Written by LineStar Daily Fantasy Life Coach @ZeroInDenver.

Check out the NHL Season Preview & Strategy Guide

Got NHL DFS questions or want to see something covered in this newsletter? Hit me up in LineStar Chat.

Welcome to the NHL Hat Trick.

We have a large slate tonight, but I've been really pressed for time this week, so this will be short and sweet.

Remember that my rankings are my personal rankings that I use to help predict players that are likely to rack up fantasy points tonight. This sauce comes from a mix of past player performance, key performance indicators that I've used, and current matchup. However, sometimes the crystal ball is broken or players don't show up, so don't be afraid to go a different way if you don't agree.

Any questions on the slate tonight? Hit me up in LineStar Chat

Tonight's Targets

First - a lot of this data might be foreign to most of you, so let me break it down (numbers over the last 10 games):

• W and L: Wins and Losses

• CF%, CF60, CA60: This is Corsi For %, Corsi For/60 minutes, Corsi Allowed/60 minutes

• HDCF60, HDCA60: This is High Danger Corsi For/60 minutes and High Danger Corsi Allowed/60 minutes.

• SF60, SA60: This is Shots For/60 minutes and Shots Allowed/60 minutes.

• SOT: Percentage of shots on target .

• Sh%: The percentage of shots on goal that are goals.

• SCF60, SCA60: Scoring chances for and allowed per 60 minutes

• GF60, GA60: These are goals for and goals allowed per 60 minutes.

• ScoreAgg: Summed numbers of a teams GF60, xGF60 and the opponent's GA60 and xGA60.

I'm overgeneralizing, but I want teams that aren't afraid to shoot the puck. More shot attempts the better. Then I narrow it down more based on teams that are hitting the net and getting goals. Again, really high level stuff. Don't go all in based on one or even a few numbers, but I think it's more useful than just going off of implied goals.

Now let's dig into this slate.

Goaltenders

Elvis Merzlikins - CLS (DK: $7400, FD: $7200)

I have Merzlikins as my top-ranked goalie on the slate, and this game as one of the lowest scoring on the night. My fear, however, is that there's not a lot of upside in him. SJ is not a high-volume shooting team. This means that if he gives up a couple of goals, he might not be able to make up for it in saves.

Centers

Nico Hischier - NJD (DK: $5100, FD: $5600)

This seems wrong to me, but Hischier is my top-ranked center for tonight. He has good shot volume and time on ice for the price and gets a good matchup against a Rangers team that is giving up 4 goals a game over their last 5 games.

Wingers

Patrick Kane - CHI (DK: $8100, FD: $8400)

Lately, I've been running 1-2 top-tier players in as many lineups as possible. Last night it was Auston Matthews and I think it will be Patrick Kane tonight. Nashville has been pretty awful lately, allowing 4.2 goals a game over their last 5 games and Kane has such a high ceiling that I can't resist slamming him tonight.

Defensemen

Zach Werenski - CLS (DK: $5400, FD: $6600)

Werenski has been so good lately and his price has hardly moved. Plus I love him tonight for the late hammer.

If you take anything away from this, keep in mind that hockey is a high-variance sport. The top ranked player in each category could be a great play or be a dud tonight. Going all in on any player probably isn't a great move.

With DFS, I try to think of these things:

• Who makes the most sense to play?

• Where is the field leaning?

• Who has been the most consistent?

• Who has the most upside?

• Who will benefit me most if others are wrong?

Bottom of the Barrel

Some people call these "value" plays or "salary savers." I hate both terms. These are players that I like for tonight that fit at the lowest salary tier. It could be they're playing on one of the top forward lines or it could be that they've been playing well, but these are my cheap calls for a skater to pick up a goal or assist.

Paul Stastny: VGK - C (DK: $4.2K, FD: $4.8K)

Craig Smith: NSH - W (DK: $4K, FD: $4.4K)

Kevin Shattenkirk: TBL - D (DK: $3.7K, FD: $4.5K)

Line Stacks

Line stacking is a common strategy in GPP. You’ll see a lot of winning lineups where players are stacked from the same forward lines or power play lines. DraftKings allows a maximum of 6 skaters from the same team (with skaters from at least 3 teams) and FanDuel allows a maximum of 4 skaters from one team. In tournaments, you'll often see 3-3 stacks (meaning 3 players from one team and 3 from another team), 4-3, and 3-3-2 stacks.

Looking at stacks for tonight, here are LineStar's top projected owned stacks, my top ranked, and the "risk it for the biscuit" stacks (high-upside, low ownership stacks.

Keep in mind, these are my favorites. These lines may change so keep an eye out for news during the day and during pre-game warmups. You should all do your own research and you might (and probably should) disagree with me in some spots. Don't be afraid to go your own way.

Good luck to–day! Tag me in the LineStar Chat @ZeroInDenver if you have any questions or feedback. Follow me on Twitter @ZeroInDenver.

🚨 Get 3 Free Months of LineStar Premium 🚨

Get 3-months of LineStar Premium for new users to SuperDraft who deposit/play $10!

Terms: Partnership offers do NOT renew. See SuperDraft landing page for full terms and conditions. Must be a new user to SuperDraft and deposit and play a minimum of $10 to qualify. If you have an existing LineStar Premium subscription you get a Hat/Tee/Pen combo instead of the 3-months.