Preparing to play Daily Fantasy Hockey tonight? In the Powerplay article today we’ll cover a lot of areas to assist in your research and make strong lineups to win your games on FanDuel.

The NHL has a twelve-game slate tonight, and with most of the teams in action, the possibilities for constructing your daily fantasy hockey lineups are seemingly endless. Let’s go through a lot of information and data to help piece together the puzzle for tonight.

Game Analysis – 10/28

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

The Devils have had a good season and with a very strong road record, however they are not a good play tonight. This is a plus match-up for the Penguins at home and they will be highly owned. Pittsburgh is second in the league in goals-per-game, and first place in powerplay percentage at a ridiculous 40% rate. However, with the rising salaries for the Pittsburgh players, the big question is – how do you use them in your lineups? A good strategy for cash games (50/50s, head-to-head) might be to use two of the four big forwards to get exposure to the Penguins scoring. For GPP tournaments, a Penguins stack or mini-stack is possible if you go with a handful of value plays to complete the lineup.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

Minnesota has been a hot team lately and scoring plenty of goals with the top line of Zach Parise-Jason Pominville-Mikael Granlund leading the way. For tonight they are playing the second of back-to-back road games, and are best as a tournament-only play. The Bruins are a decent favorite at home in this match-up and are definitely in play. The difficult part with them in daily fantasy is determining which line to use, and both of their top lines are good options for tournaments tonight. For cash games, the top line of Milan Lucic and David Krejci, along with value play Seth Griffith are the best bets. In addition to that, either of their top two defensemen – Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton – are options for either game format.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

This game has the potential to be a high scoring one, or a tight defensive battle, and as such it is very difficult to predict. Both teams are on a roll lately and scoring plenty of goals, however the talented Kings might dictate the pace of this game and turn it into a grinding puck possession game (Kings led the league last year allowing only 2.07 goals per game on the road). Both teams are definitely options for tournaments, with the top lines of each being the key targets; for cash games though there are better teams to focus on.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

The Islanders are fresh off their 7-5 on Saturday night against Dallas, and now lead the NHL in goals-per-game. At the opposite end, the Jets are third last in goals-per-game, and this game seems like a mismatch and one of the best to exploit. The Islanders have a lot of players worth using tonight, starting with John Tavares who is raising his game this year and is amongst the best players in the league. Other targets include Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson, Lubomir Visnovsky, and potentially Cory Conacher who plays on the top line but hasn’t produced much this year despite that.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

The Blue Jackets are the team to use in this game, and the top line of Ryan Johansen-Scott Hartnell-Cam Atkinson is worth targeting for tournaments, along with James Wisniewski on defense and Sergei Bobrovsky in goal.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

With only eleven goals through their first nine games, the Sabres can be safely ignored in daily fantasy hockey until their offense shows some signs of life. The Leafs on the other hand are capable of a big offensive night, but they have also been a bad team at times this year. This does seem to be as good a spot as any for a Leafs’ goal scoring spree. With the Leafs shaking up their lines, both of their newly formed top two lines (Phil Kessel-Joffrey Lupul-Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak-James Van Riemsdyk-David Clarkson) are worth considering in tournaments.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

Several Lightning players are strong daily fantasy options tonight, including the top line of Steven Stamkos-Valtteri Filpulla-Alex Killorn, second line of Ondrej Palat-Tyler Johnson-Nikita Kucherov (who went off for 3 goals on Friday night), talented rookie winger Jonathan Drouin (who plays on the top PP line), defenseman Anton Stralman, and goaltender Ben Bishop.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

The Ducks are certainly capable of big games, with half of their ten games this year with four or more goals. In this match-up however facing a strong Hawks team, while on the road, and considering the high prices of the Ducks player, there are better choices for tonight. Chicago on the other hand is nearly match-up proof, with their top players almost always in play. While All-Star players Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith are obvious players to use, consider Andrew Shaw or Brandon Saad as well as good options.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

The Blues are surprisingly amongst the bottom third in goals-per-game this year, however they are among the better teams on the powerplay. For this match-up tonight, they could be considered for tournaments, but the Stars (and several other teams) are much better options. Dallas can score plenty of goals on a given night, led by their potent top line of Tyler Seguin-Jamie Benn-Jason Spezza, and with defenseman Trevor Daley playing like an all-star so far this year.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

Montréal is on the back-end of their Alberta trip, playing in consecutive nights, while the Flames are rested and waiting for them at home. Both teams are not in good situations to score big, and would be considered as deep options for tournaments at best.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

We could really see some fireworks in this one. A classic west coast battle with two teams that have high scoring potential. The Avalanche started the season slowly (five goals in first five games), but their offense has picked it up a lot lately (16 goals in the past five games). Both teams have two strong lines that are both good fantasy plays tonight, especially in tournaments. Both also have a strong powerplay quarterback – Brent Burns for the Sharks and Tyson Barrie for the Avalanche.

