We were going to try and write a piece about how close tonight’s Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs game was going to be. It probably will not be. Connor McDavid is not going to be in the lineup due to Covid. Pile that on to the Oilers recent losing streak and they may be in dire straits. Their record from the beginning of the season means they still have playoff hopes but there need to be changes coming from higher up the chain.
Before the season we totally had both Pittsburgh and St. Louis as underachieving this year and boy was that a cold take. The Penguins are riding an eight game winning streak and the Blues have won seven of their last ten. The Pens almost have Evgeni Malkin back but have to wait one or two more games. Someone is going to get a demotion. Stick around later to find out who is worth taking one more time before that happens.
Here’s a blue lineup For DFS Hockey 1/5/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Center | A. Matthews | $8,300 |
| Center | ||
| Wing | D. Perron | $4,600 |
| Wing | ||
| Wing | ||
| Defense | ||
| Defense | ||
| Goalie | J. Campbell | $8,100 |
| Utility |
New Years Day for the Leafs was kind of hilarious. Six goals scored and not a single point went to Auston Matthews. If we do some quick maths that means he is going to get a hat trick tonight. He has way better linemates than Drai does and is jonesing to score. Go big or go home.
Jack Campbell is an easy choice today as well. Of the four starting goalies he should face the least amount of pressure. No other goalies hidden behind the paywall today, just Campbell. We just peeped his numbers for the year and wow, he is crushing it.
David Perron still wears blue so we are keeping with the theme. When the heck did this guy become a point per game player? In four months he will be 34 years old. His contract is also up at the end of the season. Tough choice for the Blues in re-signing. Do they give him five more years given how well he is playing?
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• Which top defenseman is poised for the most success tonight
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• A winger who we think should be higher in the lineup than he is currently
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Kris Letang has been one of the league’s premier offensively minded blue liners for a very long time. For 15 years he has been patrolling the defensive zone. He is another big question mark when it comes to his next contract. Will he be traded around the deadline? We will find out in a few months time. Until then deploy him as normal.
Slap Colton Parayko right next to Letang. The just under $5,000 price tag is always a nice bonus. Your average price for everyone else improves plus he is having a great season. He blocked six shots last game which was worth a cool 10.8 fantasy points.
We still have some big names for you so hold tight. William Nylander is having a monster of a year. He should probably usurp Marner’s spot next to Matthews but Willy and Tavares do have some excellent chemistry. Plus, Marner should return to form some day, right?
It is fascinating to us that Ryan O’Reilly is not having a more productive season. The Blues are killing it, he is the captain and top line center yet he is closer to half a point per game than a point per. If faceoff wins were counted as points he would be worth more than McJesus. He still gets shots and comes in super cheap so we are very comfortable with this choice.
As you wrap up your lineup for the day take a look at the Blues third line. One thing we have not mentioned is that the Penguins are putting Casey DeSmith in net. That means extra opportunities for depth players. Ivan Barbashev and Brayden Schenn are very much on our radar today. Schenn has not played since mid-December and we are looking forward to him getting back up to speed. In the same price range you can get Brandon Saad as well, who is one of our default filler players.
This really turned into a different shade of blue than we were expecting. Jordan Kyrou is most certainly taking a place at our table tonight. Where the hell did this kid come from? Buy, buy, buy.
We totally meant to hype up Evan Rodrigues as he may get supplanted when Malkin returns. To do that we would swap Nylander out for Zach Hyman who is playing his old team tonight. That could get spicy.
Mid week is upon us and we are cruising. It will be nice to only have a couple games to follow tonight as they are both going to be marquee matchups. Check us out on Twitter (@FantasyDFSX). Take care of yourselves out there and have a wicked Wednesday.
