If you follow the NHL, you already know all of the top players. Obviously, when playing DFS, these players will come at a high cost. In this article, we are looking to find the cheaper value plays to help you afford the superstars.
Cody Glass, Center, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Price: $4,800
Cody Glass scored in his first NHL game on Wednesday night, but his price is still way too cheap. He is expected to continue to center the second line with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. This line remains completely intact as they form three-fifths of the top power-play unit for Vegas.
The Vegas Golden Knights have a repeat matchup from opening night as they take on the San Jose Sharks. That game was all Vegas, and although they were at home, I expect a similar outcome tonight.
The Golden Knights have a 3.32 implied goal total and are -120 favorites, which are both among the top four on the slate.
Nikita Gusev, Winger, New Jersey Devils
FanDuel Price: $4,100
Another cheap rookie, Nikita Gusev, will play his first NHL regular season game tonight. However, he is not like your typical rookie as he his 27 years old coming over from the KHL. Last season, Gusev led the KHL in scoring with 17 goals and 82 points in 62 games. That may not seem too great, but the KHL is a much lower scoring league than the NHL.
He is expected to play on the left-wing of 2019 First Overall Pick Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt. The three remain together on the New Jersey Devils second power-play unit.
The Devils take on a Winnipeg Jets team that is on the tail-end of a back-to-back in which they lost 6-4 last night to the New York Rangers. You should expect this a lot for the Jets this season as they are without four of their top five defensemen from last season with Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot now on other teams, and Dustin Byfuglien taking a leave of absence.
Ryan Pulock, Defenseman, New York Islanders
FanDuel Price: $3,500
Ryan Pulock is the number three FanDuel value play this evening. There is some uncertainty as to whether or not he will be on the top power-play unit or the second one, but either way, at this price, any power play exposure is great.
Pulock is a great play because not only does he contribute offensively, but his peripheral stats are great too. He can get you points with shots on goal as well as blocked shots for games in which he does not get on the scoresheet.
While the New York Islanders have the second-lowest implied goal total tonight, they are taking on Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov will be making his NHL debut after struggling mightily in the AHL last season with a .898 save percentage and 2.70 goals against average.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.