FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays: February 7

Welcome Back to FanDuel NHL Blue Line Power Plays for Wednesday, February 7th. We’re a daily fantasy hockey column focused on top FanDuel NHL plays for your lineups each day.

We had some sneaky solid picks yesterday, but absolutely whiffed on several picks as well. Fading the Penguins in a revenge game hurt us. Evgeni Malkin ($8,800) remained red-hot, scoring a goal, providing an assist, and added five shots and a blocked shot for 29.6 FanDuel NHL points.

A pairing of Malkin with someone like Jack Eichel ($7,900) was not only possible, but ideal at the center spot. Jack was one of our center picks who worked out. Eichel also had a goal and assist, but added six shots and his goal was during the man advantage, giving us 31.7 FanDuel NHL points.

Jack Roslovic ($3,500) was one of our top value plays of the day and he paid off. With two shots on goal, Roslovic slipped one by the net providing 15.2 FanDuel NHL points on a cheap salary. But we missed two great Avalanche value picks with Tyson Jost ($3,400) and JT Compher ($4,000).  The pair of cheap wingers played on the Avs second line, and with a goal and assist each, they provided a total of 49 FanDuel NHL points.

We were high on Connor Hellebuyck ($8,400) given the home match up against the Coyotes. But the Yotes were able to score three goals while only shooting on Connor 24 times.  So even with a win, Hellebuyck had a disappointing 16.8 FanDuel NHL points. We were better off taking the risk of Jonathan Bernier ($8,400) against a surging Sharks offense. While San Jose peppered Bernier with 39 shots, he only let one buy for a 3-1 win and 38.4 FanDuel NHL points.

So, after a so-so, but mostly disappointing night, we’ll move on to a shorter slate on Wednesday. Let’s take a look at the NHL schedule for Wednesday, February 7th:

Predators at Maple Leafs (7:30pm ET)

Bruins at Rangers (8pm ET NBC SN)

Oilers at Kings (10:30pm ET)

The Predators travel to Toronto to play a hot Maple Leafs team. This one is a tough one to call. The Maple Leafs have won six of their last ten, with two of their four losses in overtime. In that time, they were 2-1-1 at home. But while at home, the Leafs had a dreadful 11.1% power play unit.  Still, they were able to kill of 83% of the power plays.

The Maple Leafs surge, lately, has been noticeable because of their inconsistent play this season. Meanwhile, the Predators have, almost quietly, won eight of their last ten, with one of the two losses during overtime. With a roughly 23% PK rate and over 20% power play unit in the last ten games, the Preds are dangerous right now. They’ve also won each of their last two road-ice games.

The Rangers continue to struggle, even at home, and the Oilers have struggled to produce on the road. Meanwhile, the Bruins are one of the hottest teams in hockey right now, and the Kings have tremendous defense on home ice.  So while the Leafs and Predators are a difficult stacking target decision, we know we like the Bruins and Kings tonight.

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: Feb 7th

Connor McDavid ($9,100) is absolutely on fire with six goals and two assists over the last three games. With four goals and one assist on Monday, McDavid had an incredible 71.4 FanDuel NHL points.  In fact, over the last two games, he’s averaging over 50 per game.  So our advice tonight on Connor? Don’t play him.  That’s right, we don’t like McDavid in Los Angeles tonight.

The Kings should have Anze Kopitar ($7,200) lined up with McDavid on their top lines, and that’s a big problem for Connor because of Anze’s defensive prowess. Also, away from Edmonton McDavid far less effective, scoring only 8.6% of his shots versus 15.6% at home. So while everyone is likely to target a hot McDavid for their lineup, we recommend you stay away and save your money with Kopitar instead.

Over the last seven games, Anze has a more consistent point or two in six games.  During that time, he has two goals and seven assists. On Saturday, Kopitar had a goal and assist on home ice, he third straight home game with points. The Oilers penalty kill is much better away from Edmonton, at 86.6%, but they’ll need to maintain that against the Kings solid 24% power play scoring rate. So, fade McJesus and go with the Slovenian Captain instead.

I’ve tried to find way to stay away from the Bruins, after playing them so often, but consistently fail. Patrice Bergeron ($8,100) had a quiet 4.8 FanDuel NHL point night against the Red Wings last night, but even with Marchand out of the lineup, he’s been hot. With three goals in his last six games, it’s likely Patrice’s line gets a few goals on Lundqvist tonight, who’s been struggling over the last two weeks.

For a cheaper pick, we like Ryan Johansen ($5,900). He’s not a sexy pick, but this season the Predators centers have all had lackluster fantasy value. Over the last six games, though, Johansen has a goal and six assists. The Predators offense is hot right now, and it’s likely Ryan has a few assists tonight, even if he doesn’t score. If you don’t like the risk with Johansen, go back to the B’s and grab David Krejci ($5,800), who has two goals and one assist in the last three games.

Now let’s take a look at the wings we want to stack along with our centers…

Top FanDuel NHL Wings: Feb 7th

After being suspended for five games, after needless elbow a few weeks ago, Brad Marchand ($8,300) is back on the ice tonight. He’s very expensive, but Marchand had three goals and six assists prior to the suspension, and was skating in playoff form.  Also, it’s likely Marchand plays with a chip on his shoulder as a result of the suspension, but maybe that’s not a new look for Brad.

