FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: January 19
By Matt Rogers
Welcome to FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays for Friday, January 19th 2018. We’re a daily fantasy hockey column focused on top FanDuel NHL plays for your lineups each day.
Last night our top play of the day was Nathan MacKinnon ($8,100) and he made us look good. The Avalanche won 5-3, and MacKinnon was involved in three of the Avs goals scoring two, one during a power play, helping with another, and peppering five shots on goal for an awesome total of 40.5 FanDuel NHL points.
If you stacked MacKinnon with 21-year-old Fin Mikko Rantanen ($7,200) or Gabriel Landeskog ($6,300) you had an additional 36.5 FanDuel NHL points from Rantanen and 12.8 from Landeskog, giving you a total of 93.8 FanDuel NHL points, with just three players. While we were all over MacKinnon, we didn’t talk about the Rantanen and Landeskog stack, so we missed that one.
One of the top value plays of the night was also a miss on our part, Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($4,000) had a goal for the Sharks, in Denver, along with an assist and blocked shot. So for only $4K, you added 23.2 FanDuel NHL points to your lineup. This play was off our radar, so congrats to the 1-2% of owners who played Vlasic.
Patrice Bergeron ($7,700) was another great call of ours, expecting the Bruins to have a solid offensive game against a horrendous Islanders defense and goaltending unit. However, we didn’t, honestly, expect such a huge outburst from Bergeron.
With four shots on goal, Patrice slipped three by the crease, including a power play goal. Bergeron even had a blocked shot, for an awesome total of 44.5 FanDuel NHL points. We played some lines with Bergeron and MacKinoon at center, which was affordable with our value options, and they piled up 85 FanDuel NHL points on just $15,800 of salary and two picks.
Brent Burns ($7,400) only had one assist, but with seven shots on goal, Burnsy still had 19.2 FanDuel NHL points. Brent has been short of his 20+ expectation over the last two games, but he’s still providing solid return. Finally, one of our favorite goalies of the night, Jonathan Bernier ($8,000) had 45 saves on 48 shots and a win for 36 FanDuel NHL points. The advantage we had with Bernier was the higher likelihood of shots from the Sharks over some other goalie plays.
While we had a great night last night, there was still plenty we missed. So we’ll take what we learned this week and march forward. Let’s take a look at the NHL schedule for Friday, January 19th:
Golden Knights at Florida (7:30pm ET)
Canadiens at Capitals (7:30pm ET)
Kings at Ducks (10pm ET NBC SN)
Tonight’s match ups could be a little tricky. The Golden Knights are a hot hockey team right now, and they score 3.09 goals per game on road ice, sixth best in the NHL. But the Knights are also giving up 3.09 goals per game, and facing a Panthers team who scores 3.3 goals per game on home-ice. So we may have to make a risky call and pick one over the other for offense tonight.
The Capitals have been stingy on defense and goaltending, when in Washington, D.C., only giving up 2.25 goals per game, third best in the NHL. And the Caps are scoring 3.21 goals per game at home, eleventh best in the NHL. But the Caps have struggled at times over the last two weeks. Still, the Canadiens have lost their last five-straight road games, benefiting the Caps tonight.
Finally, on NBC Sports Network, we’ll see a battle in Los Angeles, well OK Anaheim, between the Ducks and Kings. The Ducks beat the Kings last Saturday in the Staples Center, 4-2. But the Ducks have been inconsistent over the last two weeks. The Kings are currently struggling, losing their last five straight, and seven of their last ten games.
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 19th
Even with Carey Price in net, we’re likely stacking the Capitals with some of our lines. They’re expensive, but we need to take advantage of the 91 goals, or 2.84 goals per game average, Price is giving up this season. Carey has given up as many goals as the Sabres top goalie, Robin Lehner, but with two less starts.
Nicklas Backstrom ($7,000) has two goals and seven assists in the last seven Caps games. Backstrom is also getting blocked shots in most games, averaging just under 16 FanDuel NHL points per game, and increasing his average for the season to 11.4. If you want a cheaper Caps center, Evgeny Kuznetsov ($6,700) will save you $300, but between the two Backstrom is hotter.
