Is Mike Babcock’s seat getting hotter? How will the Avalanche fair without Mikko Rantanen? The Rangers have dropped five straight, will this rebuild will take longer than advertised? While the Blues may have temporarily put to bed the American Thanksgiving measuring stick last season, you know there are several teams starting to analyze where they are in the standings. Let’s take a look at a busy Thursday in NHL DFS.
Center
Jack Eichel (BUF): $7,900 @ NYR
Eichel is on fire. After turning in an 82-point season last year, he is already ahead of that pace this season with 14 points in 10 games. In those 10 games, Eichel has three games with over five shots on goal. What better team for him to face than the Rangers, who have given up a league-high 36.6 shots per game and lost five straight. Expect Eichel to have a big night at MSG.
Wing
Jaden Schwartz (STL): $4,800 vs. LA
Schwartz has recorded a point in five straight games. He is currently playing on the top line alongside Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. He is also slotted into the top power-play unit. The LA Kings are coming to town, and they’re giving up the most goals against per game in the NHL. This seems like a nice price to me.
Calle Jarnkrok (NSH): $3,700 vs. MIN
This follows the same logic as Jaden Schwartz. Jarnkrok is currently on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson, as well as the top power-play unit. He has five points in his last six games. Tonight the Predators welcome in the Minnesota Wild, who have given up 3.56 goals per game and will turn to Alex Stalock again between the pipes.
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin (BUF): $5,300 @ NYR
I’m not sure what I’m missing here. Dahlin checks in tonight with the cheapest price tag we have seen him have in eight games. He has ten points in ten games. He is facing a Rangers team that has dropped five straight and gives up the most shots in the league. He’s logging around 20 minutes a night, and he will run the top power play. I presume this will be a popular selection in tournaments.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic (SJ): $3,100 @ MTL
It hasn’t been a banner year statistically thus far for Vlasic. He is logging about 21 minutes a night, with one point and a -10 rating. However, being from Montreal, this is a homecoming game for him. In his last two visits to Montreal, Vlasic has a goal, assist, and nine shots on net. Playing alongside Brent Burns, he will certainly have his opportunity in this game to provide a little extra. We might not like to hear it as fans, but the NHL season is a long grind, especially for a guy that’s going to play his 1,000th game this season. Any opportunity we can find a unique scenario, I think it is worth playing, especially with some big-ticket players elsewhere.
Goalie
Pekka Rinne (NSH): $8,300 vs. MIN
I don’t love spending this kind of money on a goalie, but sometimes the circumstance warrants it. With a ten-game slate tonight, only two games have sizable betting favorites: the St. Louis Blues (vs. LA) and the Nashville Predators (vs. MIN). It is no surprise that Binnington and Rinne are the top goalie choices for the evening. Finding wins for goalies in DFS is paramount, so if I have to spend up to try and lock in a win, I will. There are bargain opportunities elsewhere.
Chris Genova is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyOneTimer.
