Welcome to Saturday’s 6-game NHL Slate. Most of the action will be earlier in the day as we have a full day of hockey, but we have some great games on this slate. The biggest favorites on the board are the Toronto Maple Leafs who host the Anaheim Ducks. 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 January 27th

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Lukas Dostal Vs.Toronto Maple Leafs

Samuel Ersson Vs. New Jersey Devils

Jake Allen Vs. Washington Capitals

 

Best Odds for a Win

Martin Jones Vs. Anaheim Ducks

Nico Daws Vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Elvis Merzlikins Vs. San Jose Sharks

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Columbus Blue Jackets

Elvis Merzlikins has struggled this year, but he’s playing the Sharks so we have to consider him. He has a .892 SV% and 3.43 GAA over his last 10 games which is not what we are looking for, but he also saw some of the best teams in the league, including Vancouver twice and Edmonton. He shut out the Blues before the all-star break so he hasn’t been completely cold and the Sharks are anything but a scary opponent. San Jose averages 2.11 goals per game and though they have shown flashes of scoring, the easy route is to pick on them with Merzlikins.

Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks

It’s a little worrisome taking Demko when Connor Hellebuyck is in the opposing net, but Thatcher has the home ice and has been outstanding this season. He leads the entire league with 30 wins and is in the top six goalies for save percentage and goals against. The Canucks may be the best team in the league so we should be able to depend on them to give Demko some goal support. Winnipeg has scored two or fewer goals in eight straight games, giving Demko an edge.

Martin Jones, G, Toronto Maple Leafs

Martin Jones feels very risky in this spot so let me make that clear. On the season he holds a decent.908 SV% and 2.73 GAA, but he struggled heading into the all-star break. He’s only made one start in February where he allowed four goals in a loss to Ottawa and it’s unclear if he may be rusty. This matchup against the Ducks is where it gets interesting as Toronto is heavily favored in this game and the Ducks score the 4th fewest goals in the league at 2.57. His price tag is SUPER discounted on DraftKings so I think he’s worth a shot, I just might not force him into lineups.

 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals  

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs Lukas Dostal (4.3)

Columbus Blue Jackets Vs. Mackenzie Blackwood (3.5)

Vancouver Canucks Vs. Connor Hellebuyck (3.3)

 

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews is the best player on this slate, period. It shouldn’t take a whole lot of convincing as this guy has just been on another planet all season. He has 45 goals through 51 games and is coming off his fifth hat trick this season. It does not seem to matter who the other team is, but the last time he played the Ducks he put up 13 shots with a goal. The Ducks are the most penalized team in the league and Auston is going to be heavily rostered, so do yourself a favor and put him in your lineup.

Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal Canadiens

Nick Suzuki has been tearing it up, putting up 15 points over his last 10 games while riding a 9-game point streak. Washington has had decent goaltending but we saw this matchup earlier this month where Suzuki came away with three points. Montreal’s top line of Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky seems to be firing on all cylinders and I think we strike while the iron is hot. His price tag is fair and we can easily stack him with Juraj, Cole, or both.

Alex Ovechkin, W, Washington Capitals

Just when we thought Ovechkin may finally be washed, he goes on a heater. After being largely invisible on the year, Ovy has scored a goal in six straight games while even picking up a few blocked shots. He’s only hit the shot bonus once in his last 10 games, but Montreal is allowing the most shots in the league and 3.52 goals per game. It’s anyone’s guess if Ovechkin can continue scoring at this rate, but given the matchup and his price tag, I like our odds.

Johnny Gaudreau, W, Columbus Blue Jackets

Johnny Gaudreau has been struggling and looks like a shell of his former self which brings some risk, but the Sharks are terrible and allow 3.76 goals per game. He skates on the top line and top power play in one of the few matchups where Columbus is favored. He’s seen an uptick in ice time, averaging over 20 minutes in four of his last five games. Combine that with the fact he’s on a 5-game point streak and he becomes a very interesting value wing.

Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski is another member of the Blue Jackets in a great spot here against the Sharks. He’s got points in five of his last six games and is on the ice for 26 minutes nearly every night. He does it all and will threaten the shot and blocked shot bonus on a nightly basis, and can hit them both like he did four games ago. Zach isn’t currently listed on either power-play line but could easily find himself on the man advantage during the game.

Timothy Liljegren, D, Toronto Maple Leafs

With Morgan Rielly suspended, Timothy Liljegren finds himself in an increased role. He’s not typically a very offensive player, with 11 points through 35 games, but he will collect a few shots while averaging over two blocks per game. The main draw here is he is skating on the top power play with Auston Matthews. The Ducks are the most penalized team in the league so given his low price tag and the number of power plays we expect, he looks like great value at the position.

 

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