Aleksander Barkov ($7,300) and Vincent Trocheck ($6,800) are popular centers for NHL DFS optimal lineups this season. But we don’t love the goalie match up, and my need to fade each at center. However, keep them in mind for GPP. Vegas is giving up over three goals-per-game on road ice, and they’ll likely be lower-owned tonight because of the match up.
Darcy Kuemper has been a solid backup for the Kings this season, but as we’ll discuss later, he’s struggled in his last three outings. Also, the Ducks are on a decent winning path lately, while the Kings are battling a five-game losing streak. That makes Ryan Getzlaf ($7,500) a potential top center, again, this week. Ryan Kesler ($5,500) is cheaper and leading the Ducks second line, but Getzlaf’s regular and power play lines are where the Ducks offensive production is coming from right now.
Erik Haula ($5,600) had emerged as a great value pick at center in late November and throughout December. But the Golden Knights second line center has cooled off lately, while William Karlsson ($6,500) is emerging as a hot offensive leader of the Knights top line. Karlsson has four goals and one assist in the last five games for Vegas. He’s averaging nearly 20 FanDuel NHL points-per-game during that time, and faces a bad Panthers defense tonight.
If you’re digging for value, Adrian Kempe ($4,400) is your guy tonight. We favor the Ducks over the Kings on Friday, but Kempe and Anze Kopitar ($6,900) are playing well together on the Kings top line right now, sans Jeff Carter. Kopitar is kind of expensive to pay for a risky play. With Kempe, you’re paying $4.4K for a ton of ice time, and the prospect of scoring an assist or goal.
Now let’s take a look at the wings we want to stack along with our centers…
Top FanDuel NHL Wings: Jan 19th
With Backstrom and the Caps a target for stacking tonight, Alex Ovechkin ($8,800) is an obvious top option at wing. Ovi averages over 18 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, consistently, and has four goals and seven assists in the last seven games. He was quiet in New Jersey against the Devils on Thursday night, but now that he’s got some skating in after a five day rest, Ovi bounces back in D.C. tonight.
The only problem with Ovi is he’s significantly more expensive then almost every play tonight. For more affordable top options at winger tonight, we love Jonathan Marchessault ($7,300) and Max Pacioretty ($7,200). Between the two, Marchessault is the obvious best play. The Panthers are giving up an incredible 3.4 goals per game on home ice, 6th worst in the NHL.
Pacioretty is a riskier pick, but while the Caps have had stingy defense on home ice, the offensive door opens for some scoring from the Habs with Grubauer in net. Also the Caps have struggled, at times, defending the puck over the last week. Max’s scoring streak of a goal in four straight games ended in Boston, but with nearly 20 minutes of ice time tonight, he has the potential to get another goal or assist for the sixth time in seven games.
We mentioned Barkov and Trocheck for GPP’s tonight, and Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,000) is another obvious Panthers GPP consideration at wing. With a nearly 15 FanDuel NHL point-per-game average, and four goals and five assists in the last seven games, Jonathan is your best bet of getting a goal past Subban tonigght, or providing a helper. But again, for cash games we’re fading the Panthers. Another additional cheaper Panther pick at win is Evgenii Dadonov ($5,000).
James Neal ($6,900) has two goals in the last four games for the Golden Knights. Neal was a hot commodity early in the season, but has since cooled off significantly. Still, Neal is a talented offensive veteran, and plays on the second regular and power play lines for Vegas, allow him to see 15 to 20 minutes of ice time.
We like the Ducks offense against the Kings tonight, and if you’re playing Getzlaf at center, try to afford a stack with Rickard Rakell ($6,800). When Getzlaf is scoring, Rakell is helping, and when Rakell is scoring, Getzlaf is helping. The Ducks offense has been inconsistent this season, but with the right match ups, this pair is dangerous on the ice.
With the exception of Reilly Smith ($5,700) we’re fading many of the mid-salary range plays, making the wing position expensive tonight. So we have to find value. If you can afford Smith, try to plug him in as your second most expensive wing play. He’s been cold over the last two games, but quietly piled up three goals and seven assists in the seven games prior to this week.
