 

WINGERS

Nikita Kucherov FD - $8000 DK - $7600
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 14.27 DK - 4.43

The wing position is very strong tonight and it starts right at the top with two of the hottest players on the planet. It always comes down to price, so lean on Kucherov tonight who is $500 cheaper on DraftKings and $600 cheaper on FanDuel. He has tallied 12 points in his last four games with three multi-point efforts including a hat trick vs. the Sens on Monday. Kucherov also has a good chance to provide a lower ownership for GPP's as his matchup is much tougher than Kane's. Either way, he is a safe in all formats.

Stack with: Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat

 

 

Patrik Laine FD - $7700 DK - $6900
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 11.8 DK - 3.62

The rookie Finn is neck and neck in the Rookie of the Year race with Auston Matthews. He is currently on a six-game point streak with eight goals, four assists and 20 shots on goal. He gets a great matchup tonight to keep the streak alive vs. the Blues and their 23rd ranked defense. He has an elite floor for cash games and upside for tournaments and comes at a discount from the top players at the position. This puts him in the "all formats" conversation.

Stack with: Mark Scheifele, Mathieu Perreault

 

 

Richard Panik FD - $4700 DK - $5400
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 9.26 DK - 2.74

The Blackhawks are in a great spot tonight, projected for right around 3.2 goals(2nd most on slate) against the 26th ranked Islanders defense. While Patrik Kane has been red hot and is an obvious play, Panik is the top value play from a PTS/$ perspective. He has recorded a point in seven straight and eight of his last nine games while averaging 19.8 FD/5.3 DK points per game. On a smaller six-game slate, Panik is as close to a must play as you will find.

Stack with: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane (PP)

 

 

 

 

DEFENSEMEN

Dustin Byfuglien FD - $5900 DK - $6000
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 13.25 DK - 4.12

I just simply can't ignore a guy who isn't super expensive and plays almost half of the game for his team. Big Buffy has a a goal, three assists and 15 shots on goal in his last four games and he still plays like a forward which is great news in DFS. Look for Buffy to take advantage of the Blues suddenly weak defensive corps tonight. He is my top Defenseman in all formats this evening.

 

 

Also Consider: Victor Hedman

 

 

 

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get accessto our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.