Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 12/17/19

Welcome back hockey fans. Tuesday brings us a huge 11-game slate that is filled with a ton of value allowing us to spend up almost anywhere. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NHL optimizer! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.

GOALIE

Andrei Vasilevskiy FD - $9000 DK - $8300
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 22.73 DK - 16.53

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been very up and down to start the season but is in a prime spot tonight and is our top goalie on both sites. He and the Bolts open as huge -290 favorites against a Senators team that is playing on back to back on the road and third game in four nights and despite scoring over three goals per game on home ice, they are scoring just 2.4 per game on the road. Vasi is in play in all formats but his best value comes on DraftKings where he is the fourth most expensive option.

Carey Price FD - $8500 DK - $7500
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 16.04 DK - 11.85

The narrative is very similar for Price who is another former Vezina winner who has started off very inconsistent this season. He comes a bit cheaper than Vasilevskiy on both sites but is a slight underdog on the road as the Habs go into Vancouver to face the Canucks. The good news is the Canucks have struggled a but lately losing two straight and three of their last four while scoring just seven goals while Price has allowed two or fewer goals in four straight. I don't think we need to go here in cash games, but Price is an excellent GPP pivot tonight.

Also Consider: Tuukka Rask/Jaroslav Halak(BOS)

CENTERS

Patrice Bergeron FD - $8200 DK - $7200
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 18.15 DK - 14.72

If you have the extra salary, Jack Eichel is my top raw points play on this slate with his insane numbers lately but for a more balanced build, we can not ignore Patrice Bergeron. He centers arguably the best line in hockey, comes in with 11 points and 41 shots in his last 10 games, and backs that shot volume up with 19.8 shot attempts per 60 on the season. The Kings have been better as of late(won 3 of last 4) but are playing a third game in four nights in the East timezone and the Bruins have been dominant on home ice. All things considered, Bergeron is my top center in all formats.

Stack with: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand

Boone Jenner FD - $4100 DK - $4800
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 8.19 DK - 6.65

Jenner and pretty much the entire Blue Jackets team has been off my radar this season but, as the saying goes "when opportunity comes knocking, open the door". That opportunity comes as the Jackets offensive lines have been shuffled like a deck of cards and Jenner is now centering the top line and powerplay unit. He isn't going to give us much shot volume but the price is sub $5K on both sites and he faces a Red Wings defense that has given up four or more goals in 11 of their last 14 games. Jenner is in play in all formats if he remains on the top line tonight.

Stack with: Gustav Nyquist, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Pierre-Luc Dubois(PP)

Also Consider: David Krejci(BOS) as a punt play on DraftKings or John Tavares(TOR) as another top PTS/$ play who has 11 points and 41 shots over his last 10 games

WINGERS

Max Pacioretty FD - $7400 DK - $7300
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 19.1 DK - 14.99

If you are loading up on Bergeron at center you are likely pairing him with Pastrnak or Marchand but if you go another direction you should most definitely consider some Vegas exposure. They have not only put up 16 goals in their last four games but they get an elite matchup against a Wild team that has given up 15 goals in their last three road games and rank 28th in road defense on the season.

My exposure starts with Pacioretty has been scorching hot lately with goals in four straight giving him 11 points in his last 10 games. What stands out the most is the insane shot volume as he has 47 over his last 10 games backed up by a 24.3 iCorsi/60 which is second to only Alex Ovechkin this season. All things considered, Pacioretty is my favorite winger in all formats on this slate.

Stack with: Mark Stone, Paul Stastny
Joel Armia FD - $4700 DK - $5000
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 16.14 DK - 12.66

I don't get what FanDuel and DraftKings have against this guy as they blatantly refuse to raise his price despite the tremendous value he has been providing. He is skating on the second line and powerplay unit and while the upside isn't elite(18 points in 31 games) the floor is very high as he enters tonight with a whopping 48 shots in his last 10 games and that combined with six points in that time is good for an average of 14.4 DK/15.7 FD points per game. Don't overthink it, just plug Armia into your cash lineup and move on.

Stack with: Max Domi, Nick Cousins(PP), Shea Weber(PP)

Also Consider: Taylor Hall(ARI) who is expected to play his first game with the Coyotes and is coming at a bit of a discount on DK considering we have paid upwards of $8K for him earlier in the year or Alex Tuch(VGK) as a value play as he has eight points and 31 shots in his last 10 games

DEFENSEMEN

Victor Hedman FD - $6300 DK - $5400
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 15.68 DK - 12.25

Hedman has been a bit underwhelming for fantasy lately with just eight points and 39 combined shots/blocks on the season. While those are good numbers for about 90% of the league, Hedman is in another tier(IMO) but the good news from the struggles is that the price has dropped off creating a terrific buy-low situation tonight. Not only is the price down but Hedman and the Bolts get an elite matchup vs. a Sens team that is playing on a back to back on the road and third game in four nights. Hedman is an elite play in all formats.

David Savard FD - $3500 DK - $3300
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 8.24 DK - 6.59

For value, I am going back to the well with David Savard who kind of falls into the Joel Armia category of "why won't they raise his price?". Don't get me wrong, he isn't going to win a GPP but is an excellent cash game punt on both sites considering he comes in with 35 combined shots/blocks over his last 10 games for an average of 7.0 fantasy points per game. Most of all, he allows us to spend up for the high shot volume/high upside plays at other positions.

Also Consider: Ryan Pulock(NYI) as a mid-tier option or Ben Chiarot(MON) as a value play who has 56 combined shots/blocks in his last 10 games

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.