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

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Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Stacking teams against the Leafs is just too easy. Toronto lost 4-3 to Calgary on Tuesday night without Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau in the line up, that’s how bad they are as a team right now. Edmonton may not be good defensively, but they have a ton of talent up front, and everyone should be all in on that tonight.

The obvious plays are of course Edmonton’s top two lines. If Nazem Kadri does suit up for this contest, I’d lean towards the Oilers second line of Benoit Pouliot, Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle. The trio should see a lot of Toronto’s “second line,” which makes this matchup even more appealing. Unless Jonathan Bernier pulls off a 50-save performance (knock on wood), the Oilers should be able to score at least five.

If you want to go with a mini-stack that might be less owned, Leon Draisaitl and Taylor Hall is the way to go. They aren’t more expensive to roster than McDavid/Eberle, and they could feast on Toronto if Kadri is a no-go.

On defense, Andrej Sekera and Darnell Nurse are the only two options to consider. Sekera joins McDavid/Eberle on the top power play unit, while Nurse joins Hall/Draisailt on the second unit. Nurse is by far the better value on FD & DK, so don’t be afraid to use him with McDavid/Eberle if salary gets tight.

Los Angeles Kings @ New York Islanders

The L.A Kings destroyed the Boston Bruins on Tuesday 9-2 in Boston. Although a repeat of that game is unlikely, there is a strong possibility that the Kings rack up a few goals against a mediocre Islanders team.

Los Angeles’ second line duo of Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli is the mini-stack to go with in this game. They play together five-on-five and on the top power play unit. Toffoli’s price across all three DFS sites is fairly reasonable, but he still remains underpriced on FD according my research. Jake Muzzin and Drew Doughty join them on the top unit, but I’m not going to give myself a headache trying to fit either one in my lineup. Doughty’s price is difficult to swallow and Muzzin is a tad over priced based on his production. But if you want to use all four players in a GPP stack, that would be the way to go.

If you want to move away from the second line, Vincent Lecavalier and Marian Gaborik is another good mini-stack to consider. The duo will have a plus matchup against the Isles weak bottom six, and they both play together on the second power play unit. Throw in Alec Martinez with them, and you have yourself a pretty nice second unit stack.

In goal, Jonathan Quick is an excellent option, but I’d only really consider him on FD because of his value. The Islanders are ranked 6th in GF/60 at home (2.69), so they could possibly put a few behind Quick, but don’t expect that total to be more than three. He’s as safe as cash play as it gets.

Anaheim Ducks @ Columbus Blue Jackets

Picking on the Blue Jackets has now become a weekly thing in DFS. Their goaltending is below average and they sport a GA/60 at home of 2.65, 27th in the league. The Ducks are ranked 29th in GF/60 on the road, but don’t let that fool you—Anaheim should have no problem putting a few past whoever starts for Columbus.

Anaheim has decided to split up Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, so your best bet is to choose the trio that will matchup against Columbus’ terrible second line. If the trend continues, Rickard Rakell, Patrick Marron and Perry would be the players to stack. Stacking all three would be an option in GPPs, but the real value lies with Rakell/Perry. Both play together on the top power play unit and both are reasonably priced on DK (Rakell more than Perry). Pair them with Cam Fowler and/or Sami Vatanen and you have yourself a very good-looking power play combo.

If you want to go full Ducks stack on DK, John Gibson is probably the second best cash game option behind Quick. The team’s lack of scoring on the road does worry me a bit, but Gibson has been amazing all season long. He’s an excellent value on DK in comparison to Quick.

Other options to Consider

Colorado Avalanche @ Ottawa Senators: The Avs give up a ton of shots per game, but so do the Senators. The Sens are playing their second game in as many nights, so Colorado’s top line is an option to consider.

Washington Capitals @ Minnesota Wild: The Caps average 2.90 GF/60 on the road—the most in the NHL. The Wild are a good defensive team at home, but slowing down Alex Ovechkin and company could be a challenge. The Caps top line won’t be heavily owned, but they are worth a flier in a large GPP.

San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames: I hate trusting the San Jose Sharks, but they have a pretty nice matchup against the below average Flames. Brent Burns is the only player worth playing in cash games, but his salary is just too high for me to roster him. Still, if you decide you want to tilt on a Thursday night, roll with the Sharks and pray to the hockey gods.