For value at wing, we love the Ducks Ondrej Kase ($4,500) and and Kings Trevor Lewis ($3,500). Lewis struggled on the Kings second line last night, but we can’t ignore his three assists and three goals in the last seven games. Kase is a more consistent offensive option, scoring three goals and two assists for the Ducks in the last three games.
Top FanDuel NHL Defenders: Jan 19th
Our two favorite picks on defense Friday night are John Carlson ($5,900) and Cam Fowler ($5,200). If you follow this column, that isn’t surprising, we’ve been on both the last two weeks. While Carlson is averaging just under 14 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, he’s had some disappointing results lately.
John only had 4.8 points last night, and 3.2 against the Canes last week. But last Friday, also against the Hurricanes, Carlson had an assist for 14.4 points, and in five games prior, John was averaging over 20 points including a goal and two assist night against the Devils.
Fowler is one of our favorite hockey players. Cam is an ice beast, spending 25 to 30 minutes each game on the ice. Fowler is only averaging 9.98 FanDuel NHL points-per-game, but that average is climbing. Cam is consistently slapping shots on goal, and has at least once blocked shot in each of the last eight Ducks games.
While we’re big on the Kings tonight, our favorite defensive pick is actually on their second line, Jake Muzzin ($4,500). In the last five games, Jake has at least one assist in four of the five games. Prior to a short IR stint, Muzzin was blocked two to four shots a game. Against the Ducks tonight, we think Jake gets a few shots on goal, an assist, and several blocked shots for around 15 FanDuel NHL point on a cheap salary. However, there’s risk with this play, as Muzzin only recently became more valuable for NHL DFS optimal lineups.
If you’re nervous about Muzzin, we get it. Hampus Lindholm ($4,500) is you Muzzin fade. We suggested Lindholm on Wednesday night, and he rewarded us with four shots on goal, three blocked shots, and a goal for 23.2 FanDuel NHL points. Hampus is hot, and he could stay that way tonight on a cheap salary.
If you’re looking to complete a Golden Knights stack, Shea Theodore ($4,200) and Nate Schmidt ($4,100) are both very active on the Vegas offense lately. Schmidt just scored a goal against the Bolts last night in Tampa, and could be hot in Florida. Meanwhile, Theodore provided an assist. Even when not involved in scoring Shea is piling up shots on goal this month, and adds points with blocked shots.
Top FanDuel NHL Goalies: Jan 19th
Before we evaluate the top goalies for Friday night, we are crossing Carey Price ($8,400) and James Reimer ($7,400) off our list immediately. Assuming they’re the starters for the Habs and Panthers, we don’t like the match ups.
In his last three starts, Pricing gave up eleven goals and he’s in D.C. facing a Caps team who easily scores at least three goals per game. Carey also likely isn’t getting the win tonight. The Panthers host a hot Vegas team tonight, also scoring over three goals per game on the road. Reimer is giving up more than three goals per game in five starts, since the start of the new year. They’re both easy fades.
That narrows our search down to four; John Gibson ($8,800), Malcolm Subban ($8,100), Philipp Grubauer ($7,900), and Darcy Kuemper ($7,700). Of the four, Kuemper has the most risk, but also the best value. Darcy is only giving up 2.21 goals per start, in limited action this season. However, in his last two starts, Kuemper gave up seven goals, and the Kings are in the middle of a losing streak. Still, with this match up, you’re likely getting 30 to 40 saves regardless, so even with a loss you could see double-digit points.
The best bets for the 12-point wins are Gibson over the Kings, Subban over the Panthers, or Grubauer over the Canadiens. The problem with Philipp is the lack of shots from the Habs. Subban and Gibson should easy expect a lot of shots on goal, especially Malcolm facing a hot Panthers offense. With all of this in mind, we love Subban the most.
So, after reviewing all of our favorite options, here’s an example of a lineup we put together for Friday, January 19th:
C Backstrom (WAS $7,000)
C Karlsson (VGK $6,500)
W Marchessault (VGK $7,300)
W Pacioretty (MON $7,200)
W Kase (ANH $4,500)
W Lewis (LA $3,500)
D Carlson (WAS $5,900)
D Muzzin (LA $4,500)
G Subban (VGK $8,100)
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!