FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: November 27
By Matt Rogers
Welcome to FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays for Monday, November 27th. We’re a daily fantasy hockey column focused on top FanDuel NHL plays for your lineups each day.
After some heavy Friday and Saturday slates for the NHL, they cooled off the schedule on Sunday with only three games. Like we typically see, Monday is a lighter schedule as well. But with five games scheduled, and some great match ups in play, we have plenty of options for our FanDuel NHL lineups tonight.
Here’s a look at the NHL schedule for Monday, November 27th:
Panthers at Devils (7pm ET)
Flyers at Penguins (7pm ET)
Blue Jackets at Canadiens (7:30pm ET)
Wild at Jets (8pm ET)
Ducks at Blackhawks (8:30pm ET)
The New Jersey Devils host the panthers tonight. The Devils have been scoring at a 3.22 goal rate, seventh in the NHL, and the Panthers are giving up 3.45 goals-per-game, second worst in the NHL. So we know the Devils should score some big points tonight. Also, the Devils are giving up three goals per game, near the bottom of the NHL as well. So we know the Panthers will light the lamp tonight.
The Flyers are visiting the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Having watched this rivalry for decades know, we know to expect the unpredictable. While the Flyers have lost their last seven straight, many have been in overtime and their top line is still scoring at a high clip. The Penguins seem to be having a rough start to the season too, but still have plenty of offensive fire-power.
With Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky in net tonight for the Canadiens and Blue Jackets, we can expect a lot of saves and little scoring in Montreal. Still, playing either goalie will likely pile up nearly 30 FanDuel NHL points, if you pick the winner.
Devan Dubnyk didn’t have a great start for the season in net for the Wild. But over the last two weeks, he’s been hot. That makes for a tricky match up. The Winnipeg Jets are hosting the Wild, and are emerging as a top-scoring team in the NHL.
Finally, we end the night with the floundering Ducks traveling to Chicago to play a Blackhawks team who appears to be waking up to the new season. The Ducks are struggling at home in Anaheim, but they’re 4-2-2 on the road. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have won six of their last ten, but also have two overtime losses.
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 NHL DFS optimal lineup by looking at the top centers for this slate…
Top FanDuel NHL Centers: Nov 27th
Evgeni Malkin is out with an upper body injury. That means the Penguins will lean on Sidney Crosby ($8,600) for offensive production when they host the Flyers tonight. Sid-the-Kid has three goals and two assists over the last two games. So he’s hot heading into the rivalry match up tonight.
The Flyers are scoring plenty of goals each game, but they’re also providing little defense, especially in the third period. You’ll likely need to be patient with Crosby tonight, but if you can afford him he’s one of the best center picks tonight.
We mentioned earlier how we think it’s likely the Panthers and Devils match up will lead to a shootout. That bodes well for Aleksander Barkov ($6,800). The 22-year-old leads the Panthers top line, and is productive even when not involved in scoring.
Barkov peppers goalies with at least three shots on goal each night, and isn’t afraid to block a shot. But when involved in scoring, Aleksander typically offers an assist or two along with a goal, spiking his FanDuel NHL point return.
The Flyers have been struggling to maintain leads, but their top-line has been easily building leads each game. Sean Couturier ($6,700) is a healthy dose of both Crosby and Barkov. Couturier’s line has been incredibly productive this season, and the team often leans on them to score.
The Flyers have a touch match up in goal tonight, but that hasn’t stopped their first line from scoring this season. With three goals and three assists in his last five games, Couturier is a great play tonight.
Sticking with the Penguins and Flyers match up, and looking back to the Penguins, we really like the value Riley Sheahan ($3,400) provides tonight. As mentioned several times, Elliott and the Flyers struggled to provide great defense throughout each game, which means Sheahan and his second line will have several scoring chances.
Riley has a goal and four assists in his last six games, and with around 17 minutes of ice time tonight, he’s highly likely to be involved in another score on a very cheap salary. Now let’s take a look at the wings we want to stack along with our centers…
Top FanDuel NHL Wings: Nov 27th
Like the center options, there are a plethora of great offensive options at wing tonight. None is great than Phil Kessel ($7,900), who has been smoking lately. In their last three games, Kessel has three goals and four assists. While we expect Phil to hit a cooling period soon, he’s currently averaging over 18 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, and has a favorable match up on home ice tonight. Kessel is your top play at wing tonight.
Another hot player at wing lately is Patrick Kane ($8,400). He has a goal or assist in each of the Blackhaws last six games, totaling four goals and four assists over that period of time. Averaging just over 15 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, Kane hasn’t been as dominate as Kessel, but we know he’s a more consistent scorer over time. Patrick is a lock to be a top-five wing pick tonight.
Like Couturier at center, Taylor Hall ($7,200) is a combination of the top-two picks at wing tonight. Hall has two goals and three assists in the Devils last two games. Taylor is averaging 17.5 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, only behind Kessel tonight, and has a favorable match up.
