Welcome to Saturday’s 9-game NHL Slate. This slate has some solid games with decent value and elite player options. The biggest favorites on the board are the Vancouver Canucks who host the Washington Capitals. My eyes will be glued to the showdown between the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche where Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon square off in what should be a thrilling game. 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 March 16th

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

This slate is loaded with elite talent, especially at the center position. If I had to pick one of the top players, it would be Nathan MacKinnon, and if I’m fading anyone, it’s Auston Matthews. McDavid, MacKinnon, and Matthews are playable on any slate, but Auston’s matchup with the Hurricanes is less than ideal.

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Magnus Chrona Vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Cayden Primeau  Vs. Calgary Flames

Jeremy Swayman  Vs. Philadelphia Flyers

 

Best Odds for a Win

Casey DeSmith Vs. Washington Capitals

Daniil Tarasov  Vs. San Jose Sharks

Jeremy Swayman  Vs. Philadelphia Flyers

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Jeremy Swayman, G, Boston Bruins

Jeremy Swayman has been great all year, with a .920 SV% and 2.49 GAA. He did just get lit up by St. Louis, but before that, he held the Maple Leafs to one goal in back-to-back starts. The Flyers have been surprisingly good this season, but going on the road into Boston is going to be very difficult for them. Swayman is 12-6-1 at home and though the Bruins continue to find a way to lose games in overtime, he’s a solid choice today.

Daniil Tarasov, G, Columbus Blue Jackets

Daniil Tarasov fills the obligatory ‘attack the Sharks’ role in today’s slate. His overall stats on the season are not very impressive, but he does play for Columbus so it is to be expected. He has been much better lately, holding a .925 SV% and 2.50 GAA over his last 10 games. In March, he recorded wins against strong teams in Edmonton and Vegas, and since he’s playing the Sharks, we have to consider him. 

Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues

Jordan Binnington has excellent numbers at home this season, with a .924 SV% and 2.44 GAA. Minnesota has been clicking lately so it may be a difficult matchup for him, but the salary is very appealing. He has recorded wins in three of his last five games, where he held the opposing team to only one goal in each, including a game against Minnesota earlier this month.

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals  

Columbus Blue Jackets Vs Magnus Chrona (3.9)

Vancouver Canucks Vs. Darcy Kuemper (3.8)

Calgary Flames Vs. Sam Montembeault (3.7)

 

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

J.T. Miller, C, Vancouver Canucks

J.T. Miller continues to be awesome this year on Vancouver’s second line. He’s recorded a goal in three of his last four games and 13 points over his last 10 games. Vancouver has the second-highest implied team total today at 3.8 goals and Miller should be involved in their scoring chances. 

Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Carolina Hurricanes

Evgeny Kuznetsov may only have one point in four games with Carolina, but he is far too cheap to ignore. He’s skating on the second line with Martin Necas and newly acquired Jake Guentzel, which is already reason enough to play him, but he’s also slotting in on the top power play line. His seven goals and 11 assists through 47 games aren’t going to impress anyone, but we only need him to produce in this game and his cheap salary opens up the rest of your lineup.

Valeri Nichushkin, W, Colorado Avalanche

Valeri Nichushkin has played three games since returning from the assistance program and it looks like he never left. He’s scored a goal in all three games, with two assists to boot. He skates the top line with MVP favorite Nathan MacKinnon in what should be an offensive showcase of a game against the Edmonton Oilers. 

Alex Nylander, W, Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are favored in this game, something we do not see every day. On the top line sits Alex Nylander who has come alive, with six goals and two assists over his last 10 games. He’s also skating on the top power play and has hit the shot bonus in three straight games. The Sharks are an abysmal hockey team and as much as I dislike Columbus, he’s in a good spot to produce.

Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski does everything we want from a defenseman. He’s blocked two shots in six of his last seven games and has hit the shot bonus in two straight. We know how bad the Sharks are so it makes a lot of sense to play Werenski who skates on the top pair and power play. It’s not often the Blue Jackets are expected to score 3.9 goals so we might as well take advantage using their best defenseman.

Cam York, D, Philadelphia Flyers

Cam York was a favorite play of mine last Saturday and I’m going to run it back today. He’s skating on the top pair, power play, and penalty kill, and continues to be a shot-blocking machine. Boston loves to shoot the puck so he should get plenty of chances to grab the block bonus which will pay off his price tag.

 

Check out our list of the best, and most trusted sports betting and fantasy sports promo codes from the top legal sites in your state.

Dominate your NHL DFS contests today with our DFS Playbook,  Player Projections, Lineup Generator & DFS 


 

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-