Spending up in any daily fantasy sport is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup. In NHL DFS, it’s different than paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest-priced players at his position and put up a total dud of a performance, and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are paying up in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.
This week gives us a decent size slate of games every day, including six games on Wednesday starting at 8 pm Eastern.
Patrice Bergeron, Center, Boston Bruins
FanDuel Salary: $7,700
Patrice Bergeron keeps chugging along as consistently as he does every season. He's nearly at a point per game, with 50 in 51 games played. He has points in five straight games and goals in three straight. Bergeron has been his usual possession-dominant self and is in the top 10 for centers in shot attempt rate, according to Natural Stat Trick. Tonight, Bergeron is numberFire's highest projected center on the slate.
The Boston Bruins will face the Edmonton Oilers on the road tonight. Bergeron won't have to deal with trying to slow down Connor McDavid, who's still out with a quad injury. The Oilers have not been a great defensive team, allowing the ninth-most shot attempts per 60 minutes in the league. Being on the road hasn't made the oddsmakers low on the Bruins, as they are still -190 favorites. They also have an implied goal total of 3.40, the second-highest on the slate.
Bergeron is a fairly safe play for cash games and makes for a good stack with his linemates Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak in tournaments.
Patrick Kane, Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
FanDuel Salary: $8,100
Patrick Kane is single-handedly trying to keep the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoff race this season. They are eight points out of the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, with three games in hand over the Arizona Coyotes, who hold that spot. Kane has 13 points in his last 10 games and had two great games over the weekend in which he totaled five points. He's tied for seventh in the NHL in points with 74. He's also seventh in the league in shots on goal, and that hasn't slowed down throughout the season, as he has 42 shots in his last 10 games.
Kane and the Blackhawks will play host to the New York Rangers in one of two games that has a 6.5 over/under. Both teams have struggled defensively and are reasonably dangerous on offense. The Rangers still rank dead last in shot attempts against per 60 minutes and expected goals allowed per 60 minutes. This gives the Blackhawks the highest implied team total on the slate at 3.42. Kane has a great floor with how much he shoots and a great ceiling, as well, with the matchup and game environment on Wednesday night.
Artemi Panarin, Wing, New York Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $8,000
Kane's former linemate with the Blackhawks will face off against him tonight. Artemi Panarin has more points than Kane this season, so in some ways the apprentice has become the master. Panarin leads the league in even strength points with 59 and has points in six straight games. The Rangers ride Panarin just like the Blackhawks ride Kane, as Panarin plays the sixth-most minutes of any winger in the league.
Panarin will benefit from playing against his former club, who aren't exactly a shutdown defensive team. They allow the third-most expected goals per 60 minutes in the league and the fourth-most shot attempts per 60. The Rangers are underdogs in the game but still have an implied team goal total over three.
Choosing between Kane and Panarin will be tough, as they are only $100 apart on FanDuel. Kane perhaps has a better floor with all the shooting he does, but Panarin might have a higher ceiling with 22 multi-point games this season. An interesting strategy would be to play both of them and hope the game is a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair.
Ben Bishop, Goalie, Dallas Stars
FanDuel Salary: $8,700
Ben Bishop has been a solid reliable goalie since he became a member of the Dallas Stars. He finished second in the Vezina Trophy voting last season and could easily be nominated for it again this season.
He ranks third in the league in goals saved above average. He'll face off against the Arizona Coyotes, who tend to play low-scoring games. They are in a playoff spot as of today but have scored the seventh-fewest goals per game. That isn't projected to change against the Stars tonight, as Arizona has an implied team total of just 2.25. Bishop checks a lot of boxes tonight, given how well he's played and a matchup that isn't too scary.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.