No team has been swept in these 2020 playoffs but we did say goodbye to the Chicago Blackhawks. They fought valiantly against their former goalie Robin Lehner and came close to staying in it. Unfortunately it was not enough and they leave the bubble to figure out how to get their young corps ready for next season. They will be back soon enough and will look to make a deeper run next year.
Charlie McAvoy checking Jordan Staal into another dimension may have opened the door for a promising young center on the Carolina Hurricanes. Our free pick today Morgan Geekie ($2,500 DK) has been sheltered on the fourth line but not as a grinder. He is getting important reps as he transitions into the NHL and has shown flashes of brilliance. Third line minutes will give him a great opportunity with the Cane’s backs against the wall. This kid is all upside.
Goaltending DFS Picks For 8/19/20
Jacob Markstrom ($7,600 DK) has quietly been a top ten goalie for the last couple of years. An injury before the season was put on hold probably took a couple wins away from him but he looks fully healed and has been blocking a high volume of shots from the Blues. We think he will continue to shine as the Canucks look to retake the lead in the series.
This matchup continues to be all about the goalie matchup. There is an argument that you could just pick both netminders and you are likely to see a lot of fantasy points but we are just going with one today. We are counting on Carey Price ($7,500 DK) to keep his team in this for another try.
Center DFS Picks For 8/19/20
Today’s centers are both Selke award finalists this year and excel at every end of the ice. For the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron ($7,300 DK) is the heir apparent to the captaincy when Zdeno Chara finally decides to hang up his skates. He can protect on the penalty kill and he can attack in any situation. Any time he is on the ice he is a threat and we are confident in taking him today.
Over on the Philadelphia Flyers Sean Couturier ($6,600 DK) as well dominates two way play. He works hard all 200 feet of the ice and while he has been somewhat quiet in the past couple games look for him to breakout against a desperate Canadiens squad.
Winger DFS Picks For 8/19/20
Mikko Rantanen ($7,200 DK) is one of those players that is younger than you might realize. The former first round pick is in his fifth season and is still only 23 years old. Being paired with Nathan MacKinnon while also being a star in his own right is all opportunity for you and your fantasy team. He has steadily been putting up a point per game while also offering solid shots on goal. If you want to save a little on the extra expensive MacKinnon but still reap most of the rewards Mikko is your guy.
One of the few hot hands we are chasing is our free sleeper pick from two days ago. As we predicted Ondre Kase ($4,100 DK) put on a show and the Bruins second line were the ones to put home the winning goal against the Hurricanes. As expected his price has not caught up with his potential yet so take that savings to the bank and enjoy a ton of value. Keep your eyes on these guys because you can tell they are having a great time.
Defencemen DFS Picks For 8/19/20
It can be somewhat of a tossup between the St. Louis Blues top two defensemen on any given day but we are feeling Colton Parayko ($5,600 DK) today as Alex Pietrangelo just had a huge game on Monday. Look for Parayko to take the reins and take more of the load. He is willing to put his body on the line and will need to against a Canucks team who are looking a little snake bit after losing the last two.
Ivan Provorov ($5,400 DK) was highly touted last year but had a somewhat disappointing season. It is clear now that that was a Flyers issue overall and not truly representative of his talent. Know that we are not picking his game for the likelihood that he scores a goal but he is likely to have solid peripherals from shots on goal and blocked shots. The Canadiens are going to be swarming today and looking to get a lot of shots on net. Provorov is going to play a big part in preventing shots on Carter Hart.
Avoid DFS Picks For 8/19/20
Be careful of chasing every hot hand. It is easy to look at Nazem Kadri’s amazing last game but he has not shown a consistency that makes us feel great about spending on him. He is a boom or bust player and we are leaning towards bust tonight. The Avalanche do not need to fire on all cylinders to clinch this series and he will have his time to shine next round.
Get yourselves ready for another great day of hockey folks. Upwards of four teams could be eliminated and everyone will be playing their hearts out.
