FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: October 9
By Matt Rogers
Welcome back to the FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays column. We’re a daily fantasy hockey column focused on top FanDuel NHL plays for your lineups each day.
After a robust weekend of hockey, things calmed down, a bit, on Sunday. There was only one game, the Canadiens were shut out by the Rangers in New York. But there’s seven games on Monday, starting at 1pm ET. FanDuel offers a split slate, with ‘1pm Only’, which actually includes the 3pm ET game as well, followed by the ‘Main’ slate of games at 7pm ET or later.
The NHL schedule will typically be light on Monday’s for the rest of the season, so take advantage of this special Columbus Day schedule. Here’s a look at the NHL schedule for Monday, October 9th:
Avalanche at Bruins (1pm ET)
Blues at Islanders (1pm ET)
Devils at Sabres (3pm ET)
Blackhaws at Maple Leafs (7pm ET NHL Network)
Capitals at Lightening (7:30pm ET)
Jets at Oilers (9pm ET)
Flames at Ducks (10pm ET)
With the Bruins, Islanders, Blues, and Sabres on the ice early in the day, there is plenty of young top talent to stack on your lineup sheet, along with a long list of value options. For the evening slate, the Capitals have been on fire to start the season, especially Alex Ovechkin. Ovi had two hat-tricks in the first two games of his season. That’s the first time that has occurred in 100 years of NHL action.
The Caps have a tough match up in Tampa Bay, though, with an emerging talent in goal, and plenty of fire-power from the lightening on offense. The Jets and Oilers could be an interesting match up, as they were two of the top ten goal-scoring teams last season.
As always, we’ll look to update our picks and final lineups prior to lock on our twitter account @FantasyCPR so make sure to give us a follow for all the late breaking lineup news.
Now let’s start building our lineups by looking at the top centers for this slate…
Top FanDuel NHL Centers: Oct 9th
1pm Only
John Tavares ($7,800) is one of the best skaters on the ice today, and Tavares is worth a play, especially in cash games. John has two goals, an assist, eight shots on goal, two blocked shots, and one short-handed goal in only two games this season. However, Tavares and the Isles have a tough Blues goaltender in net today, which means they’re likely better to fade, with other great options on the ice.
That brings us back to 20-year-old Sabres franchise center, Jack Eichel ($7,300). With two games ‘in the bag’, Eichel is averaging over 20 points-per-game, consistent with his dominate performance last year. Jack and the Sabres have a favorable match up at home against the Deviles.
With Bergeron currently day-to-day, the rest of the center options for the 1pm ET slate fall of a cliff, in terms of salary. MacKinnon is a solid option, but not against Rask. Brayden Schenn ($5,600) is off to a hot start for the Blues, after being traded by the Flyers during the off-season. Schenn also has a great match up, and is one of the best value picks at center today.
While Ryan Spooner ($4,300) only has 3.2 FanDuel NHL points in one game, he’s manning the Bruins top line against the Avs, a favorable match up, and is a great value at this price. But Paul Stastny ($4,700) is playing over 20 minutes a game, manning the hot Blues top line, and is a great play with Schenn or Eichel.
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The Winnipeg Jets are one of my favorite teams to target on offense in DFS NHL plays. But man, their defense and goal-tending has been terrible over the last two seasons. That’s exactly what superstar Connor McDavid ($9,200) is a must-play in cash games tonight.
McDavid was disappointing over the weekend, providing only 3.2 FanDuel NHL points on two shots in 24 minutes of ice-time, and against a poor defense, the Canucks. But, prior to that game, Connor had a hat-trick against the Flames, and it’s very likely he bounces back at home, tonight, against the Jets.
Steven Stamkos ($8,300), Auston Matthews ($7,900), and Mark Scheifele ($7,500) are each off to a great start to the season, but all three have challenging defenses and net-minders to face tonight. So I’m fading each in both cash and GPP games.
But Rickard Rakell ($6,200) is off to a hot start for the Ducks, and if you can afford him with value plays at wing and defense, he’s likely to have a great game against the Flames tonight, and is a top option along with McDavid.
