DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy hockey lineup – March 16, 2018
By Riley Butler
High Salary Goalies
John Gibson, DET vs ANA ($8,500): Gibson is coming off of a 32-save shutout against the Vancouver Canucks, which produced owners a whopping 11.4 fantasy points. This is Gibson’s second shutout in his last four games. With the Ducks fighting for a wild card spot and having what should be an easy matchup against Detroit, I would expect Gibson to perform well and get back on a win streak after just losing his six game win streak. ****
Kari Lehtonen, DAL vs OTT ($8,200): Coming off the 6-5 shootout loss to the Leafs on Wednesday and the overall struggles that the Dallas Stars have had with winning, I expect a strong return to form against Ottawa. Kari Lehtonen hasn’t posted above .850 in his last two games, but before that in his previous three games he didn’t post below .930. The team as a whole as been inconsistent but they will ride the hot hand of their first line and Lehtonen will get the goal support he needs which in turn should turn into more consistency going down the stretch.
High Value Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN vs VGK ($8,000): I believe that Fleury is going to be the best performer of the night when it comes to goalies. After the beating taken at the hands of the Devils, I have the highest expectation that the entire Golden Knights team will bounce back with a vengeance. Fleury is currently posting career high numbers with a .927 SV% and has been a pivotal piece of the Knights team all season and will be relied on heavily moving forward. Omitting the most recent game, Fleury is averaging 9.1 fantasy points in his last 3 games and is the best starter pick of the night. *****
Mike Smith, SJ vs CGY ($7,900): In his second game back from missing a month to a lower-body injury the Flames netminder picked up his 36th career shutout against the Edmonton Oilers. This netted owners a nice 10.4 fantasy points. Smith has played well this season posting a 2.51 GAA and a 0.922 SV% and will be a key piece in the Flames run to make a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference. If the Flames can run off the momentum from the Oilers win, then I would expect another big night for the veteran. ****