Tonight the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks will look to even their series and come back from a hard loss in the first game. The Lightning loss looks closer than it was with some late game surges to do a little more damage. The Canucks got absolutely stomped and are going to have to hit the reset button coming into this one. Both teams have a long road ahead.
We have a free pick for you today that does not dig too deep but is a guy that deserves some highlighting right now. Reilly Smith ($5,200 DK, $5,700 FD) has been giving the Golden Knights a ton of depth. Even though he is on the second power play line he has gotten two power play points in the last two games. The Knights second unit is sneaky good and their coach Peter DeBoer is going to get them plenty of ice time.
Goalie DFS Pick For 8/25/20
The go to guy right now is Robin Lehner ($8,200 DK, $8,700 FD). While it is unlikely he gets another shutout the Canucks are being man-handled by the Knights right now. Markstrom got shelled last game and we have to wait for a bounce back before we get back on that train.
Center DFS Picks For 8/25/20
The Boston Bruins have an embarrassment of riches on the top line and in the middle of it is Patrice Bergeron ($7,200 DK, $7,500 FD). Watch the highlight reel goal in the last game where he outmuscled the defenseman who had the puck, tossed it to Pastrnak, who kept it going to Marchand to bury the goal. We are not going to use the overused superlative that all the game announcers use for this trio but they aren’t wrong. He is always a strong play.
In the last Vegas game we took William Karlsson ($5,600 DK, $5,500 FD) who had an average game and still picked up an assist. We are going to stick with him as he is going to keep feeding Pacioretty and Stone all night long. He is a great price for a great value.
Winger DFS Picks For 8/25/20
David Pastrnak ($7,600 DK, $8,700 FD) has six points in the last three games. His last mediocre showing was three weeks ago in the round robin where most of the Bruins played average at best. He is happy to load up shots for you and if he sees a teammate with a better shot he will pass it along so that Boston can score. He is even improving his defensive efforts which will produce extra opportunities on offense.
When we are looking at trends in fantasy points scored and prices for players there always seem to be a few surprises. Alex Tuch ($3,900 DK, $4,600 FD) has been consistently putting up points for savvy owners who grab him for cheap and his price is not rising to match his talent. He is flourishing on this Vegas squad and we should all be paying attention.
Defenseman DFS Picks For 8/25/20
We are clearly stacking a lot of Vegas today and are continuing to enjoy watching Shea Theodore’s ($6,100 DK, $6,200 FD) success. He eats up power play minutes and just keeps putting the puck towards the net. We do still like Hedman but for the same price Shea has an easier matchup and so we are leaning towards him.
You may not notice him on the scoresheet a lot or being picked in all the pools but Charlie McAvoy ($4,300 DK, $4,500 FD) is a consistent fantasy producer. We talked recently about how he heard his coaches and that we expected him to start shooting more. That has proven to be right and adds to his value as a shot blocker. For a small price his peripherals will bolster your squad while other owners swing for the fences and miss.
Avoid DFS Picks For 8/25/20
It pains us to say this as we are huge fans of his but Elias Pettersson is going to have to wait another game or two until we put him back on our team. The Knights have been bullying the Canucks and Elias was one of their main targets. He is not a huge guy and if Vegas decides they want to shut him down with physicality then they will do that. We hope he finds his game but it might not be today.
We hope you are having as much fun as is during these wild and crazy playoffs. There is still a ton of action to be had so stick with us as we try and juggle watching games and getting you money picks.
