FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: January 15
By Matt Rogers
Welcome to FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays for Monday, January 15th 2018. We’re a daily fantasy hockey column focused on top FanDuel NHL plays for your lineups each day.
Last week was rather quiet in the NHL, with the vast majority of the league on a mandatory bye week. But several teams got back to work on Saturday, presenting a pretty exciting slate. Sunday, much like today, followed with a mild four game slate. The NHL is back at it on Monday, but with a modified schedule due to a holiday.
Many in the U.S. are taking the day off, Monday, due to a National Holiday on January 15th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. With that in mind, the NHL presents an early schedule, one game starting at 1pm ET, and two more games following in the late afternoon at 3pm and 4pm. Finally, the slate ends at 7:30pm with an interesting match-up in Montreal, which will be aired on NBC Sports Network. Let’s take a look at the NHL schedule for Monday, January 15th:
Stars at Bruins (1pm ET)
Ducks at Avalanche (3pm ET)
Sharks at Kings (4pm ET)
Islanders at Canadiens (7:30pm ET NBC SN)
Due to the abnormal slate, FanDuel is currently offering a 1pm ET Main slate, providing options from all four games, and a 3pm Afternoon slate providing picks from only the 3pm and 4pm ET games. While there’s little time to get your lineups ready for the 1pm ET slate, we’ll still cover options from all four games for this article.
Two of these match ups appear lop-sided, opening the door for some obvious stacking opportunities. And the balance of games may be great for goaltending targets, but could be dangerous if you’re looking for offense from those games.
The Bruins are scoring 3.32 goals when playing on home ice, eight best in the NHL. Meanwhile, the B’s are only giving up 2.45 goals defending their home ice, night best in the NHL. So right off the bat, we know the Bruins are a great grab for offense, and could be a solid target for goalie. Even better, the Stars are only scoring 2.43 goals when away from Dallas, and giving up 3.24 goals. If you’re playing the Main slate today, immediately find ways to get Bruins into your lineup, across the entire list of options.
The Avalanche have been hot lately, and are scoring 3.65 goals-per-game at home, in Denver Colorado. That’s fourth best int he NHL, but the Ducks are only giving up 2.7 on the road, sixth best in the NHL. So either the Ducks defense will have a bad day, or the Avs offense may slow down a bit today. The Avalanche have a modest 2.65 goals-against average, 14th best in the NHL, while the Ducks have an equally modest 2.78 goals per game away from Anaheim, suggesting they’re a lock to get two to three goals today, but not much better than that.
The Sharks offense has picked up over the last six weeks, but they’re still only scoring 2.6 goals on the road, while the Kings are giving up only 2.38 in Los Angeles. So aside from Brent Burns, we’re fading the Sharks offense today. But playing Jonathan Quick, if in goal, is very appealing. Meanwhile, the Sharks defense continues to be strong on the road, only giving up 2.9 goals per game, tenth best in the NHL, while the Kings are only scoring 2.76 in L.A.
Finally, we end the night with another somewhat lopsided affair. The Canadiens are doing well defending in Montreal, giving up 2.7 goals per game, 16th best in the NHL. But the Islanders are scoring 3.04 on the road, seventh best in the NHL. Still, the door opens for Habs scoring at home, a low 2.65 average but facing an Isles defense whose giving up a miserable 3.78 on the road, the worst in the NHL. So we may sneak in some Habs today.
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: Jan 15th
We hate the Stars offense away from Dallas, so we’re fading Tyler Seguin ($8,300). And while John Tavares ($8,500) and the Islanders offense is appealing, their offensive surge has trailed away lately, and it’s not worth risking that much salary against Carey Price and the Canadiens in Montreal today.
With those fades in mind, the top two centers immediately become obvious. Nathan MacKinnon ($8,100) has a tough Ducks defense to contend with today. But the Avalanche offense is surging in Denver, and MacKinnon has been absolutely on fire lately. Now averaging nearly 18 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, MacKinnon has a goal or assist in each of his last six games. During that period, Nathan has four goals and an incredible nine assists. Even with this match up, we like MacKinnon for a solid 20 to 30 points today.
As we mentioned before, the obvious stack today is the Bruins. And with that in mind, we love 32-year-old veteran Patrice Bergeron ($7,800). With nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game, Bergeron’s scoring has surged over the last give games. Against the Hurricanes on January 6th, Patrice piled up four goals and one assist for a jaw-dropping 69.7 FanDuel NHL points. Bergeron followed that game up with two straight assists in the next two games. Over the last five, Patrice has six goals and three assists. With this match up, his hot streak continues today.
