Todd Cordell has you covered for tonight’s NHL DFS GPP’s with his top stacks, goalies, and value plays.
On a three-game slate you can justify almost anything in GPPs but I’m going to try and narrow things down a little bit and focus on my favorite plays.
PIT1: Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Possible add-on: Kris Letang
The Buffalo Sabres are a trainwreck. They’re horrendous defensively – only two teams have given up expected goals at a higher rate over the last 10 games – and their goaltending is non-existent. With Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton injured, and Jonas Johansson shipped to Colorado, the Sabres are now down to Dustin Tokarski; a 4th string goaltender who has appeared in two NHL games over the last handful of years. Tokarski and this putrid Sabres D will be tasked with shutting down an extremely talented line that dominates the chance share on a nightly basis. They’ll be extremely chalky on a three-game slate and rightfully so.
WPG2: Nik Ehlers – P.L. Dubois – Kyle Connor
Possible add-on: Neal Pionk/Josh Morrissey
This is quickly developing into one of the scariest lines in the NHL. Ehlers is one of the best transition players in the league, Connor is a one-shot shooter, and Dubois is a very solid two-way player. This line can beat you in-zone or off the rush. They’re in a great spot against a Canucks side that – despite winning a lot of late – is giving up an absurd amount of shots/chances. Oh, and the Canucks are the most undisciplined team in the NHL so these guys should get plenty of reps on the power play.
VAN1: Nils Hoglander – Bo Horvat – Brock Boeser
Possible add-on: Quinn Hughes or Jimmy Vesey (PP1)
This is far and away Vancouver’s most talented line and they should be relied upon heavily with Elias Pettersson still out. They didn’t score against Winnipeg last time out but they quietly controlled nearly 70% of the expected goals. I prefer the Jets side of things but I also expect them to be more popular. On a three game slate you can definitely go here.
LA2: Andreas Athanasiou – Adrian Kempe – Jeff Carter
Possible add-on: Sean Walker (PP2 with Athanasiou and Carter)
They haven’t spent a ton of time together but the early returns are promising. They’re averaging nearly 70 attempts, and more than 3 xG, per 60 minutes at 5v5. The Sharks aren’t exactly a stout defensive team and they have one of the worst goaltending tandems in the league. This line should get their chances and I like their odds of capitalizing.
BUF1: Taylor Hall – Dylan Cozens – Sam Reinhart
Possible add-on: Rasmus Dahlin or Rasmus Ristolainen
Nobody wants to touch Buffalo these days. Understandably so. But, honestly, this trio deserves consideration. Hall is not at the peak of his powers but he’s not long removed from a Hart Trophy campaign. Sam Reinhart is a quality top-6 forward, and Dylan Cozens has the makings of a future star. You can get these guys dirt cheap, and the wingers are both on PP1. That’s important because the Penguins can be had on the PK. They’re among the worst teams in the league in terms of keeping the puck out while shorthanded.
BUF3: Jeff Skinner – Curtis Lazar – Casey Mittelstadt
Possible add-on: let’s not be ridiculous
I know what you’re thinking and, no, I haven’t gone insane. Hear me out. Skinner and Mittelstadt have worked very well together at 5v5. The Sabres are generating 2.55 xG, and more than 30 chances, per 60 minutes with them on the ice. They’re actually creating offense. A lot of their ice time should come against Pittsburgh’s depth lines, which aren’t very good right now as a byproduct of several injuries (Evgeni Malkin, Brandon Tanev, Teddy Blueger, etc.). You don’t have to play all three. Heck, you don’t *have* to play any of them. But on a three-game slate it can’t hurt to consider a depth line that a) is actually playing pretty well and; b) will garner absolutely no ownership.
Goaltenders
I recommend correlating your stacks. If not, Connor Hellebuyck and Cal Petersen are my favorite goalies on the slate.
Cheap One-Offs/Punts
Beyond guys mentioned in stacks above, here are some salary savers I like to fill out your lineups:
C – Adam Lowry
W – Kevin Labanc
W – Ryan Donato
D – Travis Hamonic
D – John Marino
As always, hit me up on Twitter if you have any questions about the slate.
Numbers via naturalstattrick.com
Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
