NHL Building Blocks – December 28
Hockey is back! It felt so nice to have some action on the ice last night. We’re right back to it tonight with a four-gamer.
The premise of each article in this series is to feature starting spots (building blocks) for your lines. These are plays that are cash-viable as well as GPP-worthy and can be considered in all contest formats.
Starting Lineup – DECEMBER 28
The Goalie: Thatcher Demko ($8100 DK / $8000 FD)
Will be the other highly-owned goalie as he (17-7-1 / 2.46 / .917) has been one of the league’s best goalies this season, anchoring a solid Canucks defense to the second best goals allowed average (2.51) and a top 10 penalty kill (as well as aiding in earning the most points in the league). Philly doesn’t inspire offensively, ranking 24th in goals per game and featuring the league’s worst power play (10.8%). Vancouver has also won seven of its last nine games, and I see that level of success continuing tonight.
The Center: Connor McDavid ($9500 DK / $10200 FD)
Been on an incredible run (34 points in his last 18 games) and shouldn’t have trouble continuing that tonight; has moved up to a tie for seventh in scoring after a slow (by his standards) start.
The Wing: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($5600 DK / $6900 FD)
Could have gone with Hyman, but we’re going with RNH for the exact same correlation at a big discount. He’s averaging a point per game (only eight goals) and sees 20 minutes of ice time, and he and the rest of the Oilers’ offense should have a ton of opportunities tonight.
The Defenseman: Quinn Hughes ($7000 DK / $7700 FD)
Tied for fifth in the entire league in scoring (44 points in 35 games from the blue line in 24 and a half minutes per game) and leads the league in plus-minus at +28. Having an incredible season and is reasonably priced for his upside and matchup as well.
The Value: Andrei Svechnikov ($4900 DK / $5000 FD)
16 points in just 20 games and is very cheap; value and upside are both high in this one. Stack or consider as a one-off.
The Stack: EDM1 (McDavid/Hyman/Nugent-Hopkins)
Will be chalky on this small slate and for good reason: the Sharks have the worst defense in the league, giving up an abysmal 4.03 goals per game (dead last) and possessing a 72.9% penalty kill (29th); they are also on a five-game losing streak. The Oilers have looked for the last month like the Oilers of last year, winning 10 of their past 13 games and moving their power play up to fifth best in the league. Mix in Draisaitl and Bouchard as secondary pieces; these three are L1/PP1 together.
The Builder: CAR/EDM ML parlay
May 8, 2021; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his 100th point of the season on a goal by forward Leon Draisaitl (29) against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
