DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy hockey lineup – March 16, 2018

High Salary Centers

Tyler Seguin, DAL vs OTT ($7,700): Along with his linemates in Wednesday’s heartbreak 6-5 shootout loss to the Leafs, Seguin continued to dominate. He got a goal and two assists and recorded six shots on net in just over 23 minutes of work. This continued his torrid pace for the season with 37 goals and 66 points. Expect the Stars to come out against an Ottawa team that has been consistently inconsistent all season long and put in work. Seguin recorded 10 fantasy points against the Leafs and produced 9.5 against Ottawa in their last meeting on March 5. I expect a big night offensively for the entire line with Benn and Radulov. ****

Nathan MacKinnon, NSH vs COL ($7,100): Nathan Mackinnon is currently six points behind Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross race — let that sink in for second. Even after missing eight games to a shoulder injury, he is that close. He is leading the Avalanche in pretty much every offensive  category and is creating waves among the MVP discussions. He is red-hot right now, riding a 10-game, 20-point (10G, 10A) streak producing 10 fantasy points in the Av’s last matchup against the Blues on Thursday. With the Predators coming off a back-to-back, it is expected they will play backup Jusse Saros, and with that, expect MacKinnon to feast.*****

Joe Pavelski, SJ vs CGY ($6,700): With the tight playoff race in the Pacific Division and the Sharks looking to keep a division spot instead of a wild card, Joe Pavelski is playing some of his best hockey of the season. With two big games against the Oilers ( Feb. 27) and the Blackhawks (March 1) the veteran center has produced well in his recent games and should be expected to have another big game soon. He carries substantial value in power play time, as 19 of his 56 points have come with the man advantage. He carries a higher risk then my other salary picks but has the capability to produce a 10-plus fantasy point game if the Sharks can roll. ****

High Value Centers

William Karlsson, MIN vs VGK ($6,600): After an 8-3 thrashing by the hands of the New Jersey Devils, I expect an impressive bounce back from the Pacific-leading expansion hero Golden Knights. William Karlsson has 36 goals right now. His previous season high? Nine. He is a big part of the Golden Knights’ top line along with Marchessault and an Alex Tuch replacing an injured Reilly Smith. He has consistently produced throughout the season, but the injury to Smith has dampened the top lines firepower just a bit. This has lead to a drop in the cap hit for him by $300, which makes his value that much higher. Expect a big offensive night from the Knights  ****

Nicklas Backstrom, NYI vs WAS ($5,500): The Washington Capitals play the Islanders on Friday. The Capitals are also coming off a 7-3 win over the Islanders on Thursday. With Alex Ovechkin taking over as much as he has been lately, which let’s be honest, is not a surprise to anybody, Backstrom has been quietly heating up. He has five points in his last three games (2G, 3A) and contributed three of those points in Thursday’s game, as well as 8.5 fantasy points. I would expect a similar result come Friday night. ****

John-Gabriel Pageau, DAL vs OTT ($3,900): Easily the highest risk pick on my entire list, but I think Pageau has some potential against the Stars. The second-line center has three points in his last three games (2G, 1A) against good teams in Tampa, Florida and Calgary. He is currently playing on the top power play unit with Matt Duchene, which gives him a little bit of extra value. He is averaging 4.5 fantasy points per game in his last four games and could be a valuable utility player. **