Welcome to December! There are 10 games scheduled in the NHL this evening, with plenty of money to be won in DFS. The return of William Nylander has been the hottest topic in the league. He will instantly make an impact on an already good Toronto team who now has a healthy Auston Matthews. For the remainder of the year, the Leafs will be looked at, for DFS purposes, as one of the top offensive teams. Let’s dive into this specific slate to find some of the best individual options.
Center
Nathan MacKinnon (COL): $7,900 @ PIT
Anyone who is paying attention to hockey right now understands how amazing Nathan MacKinnon has been this year. He fills up the stat sheet, every night. Through 27 games, only his linemate Mikko Rantanen has more points. With 19 goals and 24 assists, Colorado’s top line center is averaging nearly two points per game and is matchup proof.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (MON): $3,500 vs. OTT
Montreal’s breakout rookie has shown impressive offensive ability. Now with three goals and nine assists on the year, Kotkaniemi is among the top scoring rookies. Now on the Canadiens top power-play unit, the young Finn will have plenty of opportunities to produce against a terrible Senators team. The Sens have allowed the most goals against in the NHL, both during even strength and on special teams. Montreal has been shocking the hockey world with their success, which should continue tonight.
Wing
Mikko Rantanen (COL): $7,400 @ PIT
The Ying to MacKinnon’s Yang, Mikko Rantanen. As mentioned above, the dynamic winger leads the NHL in points at 45. Mostly coming from assists, no team has been able to slow down the high powered offense of this trio. Rantanen is the set-up man on this line and plays on the half-wall during the power-play. In on the majority of the team’s goals, he has an incredible floor to go along with the highest ceiling on the night.
Gabriel Landeskog (COL): $6,800 @ PIT
The last part of the Avalanche top forward line is Gabriel Landeskog. Although he is much further down the leaderboard in points, Landeskog is an integral part of this line and has contributed often. The Penguins and Avalanche met in Denver just five days ago. The result was a 6-3 Colorado win. In Pittsburgh, the Pens will be able to have home-ice advantage, getting the last line change. They will try to line match as best they can to shut this line down. However, as we have seen, there is no team, so far, who has been successful. In an up-tempo game, there will be goals scored.
Blake Wheeler (WPG): $7,100 @ NYI
It is hard to ignore the recent success of the Jets top line. Although Schiefle is the clear goal-scorer, Blake Wheeler has recorded eight assists in his last seven games. He now has 30 on the year and will have a great matchup in New York. The Jets should not be left off anyone’s radar tonight. Even though the Penguins and Avalanche players are in great spots, they are going to be very high owned. Look at the top players on the Jets for ownership leverage.
Alex Iafallo (LA): $3,500 vs. ARI
The Kings are still a bad team. However, they are coming off an impressive win over the weekend and will look to build off the momentum as they host the Coyotes. Alex Iafallo is priced very reasonably for a skilled winger who will play on the top forward line and power-play unit. It may not be the most exciting game to watch, but at just $3,500, Iafallo is worth a shot given the opportunity he will have.
Defense
Samuel Girard (COL): $4,000 @ PIT
The final piece to an Avalanche stack is Samuel Girard. He is lined up to play the most minutes with the Nathan MacKinnon line and should have chances to chip in on offense. Girard provides salary relief on a night where there are plenty of stars to pay up for. The Penguins take a lot of penalties and Colorado has a lethal power-play.
Shea Weber (MON): $5,900 vs. OTT
It looks as though the Canadiens captain needed just one game to shake the rust off. After getting one assist in his first game back, Shea Webber scored two goals Saturday night against the Rangers. He jumped right into the action and is averaging 25 minutes of ice-time per game. Ottawa has struggled to keep the puck out of the net, especially when trying to kill off penalties. Webber has one of the best shots in the league and will add fantasy points in multiple ways.
Goalie
Roberto Luongo (FLA): $7,400 vs. BOS
Assuming he is playing tonight, Roberto Luongo is an interesting option at goalie. The Bruins have been a shell of their offense since losing Patrice Bergeron to injury. They haven’t scored more than three goals since November 11th, while scoring more than two just once. They have had to deal with a lot of adversity this year and have fallen off as of late. Saving salary at goalie is important and Florida should pull out the win at home against a depleted team.
Jeremy Maw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jeremy, check out his archive or follow him @j_maw.