Daily Fantasy Analysis:

The last game on Tuesday night may be the biggest mismatch and the biggest blowout. Much like Buffalo, the Hurricanes are also not fantasy relevant at the moment, whereas the Canucks players are great options for both cash games and tournaments. Vancouver’s top line of Daniel Sedin-Radim Vrbata-Henrik Sedin are the obvious play here, but the second line of Alexandre Burrows-Chris Higgins-Nick Bonino is also a good option and could possibly combined on a tournament team with the top line from one of the other high scoring teams in action tonight.

Recommended Plays for FanDuel

Now that we’ve taken a close look at each game tonight from a Daily Fantasy perspective, here is a list of recommended players to use tonight in your hockey lineups on FanDuel.

Please note that several factors are considered for these recommendations, including FanDuel salary, expected number of goals for the team and their opponent, and the player’s situation (i.e. minutes played, linemates, powerplay time, recent performance, split stats, etc…).

TOP GOALTENDER PLAYS

[NOTE: Remember to double-check the Starting Goaltenders for the night to ensure the netminder you’re targeting is playing]

1. Ben Bishop ($9,500) – Bishop gets the nod as my top goaltender option tonight. Despite being pulled early in his last start, Bishop has a much better match-up in this game, and is at home where he has a 1.61 goals-against-average and .931 save percentage.

2. Ryan Miller ($8,400) – Miller has won his last two games, allowing 1 and 2 goals, and we can expect more of the same tonight against Carolina. The Hurricanes are still depleted by injuries and can’t score (averaging two goals per game, and worse than that on the road). A win for Miller is very likely, with one goal against or possibly a shutout.

3. Jonathan Bernier  ($8,700) OR James Reimer ($8,000) – Whoever starts in goal tonight for the Maple Leafs will be facing a Buffalo team that is dead last in scoring and dead last in powerplay percentage (currently at 0%). While the Leafs have been very inconsistent this year, the Sabres have been very consistently bad, and a good fantasy result for the Leafs’ goaltender is likely.

OTHER GOALTENDERS TO CONSIDER: Jaroslav Halak ($8,900), Jonas Hiller ($8,300), Sergei Bobrovsky ($9,600)

NOTE: With most teams rested, it is expected that the number one goaltender for almost all teams will play on Tuesday. Check the starting goaltenders though, and if there is a back-up starting that’s in a good match-up (i.e. Eddie Lack for Vancouver, or Curtis McElhinney for Columbus), then you should consider using them in your tournaments. UPDATE: Bobrovsky has been put on IR with a fractured finger, and McElhinney is now a great value option to use for tournaments.

TOP DEFENSEMEN PLAYS

1. Duncan Keith ($6,300) – If you’re going to pay up for an expensive defenseman tonight, Keith seems like the best bet. Anchoring the powerplay for the Hawks and playing huge minutes, Keith should be involved in at least one goal tonight.

2. Anton Stralman ($4,400) – The Lightning are heavy favorites tonight against the Coyotes, and with Victor Hedman out of action, Stralman steps up as their top defenseman for both regular strength and the powerplay.

3. Lubomir Visnovsky ($4,300) – Lubomir made his season debut late last week and immediately stepped into the role of lead defenseman for the Islanders, and contributing a goal on Saturday night. There is a solid match-up tonight for the Islanders, and you’ve got to like Visnovsky in this one.

4. Jake Gardiner  ($3,500) – For our top D value play, we’ll look to Leafs and take their defenseman who is getting the most powerplay minutes lately. Gardiner is often criticized as not being a strong two-way player, but he is a talented defenseman with great offensive upside. If the Leafs score a few tonight, Gardiner has a good chance to pile up multiple points.

