The Toronto Maple Leafs finally put their foot down on the Ottawa Senators and Auston Matthews continued his torrid scoring pace. The Boston Bruins faltered against the New Jersey Devils. They seemed to be out of sync with each other and had trouble generating offense. The San Jose Sharks and Arizona Coyotes managed to grind out a win losing after regulation. The standings remain close all over the place and it is hard to predict who will be making the playoffs.
There are just four games today and the juiciest matchup looks to be the Florida Panthers vs the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss has one of the hardest jobs in the NHL and Chris Driedger is out performing a starter that makes nine millions dollars more a year than him. The Panthers should feast.
Here’s a beastly lineup For DFS Hockey 2/19/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Center | $8,800 | ||
| Center | A. Barkov | $6,700 | |
| Wing | J. Huberdeau | $5,600 | |
| Wing | $4,000 | ||
| Wing | $3,100 | ||
| Defense | $5,500 | ||
| Defense | $5,400 | ||
| Goalie | C. Driedger | $7,900 | |
| Utility | O. Tippett | $3,000 |
Chris Driedger appears to be the number one netminder in Florida right now. He is playing well behind a team with a ton of offensive weapons and is finally putting it together after years of mediocrity. Driedger will remain a viable fantasy option for years to come.
All we have been saying about Alexander Barkov for the last few years is, “just make him happy!”. He has looked out of sorts and beaten down the past couple seasons but has been rejuvenated this year and is back to top form. The former second overall pick is back to over a point per game and we are happy for him.
In normal years one would see Jonathan Huberdeau on Barkov’s wing but Coach Quenneville has moved his talents to the second line. That has been successful and Huberdeau has been making highlight reel plays. His spin-o-rama assist the other night is Sportscenter Top 10 gold.
Owen Tippett is another top ten pick that is trying to build a resume right now. He has long been touted as a sniper so his low shooting percentage suggests some bad luck. He will turn it around especially with the play of his linemates Vatrano and Luostarinen.
Now what do you get if you sign up now?
• Some alternatives with higher risk but higher reward.
• More undervalued top liners.
• A couple third liners who are climbing the ranks fast.
Connor McDavid – C ($8,800 DK). No surprise here, we are just attempting to go after some theming with our free picks. Over 500 points in just 369 games. He is nearly unstoppable and will be facing either a tired Markstrom or a backup Rittich. The Flames may be extinguished tonight.
Brock McGinn – W ($4,000 DK) has held onto a top line spot in Carolina much longer than anticipated. We predicted a Svechnikov resurgence and that has not happened. It feels strange saying that Andrei is underperforming when he has a point per game but the scales tip in favor of assists and not the goals he is known for. McGinn is making that up for him and has been playing admirably.
Mason Appleton – W ($3,100 DK) is not the sleepiest pick we have ever gone for and is putting up some solid numbers as a Jets depth piece. His floor is not as high as we would like so we will have an alternate for you to look at today but we like where he is trending.
Aaron Ekblad – D ($5,500 DK) has been playing out of his mind this year. That is not always evident outside of deeper analytics but he is giving his team all the chances to win. He is the top power play guy in a great matchup today. Roll him.
Quinn Hughes – D ($5,400 DK). Another day and another assist for Hughes. He may have one of the highest floors from blueliners this season and even though he has not really sniffed the ceiling it is only a matter of time. Keep rolling him. Yes, we copied that word for word from two days ago, nothing has changed, he did the thing again.
Alternative Moves…
Bo Horvat – C ($5,000 DK) is an absolute steal right now. Swap out Barkov for him and use that savings to help upgrade a winger to a Kane or other high ceiling guy.
Frank Vatrano – W ($3,700 DK). We were not kidding when we said we were going hard after Florida today. This is the way to build a winning ticket. Sure they may roll over and play dead but Vatrano has some of the best 5-on-5 numbers in the NHL and has been more than pulling his weight. Swap out Appleton for Frankie V.
Evan Bouchard – D ($4,900 DK). To afford Vatrano you can swap out Hughes for Bouchard who is a higher risk but cheaper and offers some solid upside. He blocks, he shoots, and occasionally he scores.
Friday is here and so we are packing it up and going hiking. We hope you have an awesome end of the week and an even more awesome day of daily fantasy. Come tell us about your wins over on Twitter (@FantasyDFSX). Take care.
