FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: March 11
By Matt Rogers
Welcome back to the FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays column. The Saturday, March 11th addition. We will continue to focus on top plays for Saturday night, and find several value picks for affordability. Salaries we discuss in this article are set by FanDuel for Saturday.
The NHL schedule is back in a big way for Saturday. Eleven games in total, two games are in the afternoon, a 1pm and 4pm start. The remaining nine games are all in the evening and are part of the FanDuel NHL MAIN slate, which is the focus of this article. With so many games, we have ample top scoring and value options to pick through. We’re going to focus on a select number of games to find the ideal lineup. Here’s a look at the games we’re targeting tonight:
Flames at Jets (7pm ET)
Panthers at Lightening (7pm ET)
Maple Leafs at Hurricanes (7pm ET)
Senators at Avalanche (7pm ET)
Blue Jackets at Sabres (7pm ET)
Penguins at Canucks (10pm ET)
The Penguins have a juicy match up against a bad Canucks team in Vancouver. The Blue Jackets should continue to roll in Buffalo, and the Flames look to stay hot in Winnipeg.
We may grab some top Senators for their favorable match up in Colorado, and the Maple Leafs are going to try to get their top-notch offense back in Carolina.
We’ll start with our top play at center, and a value pick to afford him:
Next: Top Centers
Top Centers
Evgeni Malkin ($8,900) leads the Penguins dynamic 2nd line. On practically all other teams, Malkin would be a top-line leader, but he’s given that opportunity to ‘Sid the Kid’ Crosby. Over the last four games, Malkin as been on fire. Evgeni has six goals, two power play goals, and three assists in the last four games. Malkin is averaging over 30 FanDuel NHL points-per-game in the last week. With a juicy match up in Vancouver, I’m definitely finding a way to afford Malkin in my lineup tonight.
And for affordability, we’re going to grab Jets 3rd line leader Adam Lowry ($3,500). Lowry isn’t an attractive pick, at first glance. But for under $4K, we’re getting a center who has a goal and assist in the last five games, averages nearly 18 minutes per game on the ice, and often gets multiple shots on goal. Lower could offer mid-single digit FanDuel NHL points, but he’s also a candidate for low double-digits on home ice tonight. Not bad for only $3.5K
Next: Top Wings
Top Wings
Just when we thought Nikita Kucherov ($8,200) was finally cooling off, with only 9.6 and 6.4 FanDuel NHL points in the last two games, he came back! Kucherov had two goals, a power play goal, and an assist in Tampa against the Wild. A total of 38.9 FanDuel NHL points is an impressive result facing one of the better defended teams in the league. Nikita was also low owned in the game, giving anyone who had him in their lineup, an easy advantage.
With another pricey top play in our FanDuel NHL lineup, we’re going to look for value with Zach Hyman ($3,700). In the last three Maple Leafs games, Hyman has at least three shots on goal per game, four blocked shots, and a goal. Zach is averaging nearly 13 FanDuel NHL points-per-game in the last week. Tonight in Carolina, against as struggling Hurricanes team, Hyman should stay hot.
Rounding out our four winger positions, we’re going to turn to the Flames, who are hot lately. Michael Frolik ($5,100) and Michael Ferland ($3,900) aren’t on the same line, playing on the 1st and 2nd lines. But they give us exposure to the top two Flames lines, and likely reward us for any goals the line scores tonight.
On the top line, Frolik has a goal and three assists over the last three games, and is averaging over 15 FanDuel NHL points-per-game in that time. Ferland is a sneaky value. He is under a $4K salary, but has four goals over the last five games. Michael is a big reason the Flames are hot now.
Next: Top Defense
Top Defense
With plenty of salary left, and a value pick I love at goalie tonight, we’re going to grab the top two defense options, Erik Karlsson ($7,400) and Victor Hedman ($6,600).
Like Kucherov and playing on Nikita’s same line, Hedman had a great game on home ice against the Wild on Thursday night. Victor had a goal and assist, along with four shots on goal and two blocked shots. Totaling 30.1 FanDuel NHL points on Thursday, he was a great play. That’s the second time in the last five games Victor scored over 30 FanDuel NHL points.
Karlsson has been an absolute beast lately. We highlighted Karlsson for the Senators game in Arizona on Thursday, and he rewarded our lineup with two goals, an assist, six shots on goal, and two blocked shots totaling an amazing 44.8 FanDuel NHL points. Erik has averaged over 20 FanDuel NHL points over the last month and is challenging Burns as the best pick on defense, lately.
Next: Top Goalie
Top Goalie
Finally at goalie, Joonas Korpisalo ($7,700) is a value play tonight. Korpisalo is filling in for Bobrovsky for the Blue Jackets tonight in Buffalo. The Blue Jackets are a strong favorite on road ice against a struggling Sabres team.
Joonas is coming from a loss in Ottawa on Monday, but he still had 24 saves in that game, only gave up two goals, and totaled 11.2 FanDuel NHL points. Over the last four games, Korpisalo is 3-1 averaging around 30 saves per game. On February 25th, Joonas shut out the Islanders. Tonight, it’s unlikely the Sabres are scoreless on home ice, but he has a shot at over 20 FanDuel NHL points in this one.
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!