Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 3/21/18

Welcome back hockey fans. After a busy night on Tuesday, we have a much smaller four-game slate tonight with teh Penguins the onyl team playing on a back to back. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at ecah position.

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 lineups with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.

GOALIE

John Gibson FD - $8800 DK - $8100
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 15.2 DK - 3.8

Tonight we have a small slate with very limited options at goalie but the one that stands out above the rest is John Gibson. He has been playing terrific lately winning three straight games allowing just four total goals and has won eight of his last 10 starts with an elite .935 save % and two shutouts. While this game is a pickem when looking at the Vegas odds, the Flames have scored more than two goals just three times over their last 11 games and rank 26th in home offense compared to eighth on the road. All things considered, Gibson is my top goalie in all formats.

Also Consider: Linus Ullmark(BUF) as a salary relief GPP play

 

CENTERS

**The Penguins are the only team on a back to back tonight which, for me, leaves Crosby and Malkin as GPP only targets at the top of the salary. Let's take a look at a couple others centers in play.**

Jack Eichel FD - $7400 DK - $7100
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 14.66 DK - 4.31

Eichel returned from injury on Saturday and in two games back has 10 shots on goal and an assist. Despite missing over a month of games, he is on track to set new career-highs across the board as he comes into tonight with 54 points in 57 games and he also provides a high floor averaging 3.7 shots per game and ranks 14th in individual Corsi per 60 minutes(19.1). Eichel and the Sabres also get a plus matchup tonight against the Coyotes who sit 26th in road defense and have taken a lot of penalties lately(15 last four games) giving the powerplay some added upside. All things considered, Eichel is safe in all formats.

PP Stack with: Ryan O'Reilly, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen

Derick Brassard FD - $5200 DK - $4800
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 10.35 DK - 2.98

Despite the Penguins playing the second of a back to back, they get a near elite matchup vs. the Canadiens who have dropped eight of their last nine games while giving up 34 goals and rank 29th overall when looking at defense on the road. Enter Derick Brassard who came over from the Senators in a trade at the end of February and is now skating with Phil Kessel on the third line and centering the second powerplay unit. He doesn't provide much safety with low shot volume but he has capitalized on the opportunity lately with points in back to back games and also provides some salary relief at a position where it's tough to find.

Stack with: Phil Kessel, Connor Sheary

 

Also Consider: Riley Nash(BOS)

 

WINGERS

Rickard Rakell FD - $7200 DK - $7200
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 14.84 DK - 4.25

The Flames are one of the few teams who are surprisingly worse on home ice(26th in defense vs. 6th on road) so on a small slate, we better get some exposure to the Ducks offense. No better place to turn to than their top line and Rickard Rakell has been the safest of the three all season. He has not only provided a high floor averaging 2.9 shots per game(16.2 iCorsi/60) but also a ton of upside as he has improved his offensive numbers each season and has already set a new career-high with 62 points in 68 games.

Stack with: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry

Brendan Gallagher FD - $6600 DK - $5600
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 11.78 DK - 3.44

First of all, you have to beware as the Habs rank dead last in road offense this season but tonight we have a small slate that lacks mid-range value plays so here we are. The good news is that Gallagher himself has been slightly more productive on the road with 16 of his 26 goals and he sits in a tie with Galchenyuk for the team lead in overall points with 44. The other good news is that he does provide us some safety for cash games as well as he has 35 shots over his last 10 games and is averaging 3.4 per game on the season. He is best suited for GPP's on FanDuel at his elevated price but on DraftKings I will consider him in cash games with a mid $5K price tag.

PP Stack with: Alex Galchenyuk, Jonathan Drouin

Ryan Donato FD - $4200 DK - $4100
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 9.4 DK - 2.67

After leading Harvard University in points this season(43) and then leading Team USA in points(6) at the Winter Olympics, Ryan Donato was made his debut with the Boston Bruins on Monday night. With Rick Nash scratched with an injury he skated on the second line with David Krejci and Danton Heinen and also skated nearly five minutes on the powerplay. He ended up picking up three points on the night and while I don't expect that tonight, he has certainly earned more opportunity especially if Nash and Bergeron are still out of the lineup. Given the low $4K salary on both sites, I will be using him in all formats on tonight's small slate.

Stack with: To be determined(check back after morning skate)

 

DEFENSEMEN

Rasmus Ristolainen FD - $5200 DK - $5700
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 11.48 DK - 3.51

Alex Pietrangelo of the Blues has been red-hot lately and definitely in play but has a tougher matchup tonight vs. the Bruins. If you the extra savings on the smaller slate, consider Rasmus Ristolainen. He doesn't give us the same upside but has been very consistent lately with 30 shots on goal and 18 blocks over his last 10 games to go along with six points. On top of that, he also gets the better matchup vs. the Coyotes who rank 26th in road defense on the season.

Hampus Lindholm FD - $4700 DK - $4200
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 9.11 DK - 2.68

The value is few and far between tonight but one that stands out is Hampus Lindholm. The upside is limited, especially for the price, but he has provided a steady floor lately with nine blocks and eight shots in his last four games with two points for an average of 3.1 FaDuel/10.8 FanDuel points per game. He also gets a ton of opportunity as he skates on the second pairing and also gets nearly two minutes of powerplay time per game on the season.

Also Consider: Alex Goligoski(ARI), Alex Pietrangelo(STL)

 

 

Hockey is back and with it comes 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.