A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion of you have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?
It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel because it's a ton of fun.
Our analysis and projections can help you win. To help, let's take a look at a goalie, some high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.
Goalie to Target
Devan Dubnyk ($7,300): The Minnesota Wild expect Dubnyk to start on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Dubnyk has not been very good this season in net, but Detroit is the worst team in the NHL for a reason. Detroit has allowed four goals a game over their last five contests (lost four of five in that span). Their penalty kill is just 74.4% while Minnesota's is at 76%. The power plays are the difference as Detroit's is among the worst (14.8%), and Minnesota is ranked higher (20.9%). That should provide enough cushion to get Dubnyk a win. Minnesota also scores at 2.97 goals per game on the road, which should help, as well. Elsewhere, David Rittich ($7,200) could face a lot of shots as Calgary heads to Nashville.
High-Priced Skaters
Mika Zibanejad ($8,000): The high-scoring, high-chance New York Rangers come up against a Montreal Canadiens team that still has not solved their defense or special teams issues. Montreal allows 3.09 goals per game at home with a penalty kill that functions at just 77.4% in the split. Just when one thinks Zibanejad is going to have a clunker of a night, he fires two shots in overtime against the New York Islanders and naturally one goes in as the game-winner. That is just how it has been for the center lately. He now has goals in five straight games and nine of his last 11. Aleksander Barkov ($7,300) is poised to have a night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who could trade goals with the Florida Panthers.
Nikita Kucherov ($8,300): The prospect of no Steven Stamkos in the lineup should not scare off Kucherov owners. In fact, it may help Kucherov. The Chicago Blackhawks' goaltending consists of Corey Crawford and Malcolm Subban now. Add in a team that gives up over 35 shots per 60 and 18 goals over their last five games, and one gets the recipe for high-point potential. The Tampa Bay Lightning are scoring right at a clip of four goals a game at home. Tampa has lost three straight, but the over has hit in five consecutive contests, as well. Alex Ovechkin ($8,900) is a solid alternative -- even against the Winnipeg Jets, considering he has 48 goals career against the franchise (92 points overall in 66 games).
Value Skaters
Joey Anderson ($3,300): Playing Detroit helps, but Anderson had a stellar game at the center of the action last time out. He played mostly second-line minutes again and may even garner some occasional power-play time, as well. When he heads toward the net, Anderson is just a more effective player. He is not meant for the perimeter. Anderson fired three shots on net in Detroit and scored once. The New Jersey Devils continue their road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and Anderson figures to get some scoring chances (had three in Detroit). Jesper Fast ($3,500) may be intriguing against the Montreal Canadiens.
Mathew Dumba ($3,700): The Minnesota defenseman is a high-risk play, but he does have 10 shots on net and seven scoring chances across his last three games. Detroit is the worst team in the NHL when it comes to unblocked shots from defensemen, and Dumba will not pass up a shot. Again, that Detroit penalty kill makes Dumba worth a look on a night when he normally wouldn't be a thought. See if Filip Hronek ($3,900) plays. He is recovering from a concussion, and Detroit may let him play on Thursday. If not, then Adam Fox ($3,800) is a decent dart throw.
Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. 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/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.