NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 9/3/20
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 a goalie, some high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.
Goalie to Target
Thatcher Demko ($7,500): The Vancouver Canucks project to start Demko tonight in Game 6 versus the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas held a ridiculous shot edge as Demko stopped 42 of 43 shots in the 2-1 Vancouver win last time out. The Canucks could not even muster 20 shots on Robin Lehner but managed to get two pucks by him. Demko did the rest and on his own shoulders at times. Vancouver's middle defense is so poor that expecting 35-plus shots faced is not out of the question at all. Maybe consider Semyon Varlamov from the New York Islanders in an elimination game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
High-Priced Skaters
Brock Nelson ($6,500): This is almost a plug-and-play scenario from New York because the Flyers have not figured out how to fully contain the New York second line. Josh Bailey and Nelson, in particular, have run roughshod over the Philadelphia defense and blueline. Nelson has three goals in his previous two contests and three-plus shots on net in three straight games. Elias Pettersson ($7,300) is the even higher-priced alternative from Nelson, but can Vancouver fire enough shots on net?
Max Pacioretty ($7,600): Pacioretty had a bit of a dud game by his standards last time out, but five shots on net and four scoring chances means the opportunities were there. Give the Vancouver goalie a ton of credit, but the winger did flub a couple chances later in Game 5 that could have tied the contest. Pacioretty usually does not miss like that and the thought process is play him again on Thursday against a porous Vancouver defense. Claude Giroux ($7,300) may have to shoulder more of the load on Thursday, especially if Sean Couturier does not play.
Value Skaters
Scott Laughton ($3,800): With the possibility of Couturier being out, Laughton sees even more value ahead of Game 6 for the Flyers. Game 5 saw him break through with a goal, assist, three shots, and three scoring chances. He will enjoy some power-play time, as well. Laughton played 15-plus minutes in each of his last two games and should do so in Game 6, too. Tanner Pearson ($4.400) may be a viable alternative from Vancouver.
Zach Whitecloud ($3,500): Whitecloud is a pure punt play tonight as Vegas tries to close out the series again versus Vancouver. He can potentially fire two or three shots on net and block a few shots, as well. It is risky because his minutes can be anywhere from 12 to 18 a night. That makes a huge difference in DFS, especially when trying to gauge the floor of a minimum-priced play in the playoffs. Philippe Myers ($3,800) is an intriguing choice along with Nick Leddy ($3,600 from the Islanders.
Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
