We have three games today with some high-flying offensive teams. Minnesota and Ottawa are going to be popular, but can we find some value elsewhere? Will Jacob Markstrom pick up from where he left off last game? Can the Montreal Canadiens’ top line continue to score? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Wednesday, December 14th, but before you build those NHL daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS projections, the NHL Value Finder, and the NHL DFS lineup generator. Let's now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS slate.

 


Montreal Canadiens Vs. Ottawa Senators

The Montreal Canadiens are in Ottawa to take on the Senators for the first time this season. Ottawa’s team total has jumped from 3.4 to 4.0 in about five hours, but there’s no real reason for that jump. What does Vegas know that we don’t?

If you believe the hype, you’ll want to have some exposure to Brady Tkachuk, Alex DeBrincat and Drake Batherson. All three players are capable of shooting the puck and scoring goals. If you want some cheap exposure to them, Shane Pinto is skating on the second line with Batherson and DeBrincat and is only $3800 on DraftKings.

On the back end, Thomas Chabot is always a good idea. He plays a ton and will certainly have his chances tonight. A more affordable player to look at is Jak Sanderson. He only has three points in the last ten games, but he can shoot the puck a decent amount and can block shots. His $4400 price tag is also very appealing, so he could hit value without registering a point. 

Cam Talbot has been really good in his last two starts, giving up a combined two goals. Montreal's top line can do some damage, but outside of those three, there’s nothing to fear. I don’t love his price, but I can see why people would want to trust him. 

Speaking of Montreal’s top line, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach are all in play tonight. As a line, they have been deadly and are showing no signs of slowing down. Suzuki’s $6000 price tag is also very affordable, so I wouldn’t hesitate to play him. If you really want a high-risk/high-reward play, Evgeni Dadonov is the way to go. He’s skating on the second line and top power play unit despite having just five points on the season. He doesn’t shoot the puck much and isn’t known for blocking shots, but he’s getting an opportunity to play and he’s only $2800. If he allows you to pay up for an extra superstar, it might be worth playing him.

On the blue line, Joel Edmundson, Jordan Harris and Jonathan Kovacevic are all great options at different price points. Since Montreal goes with five forwards on the power play, there is very little upside with any defenceman to get points, so we need them to hit value by shooting the puck and blocking shots. Edmundson has blocked 17 shots in the last four games, while Harris and Kovacevic each blocked three in the last game. 

Sam Montembeault got absolutely lit up in his last start, but outside of that one bad game, he’s been pretty good this season. Ottawa is a team that shoots the puck a ton, but they aren’t a high-scoring team. They are sixth in shots per game, but 17th in goals. If Montembeault can keep it together, he has a great chance of hitting the save bonus, thus hitting value without having to pick up the win. 


Detroit Red Wings Vs. Minnesota Wild

The Detroit Red Wings are in Minnesota for the first time this season and it probably won’t be a fun experience. The Red Wings have the lowest team total of any team on the slate and are 4-4-2 in their last ten games. Minnesota is 20th in goals per game, but they have been scoring a lot more goals of late and could easily fill the back of the net tonight against a Red Wings team playing their second game in as many nights. 

Minnesota’s top line is always a good bet to score goals, specifically Kirill Kaprizov. Sam Steel is centering that top line and is well priced at $3500. You could also look at Matt Boldy as a single bullet or paired with Kaprizov, or go even further down the board and play Sammy Walker, who is expected to skate on the second line. Walker has 11 goals in 22 AHL games this season, so he knows how to find the back of the net. As our good friend Josh Wagner pointed out in one of his Playbooks, Alex Nedeljkovic is probably a nice guy, but he’s a terrible goalie. Walker could find the back of the net in this one before the end of the night. 

When it comes to Minnesota’s defence, I’m just going to ignore them. Calen Addison plays on the top power play unit, but he hasn’t been very good of late. Alex Goligoski will probably remain out of the lineup and Jake Middleton just doesn’t excite me. We can find better value elsewhere. 

Filip Gustavsson as the most expensive goalie on DK is definitely a way to live. He was lights out against Vancouver but gave up four goals to the Anaheim Ducks the start before. Personally, I don’t want to spend up for him, but the Wild are heavy favourites to win, so if you’re chasing that victory, he’s worth considering. Just be aware that he may not hit value.

As for the Red Wings, I hate everything about them. Dylan Larkin is out of the lineup for tonight and Pius Suter just doesn’t excite me. Could Dominik Kubalik or Lucas Raymond be good tonight? Maybe, but I’m willing to save my salary and send it elsewhere. 

All that being said, Detroit’s defence has some appeal. Moritz Seider has been blocking more shots of late and Ben Chariot has been doing the same. Both players can hit value by just blocking shots, so I’ll take that upside. Filip Hronek has more offensive upside, but I don’t think Detroit will generate enough offence to give him a chance to register a point. 
 

Vancouver Canucks Vs. Calgary Flames

The Vancouver Canucks will take on the Calgary Flames for the first time this season. This game has a total of 6.5, so we should see a healthy amount of goals from both sides. 

Vancouver has elected to play Curtis Lazar on the top line with Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller because Bruce Boudreau just wants to get fired, go home and be paid to drink Michelob Ultra. Lazar is also still listed at C on DK, so maybe that will save some of you from playing him. I see the upside in wanting to play a $2500 top line player on a short slate, but he may not even last the full game on that top line! I will have some exposure to Miller and Horvat because they are the two best players on the team. 

On defence, Luke Schenn is where I’m spending my money. The man has blocked 12 shots in the last two games, including seven against Minnesota. Calgary is fifth in shots per game, so this just seems like a smash spot for Schenn. Quinn Hughes has a decent price tag at $5600, but he still has no goals on the season and doesn’t shoot the puck much. Maybe he scores tonight because it’s Wednesday?

Spencer Martin is likely to start tonight and I think he could be in play. His numbers on the season are #NotGood, but he could face a ton of shots tonight and hit the save bonus. He’s certainly a risky play, but one that could pay off.

For Calgary, Elias Lindholm looks like he’s ready to return to the lineup, so he becomes a player to consider. He doesn’t shoot the puck a ton, but his cheap price tag makes him appealing. You can pair him with Jonathan Huberdeau and hope one of the two scores a goal. If you need a cheap winger, Andrew Mangiapane is one player to consider. He’s skating on the second line and could find the back of the net against a bad Vancouver team.

On defence, Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin are both excellent options. Chris Tanev will be out of the lineup, so someone is going to have to step up and block some shots. Both Hanifina and Andersson did that last game and they could very well do it again tonight. MacKenzie Weegar is expected to be back in the lineup and he could also be a nice option. I know he’s been pretty bad this season, but his soft price tag is hard to ignore. 

Jacob Markstrom had himself a game against the Montreal Canadiens, but I’m not ready to trust him again. He’s broken my heart on many different occasions and he could very well do it again here. I know some of you are thinking of playing him, but take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself why you keep hurting yourself. If he does well tonight, that’s great, but I’m just not willing to pay up for a goalie that has had one good game in two weeks. 

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