If you’re looking for more value, Artem Anisimov ($5,100) played hot early last season and is already getting nearly 20 minutes of ice-time each game this season. For only $5.1K, we could be getting a double-digit point scorer.
Also, while McDavid was quite over the weekend, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($4,700) had a power play goal against the Canucks over the weekend, and piled up 20.5 FanDuel NHL points. Ryan has another decent match up tonight, manning the Oilers second best line.
Now let’s take a look at the wings we want to stack along with our centers…
Top FanDuel NHL Wings: Oct 9th
1pm Only
Vladimir Tarasenko ($7,500) is easily the best talent on the ice at wing for the ‘1pm Only’ slate. Vlad started the season with a solid 12.8 FanDuel NHL result in Pittsburgh, including an assist. Over the weekend, Tarasenko netted his first goal, piling up 15.7 FanDuel NHL points. This afternoon, the Blues face a struggling Greiss, in net for the Islanders. For Cash games, Tarasenko is a great play, and is still affordable for GPP. This is also a great stack with Stastny at center.
He’s a little pricey, but David Pastrnak ($7,300) is, once again, a great option to stack with Spooner. Pastrnak and Brad Marchand ($7,700) are off to a hot start, and with Spooner’s cheap price at center, it’s easy to stack the Bruins top line against a terrible Avalanche defense. This is an opportunity to get three players netting 15+ FanDuel NHL points and only averaging a $6.4K salary.
Another top option at wing, and still affordable, is Taylor Hall ($6,700). The Devils offense has struggled over the last two seasons, but Hall is consistently scoring points, and often a stand-out on offense in New Jersey.
If you’re scrolling down the list of wings for value, go immediately to Vladimir Sobotka ($3,700). Sobotka is getting around 20 minutes of ice-time each game, and is playing on the Blues top line with Stastny and Tarasenko. This could be a great stack against Giess this afternoon.
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With six goals in two games, the logic is obvious behind Alex Ovechkin ($8,200). But Ovi has a more difficult goalie match up tonight, and he’s bound to cool off soon. Still, Alex is a great play in cash games. But for a similar reason, I don’t like Kane or Kucherov tonight.
Instead, Leon Draisaitl ($7,400) is the more attractive option, staking with McDavid. They’re both pricey, though, and you’ll need to find deep value in other parts of your lineup. If you need to find more value, stack Patrick Maroon ($5,200) with McDavid. Maroon has consistently provided two helpers, one in each of the first two games for the Oilers, and gets several hots on goal each game.
For a stack with Rakell, we’re looking for Corey Perry ($6,500) to bounce back tonight in Anaheim against the Flames. Perry has a great start to the season, with 40 FanDuel NHL points against the Coyotes, but cooled off with only one shot on goal against the Flyers. If you’re worried about Perry and his salary, Andrew Cogliano ($4,300) has similar results to Perry, on the Ducks top line, and is a better value.
The Blackhawks have a tough match up in Toronto tonight, but Richard Panik ($4,900) is off to a hot start with a goal in each of the first two games, in difficult match ups against the Penguins and Blue Jackets. Panik is a streaky player, and getting him while he’s hot is often a good move.
Digging deeper in the list of wings tonight, we may have found a nugget. Anton Slepyshev ($3,200) was called up from the AHL over the weekend, but the Oilers. Edmonton is going to play Anton on their second line, and this could yield great value with a cheap salary exposed to a lot of ice time on a solid line.
Top FanDuel NHL Defenders: Oct 9th
1pm Only
Torey Krug ($5,400) was listed as a game-time decision, earlier, by FanDuel. But Krug appears to be starting the top line for the Bruins in a juicy match up for the Bruins. This is a sneaky good play with a reasonable value.
If you’re still looking to complete a Blues top-line stack, Alex Pietrangelo ($5,600) is a top-five offensive option on defense all season, and is currently playing out of his mind, with at least two goals or two assists in the first to games of the season. But I also like the value Colton Parayko ($4,900) provides, along with offering exposure to the Blues second lines.
