Holy smokes everybody it is time for NHL to start back up. If you didn’t already know, the DFS Army is changing the fantasy preparation game in a big way this year. Here at the Army we have a plethora of new/returning coaches, a more effective version of our cheat sheets, and our IT experts have tweaked our domination station to be even more accurate and user friendly. Come gain access to our discord, communicate with the top coaches in the game, and make fun of me whenever you want! Now, onto opening night!
Slate Overview:
Let’s just cut the crap right off the bat. Everyone wants to play Connor Bedard and rightfully so. Bedard as an 18 year old rookie, is probably a top 5 or 10 talent in the world, but there is one problem. He plays for the crappy Chicago Blackhawks! Honestly, he is a good play for opening night, because I think Pittsburgh’s defensemen are bad at defense; but I don’t think Bedard is an auto-play in game 1. If you do play him, I suggest some sort of Taylor Hall or Seth Jones correlation.
Until we figure out if the Lightning are going to get an emergency goalie from another team, we have to assume their goalie situation will be bad. I say this because Andre Vasilevskiy is dead. Ok, not dead, but he literally has a broken back, which sucks for him as well as the Lightning. You cannot easily replace $9.5M goaltenders, even though the Lightning’s defense has been their staple for years. Long story long this makes the Predators on the road a both cost effective and unique play. I’m not sure how popular they will be on the road against the Lightning, with the opposition liking other mid-tier stacks; however, the Predators have the Sean stamp of approval of a high-upside GPP winning potential stack.
I think that overall the goalie position is a bit of crapshoot opening week. Opening night wise, I think that Adin Hill is probably your chalky cash game goalie, while Juuse Saros is my favorite goalie in tournaments.
Now, let’s snipe some picks!
Snipe #1 – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Chicago is going to have their struggles this year in goal and defensively. By the end of the year I would be surprised if they weren’t in the bottom 5 of goals against. Chicago is also the team that spoiled the Penguins season last year by denying their playoff hopes. Kyle Dubas’ Penguins are at home, pissed off, and are searching for another playoff birth in 2023. They also have a new shot in the arm acquiring Erik Karlsson from the Sharks. The Penguins should have one of the best powerplays in the league, and rumor has it that both Letang and Karlsson are going to be on the first unit. I like to have my stacks correlate on their regular lines as well as on the powerplay. Which is why I am all over Rakell who has been skating with Crosby ever since he was acquired from the Ducks last year at the trade deadline. Feel free to stack with one or both of Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, depending on how weird you want to get. My man-crush on Erik Karlsson is no secret, and he should be excited to get in front of his new fans on opening night.
Snipe #2 – Matty Beniers – Jared McCann – Jordan Eberle
Sneaky, sneaky! With how cheap the VGK are, it is so easy to click on them and ignore the Kraken. This is where we zig whilst everyone else zags. I believe that these 3 guys will also correlate on the top powerplay unit, which is always nice. Also, they should have gained tons of chemistry over the last year. Matty Beniers is a young stallion, Eberle is a crafty vet, and Jared McCann is a pure goal scorer. In fact, without looking, I believe McCann eclipsed 40 goals last year. Which, for me, puts him in the “elite” category of NHL goal scorers. Seattle fans should love the Leafs for not protecting him. I get the worry of the Seattle stack, I do. Vegas has a stout and giant defense, and Adin Hill proved to be a good and equally giant goaltender. My thought here is that the ownership will be low and the upside will be there. This is a Kraken team that is hungry and looking to improve on their playoff appearance last season. Vegas will be raising their Stanley Cup banner, hangover anyone? I think that if Seattle can survive the first emotional moments from Vegas, they can strategically dissect them as the game goes on.
Apr 29, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) skates with the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Grinder #1 – Jamie Oleksiak – Strictly a DK play. Cheap defenseman that can nab you the blocked shot bonus.
Grinder #2 – Tanner Jeannot – Honestly, no real analysis here, which is always great. But; REVENGE NARRATIVE!
Grinder #3 – Ivan Barbashev – I don’t know what is happening salary wise on DK.
Grinder #4 – Andre Burakovsky – I don’t know what is happening salary wise on DK part 2.
Grinder #5 – Ryan McDonaugh – REVENGE NARRATIVE again! Except the other way. McDonaugh is actually going to be a useful and important “jack of all trades” player for Nashville.
Bankroll Grinder – As of right now, I can grab a 2 game parlay of the Nashville money-line & the CHI/PIT over 6.5 total at a cool +362. Don’t forget to check out the Sharp App as well for expert betting information.
