The Stars picked up a nice win in their first game under new head coach Rick Bowness. It appears the Red Wings may never win again. The Coyotes are still sitting pretty in playoff position. Is Tampa ready to make their move in the East? There is still plenty that needs to be sorted out this regular season. Let’s take a look at the twelve game slate we have this evening in DFS.
Center
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM): $4,500 @ MIN
Unfortunate for hockey fans across North America, but fortunate for RNH, the Oilers have temporarily split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Nugent-Hopkins has moved onto Draisaitl’s wing, accompanied by Jujhar Khaira. It is hard to blame the Oilers for experimenting. In the playoffs, it would really behoove them to have two lines that opposing teams need to fear. In the meantime, Nugent-Hopkins will benefit. He recently missed six games with a hand injury, but he has returned to play well. He also returned to his spot on the lethal top power-play unit. I really like RNH here, even if Dave Tippett reverts to the usual lines midway through the game.
Wing
Oliver Bjorkstrand (CBJ): $4,900 @ PIT
Bjorkstrand is quietly putting together a nice fantasy season. He has seven goals and 16 points in 30 games, but more importantly, he has 100 shots on goal this year. In his last five games, Bjorkstrand has shot the puck 31 times! Shots on goal are the type of stat you can chase in the DFS format, they are much easier to predict than goals. He seems to be fitting in well alongside Sonny Milano and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Also, it helps that he’s playing the point on the first power-play unit.
Joakim Nygard (EDM): $2,500 @ MIN
This follows the same logic as playing Nugent-Hopkins. With McDavid and Draisaitl split up, for the time being, it has created an opportunity for Nygard to jump onto Connor McDavid’s wing. The ultimate shotgun seat. Nygard has played well in this spot, with three points in his last two games. By playing RNH and Nygard, you can grab a piece of McDavid and Draisaitl, and splurge on stars elsewhere.
Defense
Erik Karlsson (SJ): $5,800 vs NYR
It is disappointing that this is Karlsson’s first time featured in this article. He was once widely considered the best defenseman in the league. Now, it is clear he is hampered by the injuries that have plagued him over the last few years. First, don’t let me discount the fact that he is still 8th in league scoring amongst defenseman with 24 points in 32 games. Of late, he’s been shooting the puck more, with 22 shots over his last five games. He can also be relied on for a few blocked shots as well. Meanwhile, the Sharks are welcoming in the Rangers, who are surrendering the second-most shots against per game in the league. I love this spot for Karlsson.
Goalie
Tuukka Rask (BOS): $7,400 @ TB
I’m deviating away from my usual logic in goal. While I normally like to find the most obvious winners of the evening, tonight I’m bargain shopping. Now, I understand that Tampa Bay is still respected as one of the best teams in the league, but the fact is that they haven’t played like it this season. Boston rarely loses consecutive games, and Rask has been brilliant this season with a 2.19 GAA, .927 SV%, and a 13-3-3 record. I was very surprised to see him listed as the 28th ranked goalie on the DK platform. I’ll take my chances here.
Chris Genova is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyOneTimer.
