NHL Building Blocks – January 5
Happy Friday! Let’s kick off the weekend with a nice three-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 – January 5
The Goalie: Vitek Vanecek ($8300 DK / $8200 FD)
The best matchup on paper as the Devils face the Blackhawks who just can’t get anything going offensively this season. Vanecek goes up against a team that scores 2.35 goals per game, second to last in the league, and while he hasn’t been stellar this season (13-7-1 / 3.35 / .883), he should be able to do enough in this one.
The Center: Jack Hughes ($9900 DK / $10000 FD)
Highest upside on the slate, and for good reason; 45 points in 30 games (tied for 10th in the league) and averaging four and a half shots per game (and will have a lot of opportunities tonight).
The Wing: Gabriel Vilardi ($5800 DK/ $6400 FD)
16 points in 19 games and in a good matchup tonight; like the savings over Ehlers for the same correlation.
The Defenseman: Luke Hughes ($4500 DK / $5200 FD)
Seven goals and 15 assists in 36 games this season and having a really nice rookie campaign; four-game points streak (three goals and three assists) and in a great matchup tonight. Great price on both sites as well.
The Value: Michael Bunting ($3900 DK)
Four points in his past five games and is up to third on the team in scoring; really nice price for a L2/PP1 skater, and the Canes have a good matchup tonight.
The Value #2: Max Pacioretty ($3600 FD)
Played 11 minutes in his first game back and that should increase tonight; has upside with the Canes not being that good defensively.
The Stack: NJ1 (Hughes/Bratt/Toffoli)
Will absolutely be the chalk of the slate. Devils average 3.53 goals per game (tops in the league) and have the league’s best power play at 30.5%, while Chicago These three are together on L1 and PP1 and should be affordable with some of the other teams on the slate; Hischier (who went off last game) and Luke Hughes have nice upside again, so mix and match.
The Builder: NJ/WPG ML parlay
Nov 5, 2022; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; New Jersey Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