TOP LEFT WINGER PLAYS

1. Chris Kunitz ($8,000) – The price for Kunitz has gone down the past week after a few mediocre games, and now with Penguins returning home, he is a strong play in this match-up. Playing alongside Sidney Crosby on both the Penguins’ top line and their top powerplay, using Kunitz tonight is a cheaper way to get exposure to the league’s best player.

2. Scott Hartnell ($6,700) – Columbus is scoring plenty of goals lately, and Hartnell has been involved in many of them. Playing the wing on the top line centered by Ryan Johansen, Hartnell fills the scoresheet regularly with goals and/or assists, along with several shots and often a few penalty minutes.

3. Daniel Sedin  ($7,100) – After a subpar year in 2013/14, the Sedins have bounced back in a big way this season. Daniel is the goal scorer of the two and his price still seems low despite his strong production this year. Take advantage of his salary tonight in this great match-up at home against Carolina.

TOP CENTER PLAYS

1. John Tavares ($8,500) – Tavares is one of the best players in the league, and is the leader of the top scoring team in hockey at the moment. Look for Tavares to have a multi-point game tonight in an Islanders blowout.

2. Nazem Kadri  ($4,800) – The Leafs are ready to make a big statement against their rivals in Buffalo and after a shuffling of the forward lines, Kadri is now centering Phil Kessel on the top line. Kadri has had a slow start to the season himself and on Tuesday night he should be looking to prove to the Leafs that the top line is where he belongs.

3. Valtteri Filpulla ($5,300) and Alex Killorn ($4,400) – Both are listed as Centers in FanDuel and playing on the top line with Steven Stamkos. Filpulla has already proven himself to be a great playmaker for Stamkos, while Killorn becomes a great value play tonight considering the situation he is in.

TOP RIGHT WINGER PLAYS

1. Tyler Seguin ($8,800) – Seguin is currently on a six-game point streak and there is arguably no hotter player in hockey right now. Seguin is very capable of having one of those big fantasy nights that can lead your team to GPP tournament wins. He is highly priced, but is worth it tonight.

2. Radim Vrbata ($5,900) – Vrbata has been skating with the Sedin twins all season long and has been quite productive with 10 points and 35 shots, through eight games. His FanDuel price has been climbing but still has not yet rose to the level to match his production, and for tonight he is a great play.

3. Blake Comeau  ($3,600) – For a strong value play at RW tonight we’ll look to Comeau, who was recently moved up to the Penguins’ second line with Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis. Comeau’s potential point production is outstanding when considering his very low salary. Using Comeau tonight allows great salary relief for either your cash game or your tournament lineups when trying to pay for the top studs in action.

TOP TEAMS TO TARGET TONIGHT:

1. Vancouver Canucks – There is a lot to like about the Canucks tonight, playing at home against a weak Carolina team. Use several of their players with confidence in any game format.

2. New York Islanders – One of the best offenses in hockey playing at home against a team that consistently gives up a few goals per game.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning – Look for a few goals from the Lightning tonight and target either their first or second lines in your tournament lineups.

Additional GPP tourney stacks: Blackhawks top line, Leafs’ top powerplay line, Blue Jackets’ top line

NOTE: The Penguins and Sharks should always be considered as a target, for GPP tournaments at least.

FanDuel Sample Lineups for Tonight

Finally, let’s put all of the information together and look at a few potential line-ups that we could use in FanDuel tonight.

Lineup for Cash Games (50/50s, Head-to-head):

In today’s cash game lineup, we’ll spread out our roster across several teams that are in good match-ups tonight, including Vancouver, NY Islanders and Toronto. For our goaltender, we’ll use Ben Bishop who has a great chance for a solid game and a win.

GPP Tournament Lineup:

With 12 games going tonight, the tournament scores should be very high and in order to finish high in the tournament standings you will need to hit on a couple teams that score 4+ goals tonight. In the sample lineup below, I’ve decided to pair up the high powered Stars top line along with defenseman Daley in a stack, and I’ve added players from Tampa’s second line. In goal, Hiller is a good spot for a potential strong game facing Montréal at home on a night after they get shut out by Edmonton. 

Or for another combination of teams in strong matchups tonight, the top lines for the Islanders and Maple Leafs could be paired up on a team, like below:

Good luck tonight to all Daily Fantasy Hockey players!