NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 12/27/17

Taylor Hall makes for a great one-off play in NHL DFS tonight. Who else should you target?

A good chunk of you probably already play daily fantasy football, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?

It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel.com because it's a ton of fun. And our analysis and projections can help you win.

To help, take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.

Goalies to Target

Tuukka Rask ($8,400): If you're playing a cash game tonight, Rask looks like a great option on FanDuel. At a modest price tag, you get a player that his won his last three starts, allowing two goals or fewer in each of them, and is a home favorite against a team that has struggled. Rask may not see 30 shots, but he has a great chance to get a win as a -190 Vegas favorite. Lock him in for cash games, and give him a look in tournaments as well.

Semyon Varlamov ($7,600): Targeting the Arizona Coyotes when they are on the road has been a profitable strategy this season, and that should continue tonight as they face Varlamov and the Avalanche. We know Varlamov can be very volatile, but he regularly sees 30-plus shots, and is always a threat to post a shutout. As a -166 favorite, Varlamov makes for a great tournament goalie if you need savings, and can even be considered in cash.

High-Priced Skaters

Evgeni Malkin ($8,300): Malkin gets a phenomenal matchup on home ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have the 3rd-most Scoring Chances Against per 60 minutes and the most High-Danger Chances Against per 60 minutes in the month of December. Avoiding the top Columbus line should pay big dividends for Malkin and his linemates, as their depth lines are much less of a defensive threat. Malkin has posted 20 shots on goal over his last four games, and tonight, he could easily reach the 5 shots on goal he's averaged, plus much more.

Taylor Hall ($7,400): Hall continues to produce and is in the middle of a nice four-game stretch, posting 17 shots on goal and five points. He's the driver of the New Jersey Devils' top line, and the Detroit Red Wings are an awesome matchup for Hall's speed and skillset. He has a 16.7 individual Corsi For per 60 minutes and over 5.2 individual High-Danger Chances For per 60 minutes in December. Hall is less expensive on FanDuel than most studs, so he deserves cash game consideration, and makes for a great one-off in tournaments.

Value Skaters

Sebastian Aho ($5,500): Aho's price is much too cheap for his upside and matchup, so now is the time to take advantage while you still can. He's coming off a two-point performance in which he fired four shots on goal. Aho plays on the top power-play, and his opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, have the fourth-worst penalty kill in the NHL. Aho is a fantastic young player getting top line minutes, so he deserves consideration in all formats tonight.

Ondrej Kase ($3,900): Kase is red-hot, posting a goal in each of the last three games, and has been promoted to the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. This is about as good of linemates as you can imagine if you're a young gunner like Kase, who has a 14.1 individual Corsi For per 60 minutes and 7.4 individual Scoring Chances For per 60 minutes. Kase should see over 15 minutes tonight, including power-play time on the second unit, making him an excellent play for a cheap price on FanDuel in tournaments.

Olli Maatta ($3,900): Maatta will likely go overlooked in tournaments tonight, even though it is a great matchup for the Pittsburgh Penguins offense. While he has no points in his last three games, he has a 15 individual Corsi For per 60 minutes, which is very encouraging for his DFS prospects, and suggests he's been unlucky with his lack of production. Maatta will also get power-play time on the second unit for the Penguins, further increasing his upside in this matchup.


Jake Hari is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jake Hari also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username tommienation1. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.