NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 12/27/19

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

It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel because it's a ton of fun.

Our analysis and projections can help you win. To help, let's take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.

Goalie to Target

Ilya Samsonov ($7,800): Samsonov should be in net tonight for the Washington Capitals, who come in as -210 home favorites. Samsonov is shaping up to be a chalky cash game option tonight since he is on the cheaper end for a starting goalie and is in a spot to pick up the win. He is up against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have been hit with an insane amount of injuries this season. The Blue Jackets are producing the ninth-fewest High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per game, which should put Samsonov in a spot for an easier night in net.

Columbus carries a 2.54 implied goal total tonight -- the second-lowest on the slate -- but have the 12th-highest Corsi For per 60 minutes. They take a ton of shots but those shots aren't from high goal-scoring areas, which is great for Samsonov. He should be able to rack up a good volume of saves without the threat of allowing a significant number of goals tonight.

High-Priced Skaters

Sebastian Aho ($7,600): The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road to take on the New York Rangers in what could be the most lopsided matchup of the night. Carolina carries the fourth-highest implied goal total (3.22) and are -150 road favorites. That should tell you enough about the projected outcome. The Hurricanes are holding the third-highest Corsi For this season, a spot to normally look for production, but it gets even better. The Rangers are in the bottom three for Corsi Against, expected goals against, and the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances allowed per 60 minutes.

These teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to offensive pressure, making this an ideal matchup for Aho. He comes in with 5 points and 12 shots in his last five games and is up on the first power-play unit for Carolina.

Mitchell Marner ($7,600): The Toronto Maple Leafs had a thrilling 8-6 win over the Hurricanes on Monday, and in that game, we saw the true potential of this offense. The combination of Auston Matthews and Marner is among the best two-man pairings in the league, and they are pouring on the points right now. Marner comes in with 11 points and 16 shots in his last five games, while Matthews has 9 points and 17 shots.

The Maple Leafs are carrying a 3.42 implied goal total tonight and are on the road to take on the lowly New Jersey Devils. Right now, the Devils have all three of their defensive pairings rated 28th or lower and are among the absolute worst in the league. Marner is up on the first forward line and the first power-play, granting him a solid floor of points, and the favorable matchup gives him a nice ceiling to reach for.

Value Skaters

Matthew Grzelcyk ($3,800): The Boston Bruins have placed Torey Krug on IR, and this opens up some value on their already injury-plagued defense. This means Grzelcyk should be up on the first power-play unit for the Bruins, making him a very clear value option tonight. The first power-play for the Bruins -- Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak -- is among the best in the league and has multi-point potential every single night.

He is a borderline free square tonight given his salary and his new role in the offense, which carries a 3.21 implied goal total against the Buffalo Sabres. He is a viable option in all formats tonight, and even though he doesn't add a ton of shots every game, he can fall into a free assist simply for being on the ice with that power-play unit.

Alex Tuch ($3,800): Tuch is on the third forward line and the second power-play unit for the Vegas Golden Knights, who are holding a 3.07 implied goal total tonight. They are on the road to take on the Anaheim Ducks, who are in the bottom-10 for both Corsi Against and expected goals against per 60. He is great for cash games tonight since he has a solid floor of points, with 15 shots in his last five games despite only one point in that time. He might be due for a bit of puck luck or a deflection for a goal since he is taking so many shots but not converting them into goals.