Hall has double-digit FanDuel NHL points in each of his last seven games, including an 11.2 result against the Bruins even though he didn’t score a goal or have an assist. With around 20 minutes of ice time, Hall is the most productive Devil on the ice, in a goal we expect to see lot of scoring.
Looking back at the Couturier pick at center, if you can afford it you should stack either Jakub Voracek ($7,800) or Claude Giroux ($7,300). Voracek is the more productive of the two wings, but they’re both averaging over 14 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, and considering how productive this line is, either is likely involved in each scoring result. If you’re greedy, plug in bothw at wing for a true Flyers first line stack.
The Winnipeg Jets offense is on fire this season. Blake Wheeler ($7,500) and Patrik Laine ($7,300) lead the first and second lines in scoring, for wingers. But the value you can get from Kyle Connor ($4,200) and Nikolaj Ehlers ($5,400) is tremendous.
The 20-year-old Connor was drafted by the Jets 17th overall in the 2015 NHL draft. Kyle is currently playing on the Jets top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. All three are productive, but Connor is quietly emerging as a great FanDuel NHL pick at wing on a cheap salary. Ehlers is a more proven product at wing, and benefits with his combination with Laine. Playing either, or both, will bolster your lineup at a great value tonight.
Top FanDuel NHL Defenders: Nov 27th
Veteran Kris Letang ($6,600) provides a steady dose of around 25 minutes per game and ten to 15 FanDuel NHL points-per-game. But we would rather pay less for Shayne Gostisbehere ($5,400) and grab for a higher point ceiling.
Ghost typically plays around 20 minutes on the ice, per game, for the Flyers. Shayne is on the Flyers top-scoring first regular line and their top power plan line. While Gostisbehere is a great source for blocked shots, he’s also a sniper and often involved in scoring for the Flyers.
If you’re looking for a cheaper, scaled down version of Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov ($4,500) plays alongside Shayne on the Flyers regular first line, and with the second line man-advantage group. Provorov has two goals and two assists int he Flyers last four games, and is a very cheap source for over ten FanDuel NHL points-per-game.
We’ll go into the match up further when we discuss goalies, but related to that point, Duncan Keith ($5,200) has a great situation tonight. The Ducks are struggling this season, and Gibson has been inconsistent in goal. Also, the veteran has been logging at least 22 minutes of ice time per game, peppering shots on goal, and isn’t afraid to block several shots per game. Tonight is a great time to grab Keith for your lineup.
We mentioned the Jets several times, and at defense our favorite Jet is Dustin Byfuglien ($5,100). Like Keith, the Veteran Byfuglien logs well over 22 minutes of ice time per game, can pile up as many as five blocked shots, slaps several on net each game, and is involved in a lot of the Jets scoring chances, with so much ice time. Dubnyk is a touch match up for the Jets tonight, but Byfuglien is a great play, even when not involved in scoring.
Top FanDuel NHL Goalies: Nov 27th
Winning his last six-straight starts, Sergei Bobrovsky ($9,200) has been a lock FanDuel NHL play over the last two weeks. Bob is averaging well over 30 FanDuel NHL points-per-game piling up around 30 saves a game, along with the 12-point wins. His winning streak includes a 28 save, one goal, win against the Canadiens in Montreal, much like his scenario tonight. However, Carey Price and the Habs are a tough beat, and there’s risk with this play on a hefty salary. Still, Bobrovsky is a solid cash-game play tonight.
Connor Hellebuyck ($8,300) and Devan Dubnyk ($8,700) are each heating up over the last two weeks. But something has to give tonight. We’re fading both because it’s hard to tell who is more likely to get the 12-point win. For that same reason, we also will fade goaltending in the rivalry game between Matt Murray ($8,600) and Brian Elliott ($7,700).
Roberto Luongo ($8,000) and Cory Schneider ($8,100) are both having a great season, but as we mentioned at the start, this is likely to be a shootout. So if you can’t afford Bobrovsky tonight, or don’t like the match up, we think you should focus on the Ducks game in Chicago.
John Gibson ($8,600) has only won two of his last six starts, making Corey Crawford ($8,500) a solid 12 FanDuel NHL point win probability tonight. Also, Crawford is averaging over 35 saves per game in his last three starts for the Hawks. In cash and GPP FanDuel NHL formats tonight, Crawford is a great play at goalie.
So, after reviewing all of our favorite options, here’s an example of a lineup we put together for Monday, November 27th:
C Couturier (PHI $6,700)
C Sheahan (PIT $3,400)
W Kane (CHI $8,400)
W Voracek (PHI $7,800)
W Ehlers (WPG $5,400)
W Connor (WPG $4,200)
D Gostisbehere (PHI $5,400)
D Keith (CHI $5,200)
G Crawford (CHI $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.
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