Hopefully, everyone had a nice Christmas break as we look ahead to the new year. After just two in the NHL last night, we have a six-game slate this evening. There is plenty to like tonight with a lot of great matchups. Now in January, teams have separated themselves for better or worse. Let’s take a deeper dive into the matchups to discover some of the best DFS options.

Center

Nathan MacKinnon (COL): $8,000 vs. SJ
Currently ranked third in the NHL for points scored, Nathan MacKinnon is a fantastic option any night the Avalanche take the ice. At home, Colorado is a tough team to slow down. They will host the San Jose Sharks who are climbing in the standings with a 6-2-2 record through their last 10 games. Despite the elite talent on defense and impressive record, San Jose has allowed the third most goals against. They have had goaltending issues all season and should struggle to top Colorado’s top line.

Elias Pettersson (VAN): $6,500 @ OTT
The clear Rookie of the Year candidate is having an outstanding season in Vancouver. With 39 points in 36 games, Pettersson has stepped into the league making outstanding plays each game. The Ottawa Senators are having a tough season, as expected. At the bottom of the standings, Ottawa has surrendered 159 goals against through the first 40 games. While Vancouver has seen their own struggles this year, they have the offensive upside to score multiple goals against an inferior opponent.

Wing

Mikko Rantanen (COL): $7,500 vs. SJ
The Robin to MacKinnon’s Batman, Mikko Rantanen is having a breakout year where he is now ranked second overall in points scored, trailing only Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov. The dynamic duo in Colorado has been a great story to follow as they have torched teams for multiple points seemingly every night. San Jose has been one of the worst teams in the NHL at giving up High Danger Goals Against (HDGA) per chances. Given the elite talent and speed of MacKinnon and Rantanen, the two should be in for another offensive outburst.

Brock Boeser (VAN): $5,800 @ OTT
With Elias Pettersson’s play-making ability, Brock Boeser will be the number one beneficiary as a true goal scorer. The two will play alongside each other both during even strength and on the top power-play unit. There is a 6.5 implied goal total in this game which should feature a lack of defense. Boeser and Pettersson are the top offensive options on Vancouver in a great matchup.

Zach Aston-Reese (PIT): $3,100 @ NYR
For salary relief, look to Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese. The 24-year old will look to secure his ice-time on the top forward line with Sidney Crosby as the Pens visit the New York Rangers. Any player who is near the minimum price and plays on the top line is worth considering. Given the fact that Aston-Reese is also playing with one of the best players in the NHL makes him almost a must-play. This should be a high-event game with plenty of offensive chances for both teams.

Defense

Alexander Edler (VAN): $5,200 @ OTT
Quarterbacking the top power-play unit, Alex Edler is a great DFS option tonight on defense. Vancouver should easily produce points against the Senators. Edler is a veteran who leads the team in average ice-time who will tally up the fantasy points in a number of different ways.

Maxime Lajoie (OTT): $4,000 vs. VAN
With their best defenseman, Thomas Chabot, placed on the injured reserve, ice-time and opportunity has opened for Maxime Lajoie. He will now play on the top defensive pairing and on the top power-play unit. He has been and will be leaned on heavily for the offense on the back-end. While Vancouver is the favorite in this matchup, they are not a very sound defensive team and will allow goals against.

Goalie

Ben Bishop (DAL): $8,100 vs. NJ
With all of the news on the Dallas Stars surrounding Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, most have overlooked the impressive year Ben Bishop is having. Although his record is a mediocre 13-9-2, Bishop has an impressive 2.28 GAA and .925 SV%. The New Jersey Devils have some offensive weapons, however, are a team who has some of the worst home/road splits. They have won just four games on the road this season and now have to travel to Texas. Dallas plays a very defensive style of hockey when on home ice and should win this game easily.

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