FanDuel NHL: December 19th

Dec 6, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing, and FanDuel NHL stud, Vladimir Tarasenko (91) gains control of the puck as Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin (74) falls to the ice during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel NHL: December 19th is a daily fantasy sports column focusing on the best FanDuel NHL player and value options for your daily lineups. The salary options are based on the daily salaries set by FanDuel. We’ll review the best options in each position, and help you afford an optimal lineup for your big FanDuel NHL paydays.

Before we review the top options for each FanDuel NHL lineup position, let’s review the FanDuel NHL scoring rules:

Forwards/Defense

Goals = 12pts
Assists = 8pts
Shots on Goal = 1.6pts
Short Handed points = 2pts
Power Play Points = 0.5pts
Blocked Shots = 1.6pts

Goalies

Win = 12pts
Goals Against = -4pts
Saves = 0.8pts
Shutouts = 8pts

Given the FanDuel NHL scoring options, we know the top options for offense and defense are players who tend to score a goal or record an assist in most games. Also, if one of those players is often playing on the penalty kill, there’s an added benefit if they could score the unique short-handed goal. The Ottawa Senators led the NHL in the 2015-2016 season with 17 short-handed goals.

As for Goalies, you’ll want to pick a goalie on a team who has the highest winning percentage of the day. Losing the 12 point win can easily be the difference between losing money and a big pay-day. A FanDuel comparison would be picking a MLB pitcher who will most likely win.

Now that we’ve established the rules and goals for playing FanDuel NHL, let’s take a look at tonight’s best options:

Next: Top Centers

Dec 2, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) scores the game winner on Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) in a shootout at Scotiabank Saddledome. the Flames won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Centers

Sean Monahan ($6,800) is the center for the Calgary Flames 3rd regular line, but he’s also manning the Center spot in the Flames top power play line. Calgary’s top power play line includes one of their best players Johnny Gaudreau. The duo have been hot lately and are a lock to score around 20-40 points tonight. We’ll talk about Gaudreau and how we can stack him with Monahan later.

Monahan is averaging just under 18 FanDuel NHL points per game over the Flames last give games. Sean’s ice time varies, landing anywhere between 11 to 21 minutes per game. That’s because is ice time is dependent on the number of power plays the Flames lock into each game. The Flames are currently 14th in the NHL for most power plays per game, 3.2. They’re playing a terrible Arizona Coyotes team, who are near the bottom of the league in defending the man-advantage. Monahan’s value moves toward his peak tonight!

Pairing with Monahan, I’m going looking for a cheaper, yet high value option Mark Letestu ($3,900). Letestu is in a similar situation as Monahan. Mark is on the 4th line for the high-scoring Edmonton Oilers, but he’s the Center tonight for the Oilers top power play line. So Letestu’s minutes will climb. Over the last five games, Mark has four double-digit point games, as he’s been on a roll lately for a Oilers team having no trouble scoring this year. This is another high-value play at Center.

Next: Top Wings

November 22, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Rickard Rakell (67) celebrates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Wings

We found some great value at the center positions so we’re going to spend big for all four Wing positions tonight.

Vladimir Tarasenko ($8,800) is the most expensive wing option tonight. That isn’t too surprising considering his consistent high-level of play this season. Also, Tarasenko’s ceiling is very high, scoring over 30 FanDuel NHL points in two of the St. Louis Blues last five games. Tonight, the Blues are favored in a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. This matchup is likely a high-scoring affair and Tarasenko should be involved in most of the Blues offense tonight.

We talked about Monahan early, and tonight I like stacking Monahan with Johnny Gaudreau ($7,600) on the Calgary Flames 1st power play line. Looking at Gaudreau, alone, is an attractive option. Johnny has double-digit FanDuel NHL points in each of the Flames last five games. Three of those games Gaudreau had above or around 20 points. A stack with Monahan should allow us to potentially double that number.

Aside from having an awesome name, Rickard Rakell ($6,000) has played awesome lately. Rakell has between 13-32 points in each of his last five games. Rickard’s salary has climbed over $300 in the last week because of his consistent scoring. The Anaheim Ducks have been hot lately, and Rakell is on their 1st regular and power play lines. Tonight, the Ducks have a favorable matchup in a game expected to be high-scoring. This is yet another high-value pick.

Finally, while Viktor Arvidsson ($5,700) only had 4.8 points against the New York Rangers on Saturday, he was scoring just under 20 FanDuel NHL points per game leading up to the Rangers affair. Tonight, Arvidsson should bounce back against a high-scoring, but very defensively generous, Philadelphia Flyers team.

Next: Top Defense

Dec 17, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner (51) celebrates after scoring in overtime to give the Leafs a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh Penguins at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Defense

Jake Gardiner ($4,400) has been my favorite defensive option this month. Gardiner’s salary has been in the low $4,000’s, but is now starting to climb. Over the last five games, Jake is averaging 16.3 FanDuel NHL points per game. Tonight, the Leafs are a slight favorite in what should be a high-scoring game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Jaccob Slavin ($3,500) is a very affordable option for averaging 11 FanDuel NHL points per game over the last week. Tonight, in a likely high-scoring affair between Slavin’s Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, Slavin should exceed 10 points yet again. Also, in connection with our goalie option, Slavin fits perfectly into our budget and even leaves us with an extra $100.

Next: Top Goalie

Nov 22, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) guards the net against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Hurricanes beat the Maple Leafs 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Goalie

Cam Ward ($8,200) isn’t my favorite FanDuel NHL goalie. He’s inconsistent, and the Carolina Hurricanes are struggling for wins again this season. However, over the last five games, Ward has over 20 points, each wins. And each of those games were situations where the Hurricanes, and Ward, had favorable matchups. Tonight, Carolina is favored to win at home against a struggling Detroit Red Wings team. So Cam is more likely to land around 20 points for the game, and picking Ward allows us to use big salary elsewhere.

Next: FanDuel NFL Week 15 (Mon-Thurs)

Always check NHL lineups throughout the day when playing FanDuel NHL. As a fan, you likely know the league isn’t overly forthcoming with injury news, and players are often scratched at the last-minute with little information. Also, goaltenders are never a sure-thing. Good Luck today Fanduelers!