Welcome to Thursday’s 12-game NHL Slate. We have a massive slate with a ton of good options to choose from. If you’re rocking with just one lineup, you’ll have to make some choices. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Thursday, December 21st, 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 21st

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

These 12-game slates can be tricky but have no fear, Fuzzychris is here! We need to make some tough choices and that means fading some good options. On large slates like this one, it’s important to find players that can hit value. You can’t be taken a 0 from anyone. We also need to make sure our goalie is the right one. There is no shortage of options, so we should be able to identify a few that are worth it.

 

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Pyotr Kochetkov Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Sam Montembeault Vs. Minnesota Wild

MacKenzie Blackwood Vs. Arizona Coyotes

 

Best Odds for a Win

Sergei Bobrovsky Vs. St. Louis Blues

Filip Gustavsson Vs. Montreal Canadiens

Jacob Markstrom Vs. Anaheim Ducks

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Ilya Samsonov, G, Toronto Maple Leafs

I know this seems scary, but hear me out. I don’t love Ilya Samsonov at $8200 on DraftKings, but I do think we can get him at crazy low ownership. Buffalo is a bad hockey team and they are ranked 30th in goals per game at home. Toronto can stuff the net and Devon Levi isn’t going to stop that. I know it’s bold, but that’s how you win a GPP.

Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators

If Juuse Saros gets the start, he becomes one of my favourite options. Philadelphia is a good team, but boy do they struggle to score goals on home ice. They are ranked 28th, so even if Saros is coming off a rough start, he’s been really good in his last five games and I like the upside.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lighting are significantly better on home ice and that goes for Andrei Vasilevskiy too. This isn’t a great matchup for the Russian netminder, but Vegas is down to their third goalie and Vasi has been lights out on home ice. I’ll take his home numbers on a large slate like this one and roll the dice.

Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames opened as -148 favourites and have shot all the way up to -192. Clearly, the market has reacted and I agree with them. Jacob Markstrom is a good goalie and he can certainly stop the puck against the lonely Anaheim Ducks. Now all he has to do is exactly that and I’ll be happy.

MacKenzie Blackwood, G, San Jose Sharks

I know this sounds like a bad idea but listen to me. MacKenzie Blackwood is a much better goalie on home ice. On the road, he’s 0-9-0 with a 4.39 GAA. At home, he’s 4-3-2 with a .916 SV%. I'm just saying, he can provide us with some value at $7300 on DK. You know he’s going to face a ton of shots and the Coyotes aren’t that great on the road at scoring goals. If you’re feeling bold, this could win you a GPP.

 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals  

Florida Panthers Vs Joel Hofer (3.9)

Colorado Avalanche Vs. Joonas Korpisalo (3.8)

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Devon Levi (3.7)

 

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils

If I’m choosing between Connor McDavid and Jack Hughes, give me Jack. I know it sounds bold, but this game is going to be loaded with scoring chances on both sides and I want the player who is going to shoot the puck a ton. You can go with McDavid too, but if you’re picking up one, you know where I stand.

John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

John Tavares has been on a tear lately and I want a piece of it. The points won’t blow you away-- six in the last five games-- but he has a whopping 26 shots on goal in that span. Tavares really isn’t a shooter, but his floor is exceptionally high right now and he’s under $7K. That’s hard value to pass up on.

Zach Hyman, W, Edmonton Oilers

Since I’m not paying up for McDavid, I’ll gladly go with Zach Hyman as my next-best option. He has 13 points and 50 shots on goal in the last ten games and could be in for a very big night against a New Jersey team that can’t really defend.

Clayton Keller, W, Arizona Coyotes

Just because I think MacKenzie Blackwood can be good doesn’t mean I don’t like Clayton Keller. He’s not shooting the puck enough, but he is Arizona’s best forward and the matchup on paper for him is very good. We also get him at $6100, which is too low for a player of his skill set. 

Darnell Nurse, D, Edmonton Oilers

I know Evan Bouchard gets all the love, but Darnell Nurse is money. He only has five points in the last ten games, but he’s shooting the puck a ton and blocking shots. He’s also seeing over 22 minutes most nights, so the volume is good. He can certainly hit value without having to register a point.

Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators

Jake Sanderson is a shot-blocking machine with some offensive upside. He finished with two assists and five blocked shots against Arizona, so the upside tonight is massive against Colorado. I’ll gladly take my chances with him and hope for the best.

 

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