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 v. Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes found a way to pick up a win yesterday against the Calgary Flames in Calgary, but they have no chance of winning this one against Edmonton. I’m not saying the Oilers are unbeatable at home, but the Coyotes are playing back-to-back games and Edmonton has a couple of young kids who can score some goals. This matchup gets even better if Nikas Treutle gets the start.

There’s really only one elite option in Edmonton, and that option is Taylor Hall and Connor McDavid. The two best players on the team are now playing with each other, which is great news for DFS players. Sure, they aren’t cheap to roster, but you’re going to need to roster some elite talent, and those two are as good as it gets.

If you want to move off the high ownership of McDavid/Hall, Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle and Patrick Maroon is the line to stack in GPPs and Eberle/Draisailt is the mini-stack to roll with in cash games. Draisaitl has been quiet over his last ten games, but the young center should see very little of Arizona’s top defensive pairing and still has two capable scorers playing on each side of him.

On defense, Andrej Sekera is a solid option to consider tonight. He plays on the top power play unit with McDavid and Hall, so a power play stack with Sekera would work. His price tag is a little inflated on DK, but over on FD and FantasyDraft, he’s worth a roster spot.

Ottawa Senators v. Toronto Maple Leafs

It’s hard to trust either of these teams, but at home, Ottawa is the better option. The Sens are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, so every game becomes a “must win” for them. The Leafs on the other hand are playing for next season. As a team, the Leafs have been better over the last two weeks, but with so much inexperience in the lineup, it’s easy for opponents to find a weakness in their lineup and exploit it. Ottawa also sports a 2.06 GA/60 at home—ranked 12^th best in the NHL.

The problem in Ottawa is trying to figure out who is going to play with whom. The Sens top-9 at this exact moment (10AM ET) looks like this:

 

	RW	C	LW
Line 1	Zack Smith	Jean Gabriel Pageau	Mark Stone
Line 2	Mike Hoffman	Mika Zibanejad	Alex Chiasson
Line 3	Ryan Dzingel	Scott Gomez	Bobby Ryan

(Lines provided by DailyFaceoff.com)

I’m not going to lie, picking a line tonight is going to be a challenge (assuming they don’t change), so your best bet is to target individual players with skill. Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman are the best options on the board. Their price tags are reasonable priced and they both play together on the second power play unit. Scott Gomez and Bobby Ryan play together on the third line and on the power play unit, but Gomez is really a hit-or-miss play tonight. He’s not going to take many shots, so he will need to generate at least one point to hit any kind of value.

The best mini-stack however belongs to Zack Smith and Stone. The two have been unstoppable over their last ten games (Smith: 7G, 11 points, Stone 3G, 11 points) and they play together on the second power play unit with Hoffman. Smith’s price tag on DK and FantasyDraft is way too good to pass up, making him a must play tonight if you’re stacking Ottawa. So, to recap which mini-stacks are worth roster, here’s how I’d rank them:

 

1. Zack Smith–Mark Stone
2. Mark Stone–Mike Hoffman
3. Scott Gomez–Bobby Ryan

On the blue line, Erik Karlsson is as elite as it gets. He’s going to be on the ice a ton with Smith/Stone, so a three-man stack would definitely be the way to go. If you’re looking for a power play stack to go with, Cody Ceci is expected to see some time on the second power play unit, so a four-man stack of Ceci/Stone/Smith/Hoffman is an option to consider for GPPs.

Florida Panthers v. Philadelphia Flyers

The Panthers handed Ottawa a beating on Thursday night thanks to a strong performance from Jaromir Jagr and a four-point performance from Vincent Trocheck. No one is expecting Florida to repeat their six-goal performance again tonight against the Flyers, but Florida should be able to find a way to get a couple in the net.