Player Rankings

Ranking are price sensitive

DraftKings

Forwards

Rickard Rakell—Anaheim Ducks–$4600
Connor McDavid—Edmonton Oilers–$6500
Joe Thornton—San Jose Sharks–$5400
Jeff Carter—Los Angeles Kings–$5800
Leon Draisaitl—Edmonton Oiler–$5300
Joe Pavelski—San Jose Sharks–$7900
Nathan MacKinnon—Colorado Avalanche–$6600

Wingers

Jordan Eberle—Edmonton Oilers–$5400
David Perron—Anaheim Ducks–$4300
Tyler Toffoli—Los Angeles Kings–$6100
Corey Perry—Anaheim Ducks–$6500
Taylor Hall—Edmonton Oilers–$6700
Ryan O’Reilly—Buffalo Sabres–$6000
Mike Hoffman—Ottawa Senators–$5600

Defenseman

Darnell Nurse—Edmonton Oilers–$3400
Alec Martinez—Los Angeles Kings–$4600
Andrej Sekera—Edmonton Oilers–$4200
Nick Holden—Colorado Avalanche–$3900
Rasmus Ristolainen—Buffalo Sabres–$5600
Sami Vatanen—Anaheim Ducks–$5000
Drew Doughty—Los Angeles Kings–$6100
Brent Burns—San Jose Sharks–$8100

Goalie

John Gibson—Anaheim Ducks–$7100
Cam Talbot—Edmonton Oilers–$7000
Jonathan Quick—Los Angeles Kings–$8200
Braden Holtby—Washington Capitals–$8500
Martin Jones—San Jose Sharks–$7300

FanDuel

Forwards

Leon Draisaitl—Edmonton Oilers–$4700
Ryan O’Reilly—Buffalo Sabres–$4500
Joe Thornton—San Jose Sharks–$6200
Rickard Rakell—Anaheim Ducks–$6100
Connor McDavid—Edmonton Oilers–$6900
Jeff Carter—Los Angeles Kings–$6800
Nicklas Backstrom—Washington Capitals–$6900

LW

David Perron—Anaheim Ducks–$4900
Mike Hoffman—Ottawa Senators–$5800
Taylor Hall—Edmonton Oilers–$7100
Alexander Ovechkin—Washington Capitals–$9500
Marian Gaborik—Los Angeles Kings–$5500

RW

Tyler Toffoli—Los Angeles Kings–$5700
Jordan Eberle—Edmonton Oilers–$5800
Corey Perry—Anaheim Ducks–$7300
Matt Duchene—Colorado Avalanche–$7200
Joe Pavelski—San Jose Sharks–$8200

Defenseman

Tyson Barrie—Colorado Avalanche–$4100
Rasmus Ristolainen—Buffalo Sabres–$4100
Darnell Nurse—Edmonton Oilers–$3000
Sami Vatanen—Anaheim Ducks–$4600
Brent Burns—San Jose Sharks–$6700
Drew Doughty—Los Angeles Kings–$6400
Erik Karlsson—Ottawa Senators–$7700

Goalie

Jonathan Quick—Los Angeles Kings–$8200
John Gibson—Anaheim Ducks–$7800
Cam Talbot—Edmonton Oilers–$7200
Martin Jones—San Jose Sharks–$8100

FantasyDraft

Forwards

Vincent Lecavalier—Los Angeles Kings–$7200
Leon Draisaitl—Edmonton Oilers–$11,000
Rickard Rakell—Anaheim Ducks–$9200
Jeff Carter—Los Angeles Kings–$12,000
Connor McDavid—Edmonton Oilers–$13,500
Matt Duchene—Colorado Avalanche–$13,500
Ryan Getzlaf—Anaheim Ducks–$11,700

Wingers

David Perron—Anaheim Ducks–$8500
Jordan Eberle—Edmonton Oilers–$11,100
Mike Hoffman—Ottawa Senators–$11,700
Taylor Hall—Edmonton Oilers–$13,900
Tyler Toffoli—Los Angeles Kings–$12,600
Corey Perry—Anaheim Ducks–$13,600
Ryan O’Reilly—Buffalo Sabres–$12,500

Defenseman

Nick Holden—Colorado Avalanche–$7600
Darnell Nurse—Edmonton Oilers–$6600
Sami Vatanen—Anaheim Ducks–$10,300
Drew Doughty—Los Angeles Kings–$12,400
Tyson Barrie—Colorado Avalanche–$11,600
Erik Karlsson—Ottawa Senators–$15,600
Brent Burns—San Jose Sharks–$16,700

Team G

Edmonton Oilers–$16,200
AnaheimDucks–$17,500
San Jose Sharks–$16,700
Los Angeles Kings–$19,400
Buffalo Sabres–$15,900

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