FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: March 5
By Matt Rogers
Welcome to the Sunday, March 5, edition of the FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays column. Today’s article is going to focus on the MAIN FanDuel NHL slate. We’ll find the top scoring options with several value picks for affordability. The salary options mentioned have already been set by FanDuel for Sunday.
There are seven games on the NHL schedule today. Three games begin between 4pm and 5pm ET, with the following four games beginning between 6pm and 8:30pm ET. FanDual’s MAIN slate starts with the 6pm games, and is going to be where we build our lineup. Here’s a look at the scheduled of games we’re targeting:
Sharks at Wild (6pm ET)
Blues at Avalanche (8pm ET)
Canucks at Ducks (8pm ET)
Hurricanes at Coyotes (8:30pm ET)
The Sharks are visiting the Wild in Minnesota and that is the top match up of the night. But with two good, and FanDuel NHL salary expensive, goalies in net in that game, we’re going to avoid most of the offensive plays.
The Blues and Hurricanes each have a favorable match up on road ice. We’ll try to target a few of those offensive options, and a goalie. The Ducks are on home ice and have a great match up against a bad Canucks team. So we’ll load up in Anaheim as well.
We’ll start with a Center with a Duck and a Blue:
Next: Top Centers
Top Centers
Rickard Rakell ($5,500) may only be leading the Anaheim Ducks 3rd line, but over the last two Duck home games, Rickard has four goals. Rakell is taking his hot scoring streak back to home ice tonight against a Vancouver Canucks team who’s struggled to defend the net all season. Rakell’s 30+ FanDuel NHL point average over the last two games makes him a very attractive option tonight against the Canucks.
Paul Stastny ($5,600) is a risky play tonight. Leading the Blues top line, Stastny surprisingly has two zero FanDuel NHL point games over the last four games. That’s surprising for the talented veteran.
But Paul also had a goal in Philly in February and on home ice against the Oilers on the 28th. Also, while Stastny was scoreless in Chicago, he had six shots on goal and a blocked shot for 11.2 FanDuel NHL points. I expect Stastny to bounce back against the Avalanche in Colorado.
Next: Top Wings
Top Wings
While we have Stastny leading the top line for the Blues in our lineup, we’re also going to plug in 2nd line NHL phenom Vladimir Tarasenko ($7,800). Vlad also had a blank for FanDuel NHL points against the Jets in Winnipeg.
But before that game, Tarasenko was averaging around 15 FanDuel NHL points-per-game over a five game period. Tonight, Vladimir is more likely to be around the 15 point range as he bounces back in Colorado.
Jakob Silfverberg ($5,400) has a goal or assist for the Ducks in the last three games. Silfverberg is on the ice nearly 20 minutes a game, on the top lines for the Ducks. So even when Jakob isn’t involved in scoring, he’s getting three to six shots on goal and a blocked shot in each game. Silfverberg is a solid 10-15 FanDuel NHL point option against the Canucks on home ice tonight.
With the Carolina Hurricanes playing in Arizona against a Coyotes team who has essentially called it a season after the Hanzal trade, we’re going to grab Sebastian Aho ($5,200) and Patrick Brown ($3,300).
Aho is a rising star on the Hurricanes 2nd lines, and is averaging around 15 FanDuel NHL points over the last five games. Sebastian is likely to climb closer to 20 points tonight, in Arizona.
Brown is an intriguing value option. Only his third game and averaging only around 3 FanDuel NHL points in his first two games, Brown is likely off of everyone’s radar. But manning the 3rd line tonight against the Coyotes, Brown is likely to have many scoring chances and could be a low-salary steal tonight.
Next: Top Defense
Top Defense
As we stated at the start, we’re mostly staying away from the Sharks in Minnesota game. But one Shark who we always look for each night is Brent Burns ($8,400). I don’t expect a lot of scoring in the Sharks vs. Wild game, but when there’s scoring Burns is likely to be involved.
Burns has a goal or assist in the last seven Sharks games. Even when not involved in scoring, he’s very likely have to five to ten shots on goal and a few blocked shots as well. Brent is a solid 20 FanDuel NHL point play tonight.
Alex Pietrangelo ($5,100) is defending the top line for the Blues tonight. Pietrangelo has a power play goal, assists, several shots on goal, and at least one block per game in the last seven Blues games. Tonight in Colorado, Alex is likely to have many scoring changes and a few blocked shots.
Next: Top Goalie
Top Goalie
Dubnyk and Martin are took expensive to pay for in a close game. Jake Allen ($8,400) and the Blues have the best match up tonight. Allen lost his last four starts, but had won three straight before that. Also, the Avalanche are also on a losing streak. This is a great chance for Allen to bounce back.
Over the last seven games, with a 3-4 record, Jake is averaging nearly 30 saves per game. Also, while Allen has four straight losses, he’s giving up under three goals per game. So the bigger problem for the Blues is a lack of offensive scoring.
Tonight, the Blues should have more scoring chances, and with a good goal tender, Allen, between the pipes, the Blues should get the win (12 FanDuel NHL points). Allen is a solid 20+ FanDuel NHL point option tonight.
Always check NHL lineups throughout the day when playing FanDuel NHL. The NHL 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. Follow us on twitter, @fantasycpr, for updates as we get closer to lineup lock time. Good Luck today FanDuelers!