Written by LineStar 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.

ICYMI - The NHL Season Preview & Strategy guide goes over the basics of NHL DFS and what I look for when researching players.

I'm getting this newsletter in early, so a lot could change between now and warmups.

I strongly recommend keeping an eye on the LineStar chat and Twitter in the 30 minutes before each game starts to be aware of any changes.

10-games tonight. Time to break it down...

LETSSSSSSSSSSGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight's Slate

Here's numbers on the teams from their past 10 games. Generally, I start my research by looking for teams in good spots. For example, teams that score goals (GF60) that are facing teams that give up goals (GA60). I also look at teams that shoot a lot (CF60) that are facing teams that give up a lot of shots (CA60).

Based on this, teams I'm looking to target tonight include Islanders, Rangers, Avalanche, Vegas, Minnesota, and Calgary.

Line Stacks

Call me crazy, but I really kind of like NYI3 today. They're so cheap that you can fit them with a top-tier stack like Colorado tonight. I have zero interest in a Komarov top line. If I'm going that way, I'm going to go for a PP1 stack.

I like the top line for the Rangers most tonight, but all three lines are in play for me tonight.

The top line for Colorado is my favorite, but they're one of the most expensive stacks on the slate. In order to pair with another stack, you're going to need to find a stack that's $12K or less - which is why I'm keeping NYI3 in play for tonight. I think COL2 is another good option, but maybe more popular because it fits lineups better. For me, the easier a stack fits into a lineup, the more ownership I expect to see.

I'm hearing rumors that Pacioretty may be back for Vegas tonight. If so, both lines are in play for me as I'd expect Tuch to drop to the third line. Otherwise, I'll lean heavily on VGK2.

Both MIN1 and MIN2 are in play for me tonight, but my preference is whatever line Kaprizov is on.

Risk It For The Biscuit

This goes back to picking on bad teams. Also, if you like narratives, the Tkachuk brothers face each other tonight. Top line for Calgary is my preference tonight, followed by a PP1 stack. If you really want to get wild on a 10-game slate, you could always go CGY3 which also correlates on PP2.

Goaltender Rankings

How to Read This: 

I'm giving you a comparison of LineStar projections vs the average fantasy points scored over their last 10 games. I've also given you their save percentage (over 0.910 is ideal), goals allowed (lower is better), saves per game (more is better), GAA (Goals Saved Above Average), and my projected upside for each goalie.

Generally, if I'm stacking a team, I'll correlate a goalie if I can. In GPPs, I may not have the salary to make this work. In this case, I usually spend down on someone that I expect will take a lot of shots and could pick up the W.

As always - double-check that your goalie is starting before the game starts.

My Favorites:

CASH: Philipp Grubauer - COL (DK: $8400, FD: $8600)

GPP: Thatcher Demko - VAN (DK: $7600, FD: $7700)

Forwards and Defensemen Rankings

How to Interpret C/D/W charts: In NHL DFS, I think it's most important to look at peripheral stats instead of goals which is why I put so much emphasis on shots. This includes shot attempts, high danger shot attempts (those shot attempts closest to the net with the highest probability of going into the net), shots on goal, and scoring chances. I've included projections and average fantasy points to see how each compares so you can more easily find value.

Center

My Favorite

Mika Zibanejad - NYR (DK: $6900, FD: $7200)

There's a lot of top-tier centers on tonight's slate. Again, I'm going to Zibanejad, who has a great matchup tonight against a horrible Sabres team.

Wing

My Favorite:

Kirill Kaprizov - MIN (DK: $6000, FD: $5900)

Kaprizov still feels underpriced and has a pretty good matchup tonight against Anaheim.

Defensemen

My Favorite

Jakob Chychrun - ARI (DK: $6500, FD: $4200)

Chychrun is like the new Brent Burns. Too cheap on FanDuel. Not a great matchup tonight, but will still roll him.

Bottom of the Barrel

Here are my cheap calls for a skater to pick up a goal or assist.

Tyson Jost: COL - C (DK: $ 2700, FD: $ 3300)

Oliver Wahlstrom: NYI - W (DK: $3500, FD: $3800)

Josh Morrissey - WPG (DK: $4500, FD: $4600)

Disclaimer: Keep in mind, plays and thoughts listed are my own. 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 today! 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.