NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 3/5/20
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
Martin Jones ($7,700): The San Jose Sharks are playing much better hockey of late, and so is Jones, who is confirmed to start against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. San Jose's goalie has allowed three or fewer goals in six straight games. The one risk could be shot volume, as the Sharks have allowed just 169 shots over their previous six games (28.2 per game). Typically, they are one of the more stingy teams when it comes to allowing shots. Minnesota is a team that has its issues on the road but has 23 goals in their last five games scored. Are they due for a letdown? Alexandar Georgiev ($7,600) may be worth a play against a non-rested Washington Capitals team.
High-Priced Skaters
Connor McDavid ($8,900): Just play him again on Thursday as McDavid enjoys a matchup against one of the worst defenses in the league in the form of the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago allows 36.2 shots per 60 over the past month and does not have Robin Lehner to save them anymore. Between McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, this is a two-headed attack that Chicago's special teams will have issues with. McDavid has 16 real-world points in his last eight games, while Draisaitl has 43 goals and 65 assists on the season and eight points in his previous three starts. Mika Zibanejad ($8,400) is in a good spot against Washington, too.
David Pastrnak ($9,000): The Boston Bruins could be in for a wild night against the Florida Panthers. Pastrnak goes up against a Florida team that yields 3.39 goals per game at home. That's right...at home. Florida's home penalty kill has been functioning at 75% since January 1st, and Boston's power play is still converting at 25.1%. The right-winger has 10 real-world points in his last seven games with four-plus shots in five of those contests. Boston expects to score more than two goals tonight in Florida. After all, they average 3.18 goals per game on the road. Nikita Kucherov ($8,400) has a great matchup versus a Montreal Canadiens squad whose special teams has let them down all season.
Value Skaters
Frank Vatrano ($3,800): Vatrano is a risk for GPP and cash options alike but did have four shots on goal in his last game and three scoring chances. He is playing his former team, who the winger tends to torment. Expect a goal or assist where Vatrano at least hits value. Florida's middle-six has enough speed to at least keep Boston's defense honest, and they will test Jaroslav Halak plenty. Filip Chytil ($3,800) is an intriguing choice for the New York Rangers, as he continues to play in the top-six for New York.
John Marino ($3,700): The Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed Marino back with open arms, and he responded with a goal on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. It is that steady offensive influence with defensive acumen that endears Marino to DFS owners. His low-shot volume can be troubling, but his point potential is moderate against the Buffalo Sabres, who have a 74.2% penalty kill. If one feels a little queasy rostering Marino, Connor Murphy is also $3,700 and usually has a higher floor for Chicago.
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.
