NHL Building Blocks – January 22
Good-sized slate of six games with some exciting matchups. Let’s dive in!
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 – January 22
The Goalie: Thatcher Demko ($8500 DK / $8700 FD)
Will be a popular goalie on the slate given the matchup; Chicago can’t score at all (2.22 goals per game, second to last in the league, as well as the league’s worst power play), while the Canucks’ defense is solid (2.54 goals allowed average). Demko (24-8-1 / 2.47 / .919) is in the Vezina discussion, and rightly so; he’s also won his last six starts, and I don’t see why he doesn’t make it seven in a row tonight. Expensive, but solid.
The Center: Elias Pettersson ($8500 DK/ $10000 FD)
Looking every bit like the superstar he is; 25 goals (second on the team) and 61 points (also second) in just 46 games; 12 goals in his past 10 games and shooting nearly 20% on the season. Great upside. (Wing-eligible only on DK.)
The Wing: David Pastrnak ($9900 DK/ $10500 FD)
Leading the league in shots with 239 in just 45 games and third in scoring with 66 points (including 30 goals). Matchup-proof and in a nice spot tonight against the Jets; five goals and four assists in his past four games.
The Defenseman: Quinn Hughes ($7400 DK / $8000 FD)
Highest upside defenseman on the slate tonight facing a horrible Chicago defense. 11th in the league in scoring (and tops among defensemen) with 56 points in 46 games; sees nearly 24 and a half minutes of ice time per game as well. Great floor and ceiling here.
The Value: Pavel Dorofeev ($3700 DK / $4800 FD)
Been shuffled up onto L1/PP1 in Eichel’s absence and has played fairly well (three points and 15 shots in his past four games); good matchup against a below-average defense. One-off or stack.
The Stack: VAN1 (Miller-Boeser-Pettersson-Hughes)
The chalk team of the night facing the lowly Blackhawks. The Canucks have the best goals scored average (3.84) in hockey and they go up against a team that allows the fourth most per game. Vancouver continues to be an elite team overall, winning eight of their past 10 games and leading the Western Conference. These four are together on L1/PP1; mix and match or (if you can) stack together; Boeser is tied for sixth in goals (27) and the other three are all in the top 11 in scoring. Elite play, but popular.
The Builder: VAN/LAK ML parlay
(April 18, 2023) David Pastrnak, left, celebrates with center Pavel Zacha after scoring a goal. BRIAN FLUHARTY/USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS.COM