Fantasy Hockey cheat sheet: DraftKings NHL DFS top picks, values, lineup strategy for October 12

The NHL season kicks off Tuesday with two lopsided games. The Tampa Bay Stanley Cup champion Lightning hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pittsburgh will be without its top two centers Sidney Crosby (wrist) and Evgeni Malkin (knee). Game 2 features the Seattle Kraken expansion visiting the Vegas Golden Knights.

Here’s a look at a few options to consider when building your NHL rosters on DraftKings for the opening night.

Define your DraftKings fantasy hockey rosters here: Launch of the NHL’s $ 200,000 opening puck [$50K to 1st]

Top Line Stacks

Lightning against Penguins

Ondrej Palat ($ 5,800) – Brayden Point ($ 7,300) – Nikita Kucherov ($ 8,000)

The Point-Kucherov duo have high-end chemistry and connected for 5.44 goals per 60 minutes in the 2019-20 campaign. Palat is a useful third wheel who quietly registered 46 points in 55 games last season, including 20 with the power play. Expect Pittsburgh to have a hard time slowing down the Tampa Bay # 1 line.

Golden Knights vs. Kraken

Peyton Krebs ($ 2,500) – Nolan Patrick ($ 3,600) – Evgenii Dadonov ($ 3,900)

This is an encouraging line. While Krebs and Patrick have yet to prove themselves at the top level, both bring offensive pedigree from the lower levels and were top-level selections. Additionally, Dadonov has three 25-goal games on his resume. Look for the Patrick-Krebs-Dadonov line to also see plenty of five-on-five clashes with the Kraken likely focused on slowing the top two lines in Vegas.

Superstar to build

Steven Stamkos, VG v PIT ($ 5,900) – This is a manageable salary to target the proven marker. Stamkos is a high-volume shooter with 284 points – 118 goals – in 255 games over the past four seasons. He’s also a good addition to Lightning’s line stack as he also skates with the # 1 power play unit.

Value in case of infringement

Reilly Smith, VGK v SEA ($ 4000) – After scoring just 14 goals with an 11.3% shooting percentage last season, a rebound campaign from Smith should come as no surprise. He remains in an attacking role and has attempted a respectable 13.09 shots per 60 minutes over the past three seasons.

Ryan Donato, SEA at VGK ($ 2,700) – Despite his scoring ability and offensive talent, the 25-year-old forward has not been able to establish himself as a two-six baseman to date. Donato is also not expected to fill that role with the Kraken at this time. Yet he is a candidate to be rewarded on his low salary. Donato probably won’t be a popular target on Tuesday either.

Goalkeeper

Andrei Vasilevskiy, VG v PIT ($ 8,000) – This salary is not prohibitive enough to make Vasilevskiy disappear. Even in the small pool of players, and with the Russian probably the most popular option at net, there are ways to differentiate your lineup around him. As noted, the Penguins are missing their brace down center and Vasilevskiy has won 172 games with a .921 save percentage over the past five seasons.

Philipp Grubauer, SEA at VGK ($ 7,000) – Those looking for an affordable contrarian option could certainly turn to Grubauer. The Kraken could hang on to Vegas in a low-scoring game, which would give Grubauer the opportunity to re-value as the cheapest starting goalie on Tuesday. There is obviously a risk in supporting Grubauer and the Kraken, however.

Value on defense

Mikhail Sergachev, VG v PIT ($ 3,400) – The 23-year-old defenseman has focused on improving his shooting and attacking play during the offseason. It wasn’t exactly an area of ​​weakness, however. Given that Sergachev has passed 30 points in each of his first four full seasons in the league, that salary is a discount.

Carson Soucy, SEA at VGK ($ 2,600) – Close to the minimum wage, Soucy offers a modest floor in addition to the relief ceiling it offers. You’ll want to make sure he dresses up for opening night, but as long as he’s in the lineup, the 27-year-old defenseman is a candidate to help in the outlying categories. It is also possible that Soucy is playing career record minutes, which raises his floor. However, expectations have yet to be brought under control.

Power-play defender

Victor Hedman, VG v PIT ($ 6,300) – Another must-have option for the Lightning, Hedman racked up 130 power-play points over the past five seasons, while placing fourth in defenseman points last season. There is also a high floor due to its volume of fire and willingness to block shots.

Shea Theodore, VGK v SEA ($ 5,700) – The 26-year-old defenseman ranks second in 60-minute shot attempts among defenders over the past two seasons and has 88 points – 21 goals – in 124 games during the period. Please note that Theodore is treating an undisclosed injury, but he is expected to adjust on Tuesday. This salary is also probably a bit short considering Theodore’s excellent production over the past two years.

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