FanDuel NHL: January 9

Jan 5, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Justin Williams (14) celebrates with Capitals center Marcus Johansson (90) after scoring a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel NHL: January 9 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 check the best options in each position, and help you afford an ideal 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 13, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter (77) takes a shot as Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) defends during the third period at KeyBank Center. Sabres beat the Kings 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Centers

Mikael Backlund ($6,100) is one of a heavy dose of Calgary Flames we’re going to plug into our lineup tonight with a fantastic match-up the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets have given up three goals-per-game this season, and are 26th in the NHL in total goals against.

Coming into Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, Mikael was averaging over 20 FanDuel NHL points-per-game since December 23rd, and had scored twice over 30 points. On Saturday, Backlund produced a rare goose-egg, only his second in over two months. So tonight is a great bounce-back night for Backlund.

Speaking of bounce-back efforts, next we’re going to play Jeff Carter ($7,600). Carter had a rough outing in a juicy match-up against the Detroit Red Wings last week, producing only 1.6 FanDuel NHL points. But he bounced back on Saturday, dropping an awesome 31.7 points against a tough Minnesota Wild team. Tonight, expect Carter to continue to roll in another great match-up at home, against the Dallas Stars.

Next: Top Wings

Dec 16, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty (67) prepares for a faceoff during the third period of the game against the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Wings

Before we jump into our other big game of interest, we’re going to stack Michael Frolik ($4,900) with Backlund. Aside from wanting to stack a good match-up, Frolik’s salary is baffling tonight and I can’t avoid his value. Since December 23rd, Michael is averaging around 20 FanDuel NHL points-per-game. Given his sub-$5K salary, this is a tremendous value heading into a solid match-up for Backlund and Frolik’s line.

For the rest of our wingers, we’re going to turn to the premier NHL match-up of the night, the Montreal Canadiens hosting Washington Capitals. Each team is in the top five or six of the NHL. They each have fantastic goalies, but their offense is so dynamic, there’s bound to be several goals in this game.

From the Canadiens, we’re going to load up with Max Pacioretty ($7,500) and Alexander Radulov ($6,200). Pacioretty is the captain of the Montreal team, and he and Radulov are averaging over 20 FanDuel NHL points-per-game. Their salaries are pricey, but for good reason. They’re both strong candidates for 20+ points tonight, leading the Canadiens top regular and power play lines.

From the Caps, we’ll turn to a hot Justin Williams ($5,700). The wiry veteran has had four double-digit FanDuel NHL point games over his last five games, including a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping to end their long 16-game winning streak.

Next: Top Defense

Dec 31, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu (28) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Defense

Nathan Beaulieu ($3,800) will likely play mostly in the Montreal Canadiens 2nd regular line, but he’ll be paired with Pacioretty and Radulov in the Habs 1st power play line against the Capitals. The young 24-year-old defensiveman has been impressive lately, logging one goal and four assists in his last three games. Beaulieu isn’t afraid to take shots on net, totaling 15 in his last five games, and has eight blocks as well.

We’re pairing Jacob Trouba ($4,900) with Beaulieu. As we’ll see with our goalie option, this play admittedly goes against standard logic. You often want to avoid playing offensive and defensive players against your goalie. However, while I do expect the Jets to have several scoring opportunities, and I think Trouba has the potential for several blocked shots tonight.

Next: Top Goalie

Jan 6, 2017; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Calgary Flames goaltender Brian Elliott (1) stops a shot on net by the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Goalie

Brian Elliott ($8,100) is a bounce-back candidate for the Calgary Flames in goal against a struggling Winnipeg Jets hockey team tonight. On Friday, Brian had a terrible outing, giving up four goals on only 13 shots, and yielding a horrendous -8.8 FanDuel NHL points. However, that game snapped a five game winning streak in which Elliott was averaging well over 20 FanDuel NHL points-per-game.

Elliott has been a tremendous disappointment for Fantasy Hockey owners this season. Last year, Brian lead the NHL with a .930 save percentage. This season, he’s hovering around .890. Still, toward the end of December and into early January, Elliott was showing signs of a strong turnaround. This is a risky play, but Elliott has a good match-up against the Jets tonight and should be a great value pick in goal tonight.

Next: DraftKings NBA Jan 9 Picks

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!