Written by LineStar Fantasy Life Coach @ZeroInDenver.

Check out the NHL Season Preview & Strategy Guide

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Welcome back 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.

6 games on the slate tonight. I give a few of my thoughts on approaching tonight's slate. I think sometimes we think we have to get a little too weird in GPPs when sometimes it can be a "chalk" team or stack mixed with a stack or a couple of players from a lesser-owned team. My thoughts below...

But first, let's dive into tonight's slate.

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).

Goaltender Rankings

How to Interpret This: I've added LineStar Projected Ownership, LineStar Projected Fantasy Points, and Goalie GAA (Goals Saved Above Average), and Saves/60, along with my projected upside for each goalie. Generally, I'm looking for goalies that I think will get a win with a positive (green) GSAA and a high saves number.

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

My Favorite:

MacKenzie Blackwood - NJD (DK: 7800, FD: $7100) *CONFIRMED STARTER*

Blackwood has been solid this season and faces a Buffalo team that is only scoring 2.1 goals over their last 10 games.

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), and shots on goal. I've included projections and average fantasy points to see how each compares so you can more easily find value.

Center

My Favorite

Bo Horvat - VAN (DK: $4900, FD: $6000)

At this point, I'm going to assume you're playing McDavid. The question becomes, who do you slot in that second C spot in your lineup. In order to fit a 9K McDavid, you're going to need to spend down, and I think Horvat is one of the best options.

Wing

My Favorite:

Jakub Vrana - WAS (DK: $4600, FD: $4500)

Vrana ranks really high for me today, and I think he's a good option since you're going to need to spend down in a few spots in order to fix McDavid (and RNH or Barrie, if you're going for an EDM stack)

Defensemen

My Favorite

Tyson Barrie - EDM (DK: $6400, FD: $5500)

Gabriel Carlson ranks high for me, but I think that's a false-positive as he only played one game and only got 10 minutes of ice time. So keep that in mind if you want to go there. Instead, I think Barrie makes a smarter option since Edmonton ranks high for me today and he's a good option to pair with McDavid.

Bottom of the Barrel

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

Brandon Sutter: VAN - C (DK: $2.8K, FD: $3.2K)

 Nils Hoglander: VAN - W (DK: $4K, FD: $3.8K)

Dmitry Orlov: WAS - D (DK: $2.5K, FD: $4K)

Line Stacks

Here are my ranked stacks for tonight:

Favorite Stacks Tonight:

Risk-It-For-The-Biscuit Stacks:

DFS Strategy - My Approach Tonight

Last night was a good reminder of the DFS prophecy "what's supposed to happen usually don't." The Avs, Blues, and Leafs all got shut out. Imagine that.

Tonight, EDM is the obvious choice, starting with McDavid. As per the usual, I'm going to get McDavid in as many lineups as I can. We've seen what kind of ceiling he can have and he's in a good spot against Vancouver.

I think that teams like PIT, WAS, CHI, and NJD will also be popular. However, if you're willing to risk it, I think OTT and DET are worth a shot in large field GPPs. I'd be surprised if their top 2 lines get much ownership so it's a good leverage move to stack them with a popular stack. You don't have to go off the contrarian deep end with your lineups. I think you just need to be 10% different.

But... what do you think?

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.

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