Welcome to The Fantasy Fix daily fantasy hockey strategy. Below you will find rankings and projections for tonight’s NHL action. Building a winning lineup isn’t easy, so we’ll do our best to guide you in the right direction and help you win some serious cash. With that, let’s take a look at some matchups you should be targeting tonight.

As always, make sure to check out LeftWingLock for goalie confirmations.

All shot attempt numbers discussed are at even strength and score-adjusted unless otherwise noted.

TEAMS TO TARGET

Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus

With so many even matchups on the board tonight, this one is the runaway winner by default. The Penguins are coming off a tough 2-1 loss at the hands of the Islanders and desperately need to get back on track to solidify their position in the Wild Card race. They should be getting Carl Hagelin back in their lineup –his speed and forechecking ability have really opened space for linemates Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel since his arrival in Pittsburgh.

The Blue Jackets lost last night to Detroit in OT. Typically, they like to match Brandon Dubinsky and his linemates against the top-line of the Penguins, and there is no reason to believe that will not be the case again tonight. Sidney Crosby and company have been hit or miss when dealing with that matchup, but it hasn’t been a problem for Evgeni Malkin who has three goals in three games against the Jackets this season, and 17 points in 13 career games against Columbus. As mentioned, with Hagelin back with the second line, they are definitely the way to go tonight if you’re looking at Pittsburgh.

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Anaheim Ducks at St. Louis

Both teams are playing great hockey right now, but it so hard to fade the Ducks the way they are playing. Just check out what they’ve done over their last 15 games…

Corey Perry: 7G, 6A, 8 PP and 38 shots.

Ryan Getzlaf: 5G, 11A, 7 PP and 31 shots.

David Perron: 5G, 6A, 6 PP and 31 shots.

Sami Vatanen: 3G, 10A, 10PP and 31 shots.

Needless to say, the Ducks power play has been leading their charge. The Blues do have the second-best PK in the league, but can they slow down Anaheim?

Philadelphia Flyers AND Tampa Bay Lightning

Another matchup between two teams that are red hot right now. I love both teams tonight because of their perpetuity to goal scoring of late. The Flyers have lost nine straight in Tampa, so if you want to lean in a direction, definitely go towards the Lightning. However it’s tough to ignore Wayne Simmonds, who has 10 points during a 7-2-1 stretch for Philadelphia.

Notes:

Arizona at Calgary

Calgary is at home against Arizona, and though this doesn’t seem appealing at first glance, keep in mind that the Flames are 18-14-2 at home this season, while the Yotes are 11-19-3 on the road. Johnny Gaudreau has 17 points in his last 15 games, and is always the best option to choose from Calgary.

Chicago at Dallas

This is a tough one. Dallas is so good at home, but Chicago is just so good. Also, Dallas has surrendered a league-high 40 goals over 10 contests since Feb. 18. With Corey Crawford in net, I’d lean Chicago, but still, that Dallas home record is so impressive. For that reason, I’ll likely fade, but nobody would question a lineup with Patrick Kane and/or Artemi Panarin in it tonight.

PLAYER RANKINGS

Center

1.) Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins

2.) Ryan Getzlaf – Anaheim Ducks

3.) Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning

4.) Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers

5.) Jason Spezza – Dallas Stars

Winger

1.) Corey Perry – Anaheim Ducks

2.) Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks

3.) Phil Kessel – Pittsburgh Penguins

4.) Wayne Simmonds – Philadelphia Flyers

5.) Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames

6.) Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues

7.) Artemi Panarin – Chicago Blackhawks

Defense

1.) Shayne Gostisbehere – Philadelphia Flyers

2.) Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins

3.) Mark Giordano – Calgary Flames

4.) Brent Seabrook – Chicago Blackhawks

5.) Sami Vatanen – Anaheim Ducks

Goalie

1.) Marc-Andre Fleury – Pittsburgh Penguins

2.) John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks

3.) Corey Crawford – Chicago Blackhawks

4.) Ben Bishop – Tampa Bay Lightning

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