Well that didn’t take long.
Opening night in the NHL belonged to the 2016 number one overall draft pick, Auston Matthews.
We knew he was good. But nobody could have predicted that his NHL debut would have him scoring 4 goals.
Welcome to the 2016-17 season, which is already beginning to look like it could be one of the best years in recent memory. There is a fresh crop of young talent (Matthews, McDavid, Gaudreau) while the previous slew of superstars are still in their prime (Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane).
This will lead to a lot of offense. And as NHL DFS players, we will have plenty of opportunities to capitalize on it.
It’s only been one night, so I’m still not exactly sure what the best way to play the new rules on FanDuel will be. I’m starting to lean towards mini stacks rather than full line stacks.
You need to look no further than Matthews for a prime example why. He may have had 4 goals, but his line mates William Nylander (2 assists) and Zach Hyman (1 assist) did not fare quite as well. And since they are no longer receiving positive points just from +/-, they didn’t reap the same benefits on the fantasy scoresheet.
Matthews would have made for a great standalone play with a St. Louis power play stack or something along those lines. Which is something to keep in mind when building lineups on FD in the future. If you’re going to stack the full line, you need all of them to find the stat sheet to make it worth your while.
Tonight’s slate has 9 games all starting within an hour and a half of each other. It will be a quick night of hockey with a ton of action.
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Let’s take a look at the games and see if we can peg where the goals will be.
7 p.m. Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
You’ve got to feel a little bit bad for the Sabres. Just when they seemed ready to turn things around, they lose two of their best players during preseason.
Kyle Okposo was already scheduled to miss his first game as a Sabre because of a knee injury, and now top center Jack Eichel is likely out 2 months because of a high ankle sprain he suffered at the last practice before the season starts.
Ouch.
But we can’t dwell on the Sabres misfortune, we can only try to turn it into opportunity with our DFS rosters.
I like the Canadiens top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendon Gallagher. The trio also sees PP1 minutes together and will have plenty of looks at the net tonight, as Montreal will spend a lot of time in Buffalo’s zone tonight. They’re a GPP and borderline cash play.
The addition of Shea Weber will also boost the power play in Montreal.
Weber is the opposite of former power play QB P.K.Subban. Where Subban used to try to do a bit too much by himself, Weber makes the simple plays, and also shoot the puck over 100 mph. He’s a good option in all formats tonight.
I also want to mention that Alex Radulov of the Canadiens makes his return from the KHL tonight.
If you remember him from his days in Nashville then you already know that he is a dynamic player with creative hands. The knock against him is also that he can sometimes do his own thing without regard for the system the team is running.
He is an outstanding talent though, so it might be worth it to take a GPP shot with him and his second line center Tomas Plekanec.
7 p.m. New York Islanders at New York Rangers
It’s weird to write about the Islanders without mentioning Kyle Okposo.
The Islanders have a different look this year, and I can’t say that it’s for the better.
I still like John Tavares in most DFS situations, but a line stack here could be tough as they face their cross town rivals. He’s currently listed on the top line with Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera. Picking two from the line should be used in contrarian situations only.
For the Rangers, we finally get to see Jimmy Vesey in big leagues action. He’s listed at $3,900 on FD, which is a bargain. When you see the kid play, you’ll understand why.
Vesey was the most sought after rookie since Eric Lindros, and the former Harvard captain is already slated to skate with the top line of Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello.
I like this line a lot. And i like their matchup even better. They get a weakened Islanders team at home. I’d say they’re a definite GPP play and probably one of the better cash options as well.
Speaking of GPP options, look to the Rangers third line if you want a chance to surprise some people tonight. JT Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Rick Nash will see even strength minutes together, and while Nash is not the perennial scoring threat of 8 years ago, he’s also not expected to be, which might make all the difference while playing less minutes with two capable line mates.
Nash also sees power play minutes with Vesey, Stepan and Zuccarello.
7 p.m. Boston Bruins at Columbus Blue Jackets
I don’t really trust hockey teams coached by John Tortorella anymore, so i’ll be looking to matchup against the Blue Jackets as often as possible this year. I don’t care how good their goaltending is. Bobrovsky can’t stop 40 shots every night.
Boston’s top line looks good. David Backes will center Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. They also see PP1 minutes together with defenseman Torey Krug. All four are solid plays in all formats tonight.
Make sure to check the goalies after practice reports as well. I expect Tuukka Rask to get the start, and if he does he’s a play in all formats as well.
7:30 p.m. Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is the better team in this matchup and they’re healthy for their home opener.
Pick anybody from their top 6 and hope you’ve got it right, because any one of them could be the stud on a given night this early in the year.
I am loving this top line of Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Drouin.
Drouin played incredible during Tampa’s playoff run last season with 14 points in 17 games (after putting up only 10 through 21 games in the regular season.)
It seems like he parlayed that performance into a spot on the top line to start 16-17. And it should be a good one. They’re a play in all formats.
The second line is also dangerous with Tyler Johnson centering Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov. That’s a lot of depth up front, and either line could outscore the other.
One thing i do know is that defenseman Anton Stralman is getting the start on the top power play unit. I still think Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman is the better of the two, but as long as Stralman is seeing the power play minutes, he should also see time in your DFS lineups.
7:30 p.m. New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers
The Panthers are without Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad to start the season. Which hurts a little. But looking through the lineup you realize just how deep this Florida team is.