There are actually several ways you can play Bergeron with MacKinnon in the same lineup, comfortably. We’ll demonstrate one in an example lineup later. We’re excited about this opportunity. Still, there are other options which can make your lineup easier to afford.
The Avs have done a better job on defense at home lately, but Ryan Getzlaf ($7,400) has been great over the last two months. In the last six games, Ryan has seven assists and two goals, with a quiet game only in Edmonton, against the Oilers. During the game, Getzlaf still had three shots and two blocked shots for eight FanDuel NHL points, his floor over the past two weeks. Getzy is a reasonable way to get 15 to 20 points today.
While the Islanders top line has struggled, at times, lately, Mathew Barzal ($5,600) and the Isles second line has looked better lately. Over the last two games, Barzal has been on fire with two goals and five assists, leading to the vast majority of the Isles scoring lately. With around 20 minutes of ice time against the Habs today, Barzal could stay hot.
Looking back to the Bruins for a cheaper way to still get 15+ minutes of ice time, we really like David Krejci ($5,600) leading the B’s second line. Over the last seven games, Krejci has three goals and three assists, and at times five to seven shots. Even better, over the last four games, David has seven blocked shots, adding more point potential regardless of the scoring opportunity.
Finally, if you’re really digging for value, consider Avs second line center Carl Soderberg ($3,700). With nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game, Soderberg has three goals, two of the power play variety, and two assists in the last six games. Two of those games, Carl piled up 26 to 38 FanDuel NHL points. So there’s big value potential there today.
Now let’s take a look at the wings we want to stack along with our centers…
Top FanDuel NHL Wings: Jan 15th
One of the biggest problems at the winger position today, is the plethora of great options in the position, but many are too expensive to own. Brad Marchand ($8,000) and David Pastrnak ($7,400) are great picks from the Bruins and for a B’s stack, but if you go with one, you’re better of picking both, and that will narrow you picks down to more affordable options at center and defense. But with Marchand’s nearly 30 FanDuel NHL point-per-game average over the last four games, he’s worth a shot. Just remember, Pastrnak is often feeding him the puck.
If you also like MacKinnon at center, definitely consider stacking Nathan with Mikko Rantanen ($7,200). The underrated Avs winger has five goals and five assists in the last seven games. He’s piling up shots on goal and very involved in the man-advantage for the Avs this season. Even with a quiet game in Dallas on Saturday, it’s worth picking Mikko to bounce back in a favorable match up on home ice this afternoon. For a cheaper, but less active pick, also consider Gabriel Landeskog ($6,300).
With Josh Bailey likely off the ice tonight, Anders Lee ($6,700) could provide the most scoring for the Islanders tonight. We don’t love the Isles against Price and the Habs in Montreal tonight, but Lee is a goal-scoring machine over the last two seasons, and is set up well to see more ice time tonight.
If you’re playing Getzlaf at center, Rickard Rakell ($6,600) has been more consistently offensive lately. In the last seven games, Rakell has five goals and three assists. Rickard was quiet against the Flames and Oilers in Calgary and Edmonton, but when back in the stats, Rakell has performed well. Maybe he just doesn’t like Canadian ice?
Digging for value, back you likely need to find it at winger today, we like David Backes ($5,500) as a top mid-salary range pick from the Bruins. He’s playing on the B’s third line, but also as a right-winger for the Bruins second power play line, David is getting 13 to 18 minutes of ice time per game. Over the last seven games, Backes has peppered nearly five shots on goal per game, has four goals and four assists. He’s also not afraid to stand in front of the puck for a blocked shot.
Somehow, the Bruins 21-year-old Canadian winger Jake DeBrusk ($4,300) is averaging almost eleven FanDuel NHL points-per-game but his salary continues to stabilize just over $4K. Since November, DeBrusk has been a spark for the B’s offense, and now on the second regular and power play lines, David gets 15 minutes of ice time per game. Over the last three games, Jake has two goals and two assists, at least two shots per game, and a blocked shot.
