Welcome to Monday’s five-game NHL Slate. We have a healthy amount of high-scoring matchups to target, but we also need to identify some value. There are also some goalies that we need to keep an eye on that are in good matchups. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Monday, December 18th, 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 look closer at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.

 

 

NHL DFS Playbook December 18th

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

Dylan Larkin is expected to make his return so that gives Detroit a slight boost. We also have Winnipeg, Dallas and Florida with above-average matchups, so we need to identify which players are worth paying up for and who we need to avoid. There are some solid goalie matchups that we can target, but don’t fall victim to the traps. Let’s get right into it and see which players we need to keep an eye on.

 

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Lukas Dostal Vs. Detroit Red Wings

Filip Gustavsson Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Jake Allen Vs. Winnipeg Jets

 

Best Odds for a Win

Ville Husso Vs. Anaheim Ducks

Connor Hellebuyck Vs. Montreal Canadiens

Scott Wedgewood Vs. Seattle Kraken

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Ville Husso, G, Detroit Red Wings

There is no bigger trap tonight than Ville Husso. He’s 9-5-2 on the season with a 3.47 GAA and a .895 SV%. He’s in Martin Jones territory and that’s #NotGood. If you’re chasing the win, this is the best route to take, but you’ve been warned. If he lets you down, that is just part of the risk.

Anthony Stolarz, G, Florida Panthers

Anthony Stolarz has been pretty good this season. He has a 2.19 GAA and a .914 SV%. Calgary doesn’t scare anyone and the Panthers are a very good hockey team. His price tag is also very fair on DraftKings, so I wouldn’t hesitate to play him in all formats.

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets

The Montreal Canadiens really struggle to score goals on the road. They are 26th averaging just 2.67, so this is an excellent spot for Connor Hellebuyck. The problem is, that he may not face enough shots to hit value. It’s a risk I’ll gladly take in cash games because all we really care about is the win.

Filip Gustavsson, G, CMinnesota Wild

In his last five starts, Filip Gustavsson is 4-1 and has allowed a total of seven goals in that span. Minnesota as a team has played much better since changing coaches, so I have no issue trusting Gustavsson tonight. Pittsburgh is top-5 in shots per game but averaging less than 3 per contest. Their power play is also not that great, so Gustavsson could just explode his value and lead you to the top of a GPP.

 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 

Detroit Red Wings Vs Lukas Dostal (4.0)

Winnipeg Jets Vs. Jake Allen (3.7)

Dallas Stars Vs. Joey Daccord (3.5)

 

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings

Welcome back to the lineup, Dylan Larkin. He missed the last few games due to a head injury, but the captain is back and ready to do some damage. Anaheim is playing their second game in as many nights and they could very well get blown out of the water. Larkin is worth every dollar tonight.

Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

Aleksander Barkov is taking his game to another level. He is shooting the puck a ton more and that is wonderful because it keeps his floor very high. Calgary is a mid hockey team that doesn’t play well. This won’t be a walk in the park for the Panthers, but I trust Barkov and company to come out swinging and generating scoring chances.

Matthew Tkachuk, W, Florida Panthers

Are we just going to ignore that Matthew Tkachuk is back in Calgary? You know he’s going to be extra motivated for this game and that’s exactly what we want. He isn’t having a great season, but it’s not for a lack of trying. I’ll gladly take the revenge game narrative to the bank.

Nikolaj Ehlers, W, Winnipeg Jets

No player has benefitted more from Kyle Connor’s injury than Nikolaj Ehlers. He has been scoring goals in bunches and taking all kinds of shots. Despite the success, DK has him at $5800 tonight. We can’t pass up on that kind of value. Start building your lineup with him in it and work from there.

Brock Faber, D, Minnesota Wild

We know that the Penguins love to shoot the puck so that puts Brock Faber in a great spot. He has some upside to his offensive game, but he’s blocked nine shots in the last three games and continues to have a high floor. He’s not a sexy play, but we just need him to hit value.

Chris Tanev, D, Calgary Flames

Chris Tanev is expected to return to the lineup tonight so he becomes an interesting option. He’s not there for his offensive game, but more for his shot-blocking capabilities. He’s cheap and is going to see his regular amount of ice time. Can he exceed value? Very much so, but it’s not a lock. 

 

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