While he didn’t start as hot as Pietrangelo, Rasmus Ristolainen ($5,500) is arguablly just as talented as Pietrangelo, and is emerging as a star on defense for the Sabres. Rasmus also has a better match up than Pietrangelo, for a slightly cheaper price.
Burrowed a little further down the salary list, is rookie talent Charlie McAvoy ($4,400). I took a shot at drafting McAvoy in my season-long fantasy team toward the end of the draft, and he surprised me with a goal and assist in his first NHL game. McAvoy is a sneaky pick right now, and likely gets pricey as the season progresses.
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Victor Hedman ($6,300) is one of the few elite offensive talents on defense for FanDuel NHL. Hedman will get 25+ minutes on the ice, several shots on goal, blocked shots, and is typically involved in scoring opportunities. But Victor and the Bolts have a very tough match up against Holtby and the Caps. Hedman is a decent play in cash, but may be a waste of salary tonight.
Instead of Hedman and several other top defenders, Cam Fowler ($5,000) is a great deal with a great match up. This play also completes a four-player Ducks stack. Fowler was somewhat quite in 26 minutes of ice time against the Coyotes, but he scored a goal against the Flyers and is off to a solid start to the season.
Oscar Klefbom ($5,100) is the top option if you’re looking to complete an Oilers stack. Klefbom is more active in the scoring opportunities on the Oilers top line and in power play situations. But while he’s only averaging just over five FanDuel NHL points-per-game, Adam Larsson ($3,800) is a cheaper way to get involved in the Oilers top line for over 20 minutes tonight.
Top FanDuel NHL Goalies: Oct 9th
1pm Only
When you pull up your goalie options for the early slate on Monday, Cory Schneider ($8,100) and Semyon Varlamov ($7,700) look like the top options. They each have over 30 FanDuel NHL points in their first start.
However, Schneider had an ideal match up, playing a weak Avalanche offense at home in New Jerssey. And while we should keep an eye on Varly, he had a great start against a good Rangers offense, he historically isn’t as strong in net.
Jake Allen ($8,600) is one of the best goalie options this afternoon, but he’s facing a tough Islanders offense with one of the top goal-scorers on the ice. So I’m narrowing my search down to Tuukka Rask ($8,300), who is a fantastic value this afternoon. Rask is one of the better goalies in the NHL, on a good Bruins team.
Today, the bruins welcome home an Avalanche team who’s struggled to score. As we mentioned already, Schneider has a great start to the season against the Av’s. Rask is a must-play this afternoon for cash, and worth anchoring for GPP.
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There are several elite goal tenders in net tonight. And while it’s appealing to pick one for cash games, their match ups aren’t ideal. Braden Holtby ($9,300) is priced the highest, with the better match up. But the Bolts have a lot of talent on offense, and this is a risky play in Tampa Bay. Crawford is off to a great start to the season, but he’s got a tough match up against a hot Maple Leafs offense.
Vasilevskiy has the most difficult match up, facing a red hot Ovechkin lead offense. And Talbot and Andersen are each looking at difficult match ups. So while he’s not a sexy pick, John Gibson ($8,500) has been rock solid, winning one and taking a loss, in his first two starts. Yes, Gibson is giving up over three goals a game, but he’s also getting around 30 saves a game, and has a decent chance at a win tonight, at home against the Flames.
So, after reviewing all of our favorite options, here’s an example of a lineup we put together for the ‘1pm Only’ and ‘Main’ slates for Oct 9th FanDuel NHL:
C Eichel ($7,300) McDavid ($9,200)
C Stastny ($4,700) Rakell ($6,200)
W Pastrnak ($7,300) Draisaitl ($7,400)
W Marchand ($7,700) Perry ($6,500)
W Sobotka ($3,700) Slepyshev ($3,200)
W Hall ($6,700) Panik ($4,900)
D Parayko ($4,900) Fowler ($5,000)
D McAvoy ($4,400) Larsson ($3,800)
G Rask ($8,300) Gibson ($8,500)
Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for the week. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building FanDuel NHL lineups. We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.
Best of luck in your FanDuel NHL contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across NHL, NBA, EPL, and NFL this fall!