Thursday's 13-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers featuring a great matchup as Vincent Trocheck and the New York Rangers face Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. We should expect lots of tight games with some great matchups out there, but expect some of the top scorers to shine through still. So, be sure to check in with our NHL DFS Tools, with the daily NHL projections, and our NHL lineup generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting!

 

NHL DFS Playbook January 4th

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

With so many games today, it is important to pick out a few choice games and focus on them. It is easy to get carried away with too much variance in your lineup. In cash games we should focus on the Winnipeg Jets as they are playing San Jose Sharks who have given up five goals per game on average in the last two weeks, the New York Rangers who are facing the Chicago Blackhawks (4.83 goals allowed over the last two weeks, and the Los Angeles Kings, who have lead the league in shots per game, and are facing a Detroit team that is struggling to keep pucks out of their net. In GPP's I would want to keep the same teams in mind, but also consider Tampa Bay, Dallas and Colorado who are all team in good matchups and are capable of scoring lots of goals today.

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies,

Top Options for Saves

Alexandar Georgiev vs Dallas Stars

Juuse Saros vs Calgary Flames

Jake Allen vs Buffalo Sabres

Best Odds for a Win

Igor Shesterkin vs Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Hellebuyck vs San Jose Sharks

Carter Hart vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Juuse Saros G, Nashville Predators

Saros is coming off of a shutout of the Blackhawks on Tuesday, and with him facing a Calgary team who has been putting 36 shots on goal each night, and scoring just over 2 goals on average, Saros should be in a good place to put up great value.

Connor Hellebuyck G, Winnipeg Jets

In cash games, I would put my money on Hellebuyck or whoever might start for the Jets. The Sharks are scoring just 1.83 goals per game over their last six games, and the Jets have been one of the best teams in the league all season, and they have won three straight games and seven of their last ten.

Sergei Bobrovsky G, Florida Panthers

In his last four starts, Bobrovsky has played really well. He has won each of those starts and he has had no worse than a 0.912 save percentage in any of those games. He will face a Vegas team that has struggled to score goals as of late. The Golden Knights have scored just 2.2 goals per game in their last five games.

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 

New York Rangers vs Petr Mrazek (4.5)

Philadelphia Flyers vs Elvis Merzlikins (3.9)

Winnipeg Jets vs Mackenzie Blackwood (3.8)

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo Sabres

With points in four of his last five games and five shots or more in three of those five games, Thompson should be a player worth paying up for today. He has a great matchup against Montreal who has been giving up nearly four goals per game over the last two weeks.

Vincent Trocheck, C, New York Rangers

Trocheck has had great chemistry with Artemi Panarin all season, and he has been putting up some nice DFS scores as of late as well. He had five shots in his last game, and four points in the game prior to that. I would expect Trocheck to have a solid game today against the woeful Blackhawks so try to use him if you can in all game types.

Nikolaj Ehlers, W, Winnipeg Jets

This is a great matchup for Ehlers, and he has led the Jets in shots with 13 in his last three games. His price will be a bit inflated against San Jose, but his ownership could still be relatively in spite of having one of the premier matchups for the day.

Brandt Clarke D, Los Angeles Kings

Clarke has been called up from the AHL after putting up 32 points in 30 games. He will step into a premium position for the Kings getting the top powerplay, and he is expected to play with Mikey Anderson to help cover up his expected defensive woes. You're going to get Clarke at a great price today, and he gets a solid matchup as well against Detroit at home.

Player Pool

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