If you can’t pay up for Brad, you should consider David Pastrnak ($7,600) as a concession tonight. For the last nine straight games, Pastrnak has at least a goal or assist in each games. Having Marchand in the lineup actually improves David’s productivity level. We wanted to play Danton Heinen ($4,600), but the rookie is likely dropping down to the Bruins 3rd line now that Marchand is back. Still, given his production lately, it’s possible Heinen still sees over ten minutes of ice time and sees some scoring.

We mentioned Johansen leading the Preds top line earlier, and Viktor Arvidsson ($7,000) is the perfect complement, with Ryan, at wing. Part of the reason the Predators are so hot, is because Arvidsson is elevating his play lately. Over the last six games, Viktor has four goals and three assists. Even away from Nashville, like he’ll be tonight, Arvidsson is thriving. He’s not cheap, and may pull you away from some great Bruins picks, but he’s one of the best options to include in a Predators stack.

While Pekka Rinne is playing well lately, we do like some Maple Leafs offense on home ice tonight. William Nylander ($6,700) has at least one point in each of the Leafs last three home games, two goals and four assists in total. If you can’t afford Nylander as a second winger tonight, consider Mitchell Marner ($5,900), who has one power play goal in each of the last two Maple Leafs games.

We were very high on a red-hot Kevin Fiala ($5,000), but he didn’t show up at practice this morning, likely leading to a scratch tonight. Fiala has an incredible two goals in each of the last two Predators games, and two goals in three of the last seven games.  That’s a great goal-scoring run. So keep an eye on the Preds lineup status as we approach lock, but it’s likely we need to fade Fiala tonight.

With Fiala likely on the shelf, there is still plenty of great value picks at wing from the Predators. Calle Jarnkrok ($4,200) has a goal in two of the last three games, and will see 15+ minutes of ice time tonight on the Preds third line, and there’s a solid chance he replaces Fiala on the second power play line.

Also, he’s more expensive, but we know Craig Smith ($5,300) will look to maintain his four-game point streak on the Preds second line. Craig also plays with Johansen and Arvidsson on their top power play unit.  And finally, for a sneaky value pick, Colton Sissons ($3,800) appeared to get bumped down to the Preds fourth line, but with tow goals and one assist in the last three games, it’s likely Sissons still gets action on the second power play unit, missing Forsberg and Fiala tonight.

Top FanDuel NHL Defenders: Feb 7th

Quite frankly, the top two defensive picks are very easy tonight. PK Subban ($6,200) is on a tear right now, with at least a goal or assist in six of the last seven games, and four goals and four assists in seven games. While Roman Josi ($6,400) is also a solid Predators defensive pick, Subban is cheaper and provides greater recent productivity.

With six assists and a goal over the last six games, it’s tempting to also pay up for Drew Doughty ($5,800), but Jake Muzzin ($4,900) is $900 cheaper and has three goals and five assists in the last seven games. In fact, since the start of the calendar year, Muzzin has 11+ FanDuel NHL points in nine of ten games. With a vulnerable Oilers defense on home ice, Jake’s double-digit point run is sure to continue tonight.

I know Charlie McAvoy ($4,300) has been quiet since his recent health issues were diagnosed and he was able to return to the ice a few weeks later.  But the rookie was incredibly productive earlier in the season and it’s likely Charlie bounces back, offensively, soon. If you don’t like the risk with McAvoy, Torey Krug ($5,600) is your next best bet for FanDuel NHL from the Bruins tonight.

Finally, his play has been inconsistent, but Jake Gardiner ($4,700) has nine assists in the last seven games, including two games with three assists in each game. Jake had an awesome late-season DFS NHL run last year, and he’s showing signs of returning to that value.  And at this salary, he gives you several better options at center and wing.

Top FanDuel NHL Goalies: Feb 7th

We have six starting goalies on the ice tonight. Henrik Lundqvist ($8,900) has been struggling for the Ranges, both home and away. Cam Talbot ($7,900) has struggled all season, along with the Oilers defense and especially on the road. Darcy Kuemper ($8,00) has two straight shutouts, but the Oilers offense has been hot, and the power play is effective on the road.

Overall, we like Frederik Andersen ($8,200) as a DFS NHL goalie, but he gave us six goals in the last two games, with less than 30 saves in five of his last six games. That narrows our list down to either Pekka Rinne ($8,800) or Anton Khudobin ($8,500).

Frankly, you could play either Rinne or Khudobin with a great outcome, so it really comes down to price. Rinne faces a hot offense, and while we expect Pekka to maintain his awesome home win streak, five wins in his last five home starts, he’ll likely see 30+ shots on goal, and has the potential for a 30+ FanDuel NHL point night even if he gives up a goal or two.

Khudobin has oddly been better away from Boston in his last ten starts, getting three wins, a loss, and overtime loss in his last five away starts. Anton also has a shutout recently, away from Boston, and is averaging around 28 saves per game in his last five road starts. Given the Rangers offensive struggles are greater than the Leafs, we favor Khubodin over Rinne.

So, after reviewing all of our favorite options, here’s an example of a lineup we put together for Wednesday, February 7th:

C     Bergeron (BOS $8,100)

C     Kopitar (LA $7,200)

W   Marner (TOR $5,900)

W   Smith (NSH $5,300)

W    Heinen (BOS $4,600)

W   Jarnkrok (BOS $4,200)

D    Subban (NSH $6,200)

D    Muzzin (LA $4,900)

G    Khudobin (BOS $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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