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DraftKings NHL Lineup Advice: Thursday (1/18)

DraftKings NHL Lineup Advice: Thursday (1/18)

It is that time of the year, leading up to the All-Star break. At this point of the season, there is a fairly clear understanding of which teams will be buyers and sellers at the trade deadline. With teams on their bye weeks, it is nice to see a big 10-game slate scheduled tonight. Injuries are starting to pile up. Finding players with opportunities will be key. Let’s take a look at some of the better plays this evening.

Center

Patrice Bergeron (BOS): $7,100 @ NYI
The best line stack of the night will be Boston’s top line. We saw the New Jersey Devils have their way with this banged up Islanders team two nights ago. The Boston Bruins are a much better team. Patrice Bergeron is playing at an elite level to start 2018 with eight points in five games. These two teams faced off on January 2nd which resulted in a 5-1 Bruins win. Much of the same should be expected tonight.

Mika Zibanejad (NYR): $6,500 vs. BUF
The New York Rangers are a -200 favorite in a game they should dominate from start to finish. On the road, the Buffalo Sabres won’t be able to dictate their slow-paced style of play. Mika Zibanejad plays on the top forward line and top power-play unit. Averaging over 17 minutes a night gives the dynamic center plenty of opportunities to score against a weak defensive team.

Other Centers to consider:
Cash – Kyle Turris ($5,600 vs. ARI), David Krejci ($4,700 @ NYI)
GPP – Nicklas Backstrom ($6,400 @ NJ), Sean Couturier ($6,700 vs. TOR)

Wing

Brad Marchand (BOS): $7,300 @ NYI
The last game Boston went to New York, Brad Marchand scored two points while recording five shots on goal, good for 7.5 DrafKings points. That was against a healthy Islanders team. Tonight, Boston will face a team with six key injuries. Marchand has 41 points in just 34 games. Tonight, he has multi-point upside and is the best player on the board.

David Pastrnak (BOS): $6,500 @ NYI
The third part of a full-line stack is David Pastrnak. The right winger is an electric talent who also has multiple-point upside tonight. For more convincing to play the Bruins tonight, the New York Islanders have allowed a league-worst 167 goals against through the first 46 games played. That is 3.6 goals against per game. Yes, the Bruins are expensive and will be highly owned. This top line is a lock to score tonight, though, and fading them would not be wise.

Rick Nash (NYR): $5,500 vs. BUF
Two goals on Tuesday night turned out to be the slate breaker. Injuries to Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes have led to more ice-time for the veteran winger. He is now lined up on the top forward line and power-play unit. Although not safe and with a very low floor, Nash has the potential for a multi-point game any night on the top line. The Sabres have struggled on defense all season long and once again find themselves near the bottom of the standings. The high octane offense of the Rangers should lead to a lot of goals tonight and Nash should cash in.

Kevin Fiala (NSH): $5,600 vs. ARI
Two of the Nashville top forwards are sidelined with an injury which gives Kevin Fiala more opportunity. Now skating alongside Ryan Johansen, Fiala will look to take advantage of a weak Arizona Coyotes team. The rookie has been impressive this season and has deserved the promotion to the top line. On the season Fiala is posting an impressive 54.34 CF%. The Coyotes, as a team, are ranked fourth-worst, at 47.17 CF%.

Other wingers to consider:
Cash – Claude Giroux ($6,700 vs. TOR), Pavel Buchnevich ($4,500 vs. BUF)
GPP – Alex Ovechkin ($7,700 @ NJ), Danton Heinen ($4,900 @ NYI)

Defense

Torey Krug (BOS): $5,700 @ NYI
The final piece of the Boston stack is Torey Krug. A true quarterback on the power-play, Krug has contributed all season from the back end. This will be a fast-paced game and Krug is one of the best at making stretch passes up to his forwards. The Bruins are one of the best face-off teams in the NHL. The Bruins should have more possession time, thus giving them more opportunities to score against the worst defensive team in the NHL.

P.K. Subban (NSH): $5,800 vs. ARI
As one of the All-Star game captains, P.K. Subban is in a great spot tonight to pay off value. We have targeted the Arizona Coyotes all season long. Tonight, in Nashville, is no different. Averaging 3.4 DK points per game, Subban is having a great offensive season. In 43 games played, the d-man has scored 33 points. Currently, on a three-game point streak, Subban is in a great spot once again.

Other Defense to consider:
Cash – Brent Burns ($7,200 @ COL), Alex Pietrangelo ($6,500 @ OTT)
GPP – Mikhail Sergachev ($5,000 vs. VGK), Sami Vatanen ($4,100 vs. WSH)

Goalie

Pekka Rinne (NSH): $8,300 vs. ARI
The heaviest favorite on the slate tonight is Pekka Rinne (-210 favorite). Although the Predators are dealing with key injuries, they will likely pull out the win at home. Rinne has been up and down this season, but his overall numbers are very good. With a 2.43 GAA, .925 SV%, and a 21-8-3 record, Rinne is among the best in the league right now. The lack of offense from Arizona gives shutout upside in a game Nashville should dominate.

Other goalies to consider:
All formats – Anton Khudobin ($7,700 @ NYI), Henrik Lundqvist ($8,400 vs. BUF)

Jeremy Maw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jeremy, check out his archive or follow him @j_maw.

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