Jaromir Jagr has proven himself to be just so damn consistent when it comes to scoring points, even at the age of 44. He had 27 goals and 66 points in 79 games last year. He’s playing with Alex Barkov and Jonathan Marchessault on the top line. They’re a play in all formats.
Florida’s power play will also be underrated this year, as they finished 15-16 as the 23rd ranked power play team in the league.
The addition of Keith Yandle will change that.
Yandle never looked fully comfortable with his role for the New York Rangers last season. Hopefully Florida uses him properly. He’s a smart defenseman with great vision and likes to get creative in the offensive zone. He’s seeing PP1 minutes along with Aaron Ekblad, and I like them both in all formats tonight. Maybe even stacked together, as they see even strength minutes together as well.
For the Devils, I’m very intrigued by this new top line of Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, and Devante Smith-Pelly. They should get some GPP consideration at the least.
Hall is a terrific open-ice player. New Jersey typically plays a more closed type of system with an aggressive forecheck. Hall’s potential in Jersey is polarized because of this.
He will either flourish in this system like Ilya Kovalchuk and Scott Gomez did. Or it will be another failed experiment at converting a skilled player like Martin Havlat a few years back.
Hall is still young and has great hockey sense. You get the feeling that the former top draft pick will do what it takes to make it work in Jersey. I hope that it does and that his best offensive years are still in front of him.
8 p.m. Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues
On day 2 of the NHL season i’m already eating my words.
The Blues played last night, and they looked good.
I’ll take pride in the fact that I at least called my shot with Kevin Shattenkirk. Right after saying that I expect big things out of him, he goes out and puts up a goal and 2 assists on day 1.
I’m expecting more out of him going forward. Keep the points coming.
I’d rather figure out on day 2 that I was wrong than to spend the first couple of weeks betting against the Blues and being wrong. After that convincing 5-2 win over Chicago last night, I’m back on the Blues bandwagon.
Vlad Tarasenko looked great, but again, this didn’t translate directly into point for his line mates David Perron and Jori Lehtera.
Top line players Paul Stastny and Alex Steen, however, both enjoyed big nights as well, as the Blues power play was dominant and they also added two empty net goals.
I’d say Stastny and Steen are a go in all formats if you’re looking for a mini stack. They’re current winger, Robby Fabbri is an OK punt option.
And yes, Shattenkirk is still a play in all formats, and will be for the foreseeable future.
8 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets
Nothing jumps off the page on Carolina’s side of the puck other than defenseman Justin Faulk. Most of the offense for the Hurricane’s runs through him so he’s a solid standalone play in all formats.
If you’re looking for a GPP option, i like Carolina’s second line of Joakim Nordstrom, Jordan Staal, and Andrej Nestrasil. This line spent some time together last year and also strung together a couple point streaks. If one line gets hot in Carolina, it will most likely be them.
The Winnipeg Jets are the interesting team in this matchup, especially in their home opener.
You have to start by talking about the first line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler. This line will be fast. And if they heat up they can score in bunches. You also don’t have to worry about them playing run and gun and letting in goals, so taking a shot with them in GPP’s should come more often this season.
But if you want to piggyback off of last night’s trend, look no further than the Jets third line.
Patrik Laine was the second overall pick in 2016. That’s one pick behind, you guessed it, Auston Matthews.
And there was a time this past summer when scouts were back-and-forth on who should go first. Laine, who is more outspoken than Matthews, made the case for himself publicly saying he was confident he would be the better NHL player.
Nows your chance to prove it, bud.
It’s almost impossible to match Matthews’ output from last night, but you can bet it will be more fresh in Laine’s mind than anybody else’s as he lines up to play his NHL debut. He’s skating on the third line with Kyle Connor and Mathieu Perrault. They’ll be on my GPP radar, for sure.
8 p.m. Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins
Here is two of the best goal-scoring teams in the league, even without Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh’s lineup.
The problem is, these teams do not like each other, and always play each other tough. So don’t expect one of the 10 goal outbursts like last night’s action.
With that being said, Alex Ovechkin is one of the best pure goal-scorer’s in NHL history, and as long as he can lace them up he’s a solid target in all formats.
He’s skating on a line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Oshie.
For Pittsburgh, I really like they’re second line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel. You can bet Kessel will still be playing with a chip on his shoulder, as even after winning a Stanley Cup his first year in Pittsburgh, people still question his work ethic and he was overlooked for the USA World Cup of Hockey team.
They’re a solid GPP option along with Pens defenseman Kris Letang.
8:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars
If Tyler Seguin plays, which all signs point to him doing so, then this line is a solid play in all formats. He’s skating with Jamie Benn and Patrick Eaves.
Benn and Seguin are always heavily owned on the nights they play, but they’re well worth the price as they are two of the most consistent scorers in the league and as matchup proof as it gets in the NHL.
I also like Stars defenseman John Klingberg. He’s the QB on the PP1 and has built pretty strong chemistry with Benn and Seguin. A power play stack could pay dividends, even with a strong defensive opponent like Anaheim.
Anaheim has chosen to start the year with Ryan Getlaf and Corey Perry on separate lines. I will never understand why they do this, as these two obviously play better together. But this points me to fade Anaheim’s top 6 and look for a GPP option on the Ducks third line of Andrew Cogliano, Ryan Kelser and Nick Sorensen.
Best of luck tonight and see you in the DFS Army SlackChat!