Florida’s top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Jagr will be the line most DFS players target in cash games, but the line that should do the most damage is the second line of Jussi Jokinen, Reilly Smith and Trocheck. Against inferior competition, that line is unstoppable. Philadelphia has a strong top line that should match up with Florida’s top line, meaning Trocheck and company should see a lot of Sean Couturier and his line mates. The trio also plays together on the second man advantage unit, so no need to get creative to find a power play stack.

Only two defensemen are worth considering for this game: Aaron Ekblad and Brian Campbell. Ekblad joins Barkov and his line mates on the top power play unit, while Campbell joins Trocheck on the second unit. Campbell is a great value on DK and FantasyDraft, so I’d learn towards him in cash games. Ekblad isn’t terribly priced, but his value is much better on FD than anywhere else.

Other Options to Consider

• Montreal Canadiens v. Minnesota Wild: The Habs aren’t a great option tonight, but Alex Galchenyuk has been a wrecking ball over his last ten games, scoring 11 goals and averaging 5.3 DK FPPG. If anyone is going to score for Montreal, it’s going to be him.
• Los Angeles Kings v. New Jersey Devils: The Devils found a way to shutout the Sharks on Thursday, but they won’t repeat that result against a very good L.A team. Don’t get fooled here, Los Angeles isn’t going to destroy New Jersey, but they should be able to come out on top. Vincent Lecavalier and Tyler Toffoli are skating together on the second line and on the second power play unit. Alec Martinez joins them on the second unit as well, making all three a great power play stack.

Player Rankings

Rankings are price sensitive

DraftKings

Forwards

1. Scott Gomez—Ottawa Senators–$2600
2. Zack Smith—Ottawa Senators–$4100
3. Leon Draisaitl—Edmonton Oilers–$4500
4. Vincent Trocheck—Florida Panthers–$5100
5. Vincent Lecavalier—Los Angeles Kings–$3300
6. Connor McDavid—Edmonton Oilers–$7100
7. Alex Galchenyuk—Montreal Canadiens–$5100
8. Aleksander Barkov—Florida Panthers–$6300
9. Matt Duchene—Colorado Avalanche–$6500

Wingers

1. Nikita Soshnikov—Toronto Maple Leafs–$3600
2. Sven Andrighetto—Montreal Canadiens–$3700
3. Mark Stone—Ottawa Senators–$5600
4. Reilly Smith—Florida Panthers–$4800
5. Max Domi—Arizona Coyotes–$4900
6. Taylor Hall—Edmonton Oilers–$6500
7. Mike Hoffman—Ottawa Senators–$5500
8. Jaromir Jagr—Florida Panthers–$5500
9. Tyler Toffoli—Los Angeles Kings–$5600
10. Blake Wheeler—Winnipeg Jets–$$6800

Defenseman

1. Ben Hutton—Vancouver Canucks–$3900
2. Cody Ceci—Ottawa Senators–$3900
3. Brian Campbell—Florida Panthers–$4000
4. Aaron Ekblad—Florida Panthers-$5000
5. Erik Karlsson—Ottawa Senators–$8000
6. Andrej Sekera—Edmonton Oilers–$4500
7. Alec Martinez—Los Angeles Kings–$4700
8. Alex Pietrangelo—St. Louis Blues–$5700

Goalie

1. Cam Talbot—Edmonton Oilers–$7100
2. Jonathan Quick—Los Angeles Kings–$8400
3. Roberto Luongo—Florida Panthers–$8300
4. Craig Anderson—Ottawa Senators–$7800
5. Darcy Kuemper—Minnesota Wild–$7300

FanDuel

Forwards

1. Vincent Lecavalier—Los Angeles Kings–$4300
2. Scott Gomez—Ottawa Senators–$3600
3. Leon Draisaitl—Edmonton Oilers–$4300
4. Vincent Trocheck—Florida Panthers–$6400
5. Tyler Seguin—Dallas Stars–$6600
6. Connor McDavid—Edmonton Oilers–$7100
7. Aleksander Barkov—Florida Panthers–$6400
8. Matt Duchene—Colorado Avalanche–$6600
9. Alex Galchenyuk—Montreal Canadiens–$5900