Finally, buried deep toward the bottom of the list of wingers tonight, is Anthony Beauvillier ($3,100). Bouncing between the NHL and AHL, Beauvillier is having a good year of hockey. With nearly 14 minutes of ice time per game, over the last five games for the Islanders, Anthony has four goals and one assist. While we’re generally not intrigued by the Isles tonight, they need Beauvillier to stay hot to continue any scoring. He has three goals in his last two games, and could be a sneaky great value pick tonight.
Top FanDuel NHL Defenders: Jan 15th
John Klingberg ($6,300) is one of the hottest FanDuel NHL defensive options right now, but we’re fading the Stars today. And while Drew Doughty ($6,100) is very active on the ice for a very good Kings defense, his offensive prospects today are underwhelming. That makes Brent Burns ($7,400) a clear, and obvious favorite for defense.
Over the last six weeks, Burns and the Sharks are gradually heating up on offense, and Brent’s FanDuel point-per-game average has risen to 16.5 in 41 games. As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, one of the reasons we always love Burnsy is his ability to be involved in everything on the ice for the vast majority, around 25 minutes, of each game.
Burns will slap four to eights shots on goal each game, get a block or several, and if the Sharks are scoring, he’s typically involved. Over the last seven games, Brent has at least one assist in six of those games. In total, Burns has one goal and eight assists in the Sharks last seven games. Today presents a tough match up, but the Sharks are unlikely to get shutout against a struggling Quick in goal for the Kings. Burnsy is a great play again today.
Paring someone with Burns can be tricky today. If you pick a mid-range salary guy, your winger options could really be limited, especially if you’re going with the expensive stack at center. But if you can afford him, try grabbing Torey Krug ($5,200), a top line defender for the Bruins. He’s been fairly quiet over the last two weeks, but we really like the Bruins scoring chances today, and we could see another two-assist game from Krug.
If you want a cheaper, and lately more active, Bruin on your defense, Charlie McAvoy ($4,500) is an obvious choice. The rookie is emerging as one of the top young defenders in the game today, and his 8.9 FanDuel NHL point-per-game average is on its way to double digits with several assists over the last two weeks.
One more affordable defensive pick we love with Burns today, is Erik Johnson ($4,600). Since Tyson Barrie‘s injury, Johnson has easily stepped into Barrie’s role as an ice-beast for the Avalanche. Erik is skating for 25 to 30 minutes per game, is peppering several shots on goal each game, and provides one to three blocks each time out. Over the last five games, Johnson also added two goals, a result of his constant shooting. We like MacKinnon at center today, and Johnson is a great defense stack with the Avs star.
Top FanDuel NHL Goalies: Jan 15th
If you can afford him, it won’t hurt to take Jonathan Quick ($8,700) in goal on home ice against the Sharks on Monday. Quick has a terrible three game loss streak he’s looking to break today, but he’s still one of the best goalies in the NHL, and is unlikely to continue the losing streak. In each of those games, Jonathan gave up three to four goals. But before that, Quick shutout the Oilers in Edmonton, and hadn’t given up more than three goals since December 12th against a hot Devils offense, at the time.
Still, there’s risk picking Quick. The Sharks offense is beginning to show signs of life, and if you’re playing Burns on defense, as suggested, you may want to fade Quick. Carey Price ($8,500) is another decent options, as the Canadiens have a solid shot at a win tonight, but the Islanders offense is dangerous. And while we like how Jonathan Bernier ($7,800) has played lately, giving up only six goals in his last five games, there’s a better value pick today.
As mentioned before, the Bruins look like a clear favorite on home ice against the Stars today. The B’s head coach, Bruce Cassidy, already announced the starting goalie, Anton Khudobin ($7,700) for the game. While Rask would’ve been a slam-dunk pick, Khudobin is also a nice option. In his last three starts, Anton has two wins, an overtime loss, and only gave up a total of four goals. That includes a shutout against the Sabres in Buffalo, and a one goal-against win over the Hurricanes on January 6th. This afternoon, if you’re playing the Main slate, plug Khudobin into your lineup.
So, after reviewing all of our favorite options, here’s an example of a lineup we put together for Monday, January 15th:
C MacKinnon (COL $8,100)
C Bergeron (BOS $7,800)
W Pacioretty (MON $6,500)
W Backes (BOS $5,500)
W DeBrusk (BOS ($4,300)
W Beauvillier (NYI $3,100)
D Burns (SJ $7,400)
D Johnson (COL $4,600)
G Khudobin (BOS $7,700)
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!