 Wingers

 Right Wing

1. Sven Andrighetto—Montreal Canadiens–$3300
2. Leo Komarov—Toronto Maple Leafs–$4000
3. Bobby Ryan—Ottawa Senators–$4500
4. Reilly Smith—Florida Panthers–$4700
5. Tyler Toffoli—Los Angeles Kings–$5500
6. Mark Stone—Ottawa Senators–$6000
7. Jaromir Jagr—Florida Panthers–$5700

Left Wing

1. Nikita Soshnikov—Toronto Maple Leafs–$3400
2. Patrick Maroon—Edmonton Oilers–$4500
3. Mike Hoffman—Ottawa Senators–$4900
4. Zack Smith—Ottawa Senators–$5600
5. Max Domi—Arizona Coyotes–$5400
6. Jussi Jokinen—Florida Panthers–$6100
7. Taylor Hall—Edmonton Oilers–$6700
8. Jonathan Huberdeau—Florida Panthers-$6200

Defenseman

1. Cody Ceci—Ottawa Senators–$3800
2. Andrej Sekera—Edmonton Oilers–$3900
3. Aaron Ekblad—Florida Panthers–$4400
4. Kevin Shattenkirk—St. Louis Blues–$4800
5. Roman Josi—Nashville Predators–$5200
6. Erik Karlsson—Ottawa Senatros–$6700
7. Alec Martinez—Los Angeles Kings–$4600
8. Brian Campbell—Florida Panthers–$4200

Goalie

1. Jonathan Quick—Los Angeles Kings–$8600
2. Roberto Luongo—Florida Panthers–$8500
3. Cam Talbot—Edmonton Oilers–$8300
4. Braden Holtby—Washington Capitals–$9100
5. Craig Anderson—Ottawa Senators–$8500
6. Darcy Kuemper—Minnesota Wild–$7800

FantasyDraft

Forward

1. Zack Smith—Ottawa Senators–$8200
2. Vincent Lecavalier—Los Angeles Kings–$6500
3. Leon Draisaitl—Edmonton Oilers–$8900
4. Alex Galchenyuk—Montreal Canadiens–$10,600
5. Vincent Trocheck—Florida Panthers–$10,600
6. Jeff Carter—Los Angeles Kings–$12,500
7. Connor McDavid—Edmonton Oilers–$14,700
8. Aleksander Barkov—Florida Panthers–$13,100

Wingers

1. Nikita Soshnikov—Toronto Maple Leafs–$7200
2. Sven Andrighetto—Montreal Canadiens–$7500
3. Reilly Smith—Florida Panthers–$9900
4. Mike Hoffman—Ottawa Senators–$11,400
5. Mark Stone—Ottawa Senators–$11,600
6. Jaromir Jagr—Florida Panthers–$11,400
7. Taylor Hall—Edmonton Oilers–$13,500
8. Tyler Toffoli—Los Angeles Kings–$11,700
9. Daniel Sedin—Vancouver Canucks–$13,100

Defenseman

1. Brian Campbell—Florida Panthers–$7700
2. Ben Hutton—Vancouver Canucks–$7600
3. Cody Ceci—Ottawa Senators–$7600
4. Andrej Sekera—Edmonton Oilers–$9100
5. Aaron Ekblad—Florida Panthers–$10,300
6. Drew Doughty—Los Angeles Kings–$13,00
7. Erik Karlsson—Ottawa Senators–$16,400
8. Alec Martinez—Los Angeles Kings–$9500

 Team G

1. Edmonton Oilers–$13,900
2. Los Angeles Kings–$17,200
3. Florida Panthers–$16,900
4. Winnipeg Jets–$12,400
5. Ottawa Senators–$15,800
6. Washington Capitals–$17,200

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