NHL Building Blocks – February 18
Small two-game slate tonight to end the weekend. NOTE: DK has a three-game all-day and a two-game “main slate,” while FD has just a three-game main. 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 – February 18
The Goalie: Alexander Georgiev ($8400 DK / $8400 FD)
Good spot tonight facing an average-at-best Coyotes offense that has lost eight games in a row. Georgiev has been above average this season (28-13-3 / 2.94 / .897), but he’s got the league’s second-highest goals per game average (3.67) in front of him.
The Center: Nathan Mackinnon ($9800 DK/ $10500 FD)
Highest upside on the slate tonight (and the priciest). 89 points (second most in the league) in just 55 games; also second most shots (250) and shouldn’t have any trouble being effective tonight.
The Wing: Artemi Panarin ($DK/ $9000 FD)
Seventh in goals and sixth in overall scoring; five points in his last five and should miss the Isles’ top line, which could open things up even more.
The Defenseman: Noah Dobson ($DK / $7800 FD)
One of the best floor-ceiling combos on the blue line and in a tough matchup against a strong Rangers team. 55 points in 53 games; also 123 shots and 129 blocks.
The Value: Jonathan Drouin ($3900 DK / $4500 FD)
Always viable skating with Mackinnon and Rantanen; 10 goals on the season (four on the power play) and a nice price. Doesn’t need to do much in a positive matchup to pay off his salary.
The Stack: COL1 (Mackinnon-Rantanen-Drouin-Makar)
Highest upside grouping tonight; the Avs’ second-best offense shouldn’t have a ton of issue generating chances against a slumping Coyotes team. These four are L1/PP1 together; add in Lehkonen or Toews as secondary pieces.
The Builder: NYR/COL ML parlay
Nathan MacKinnon, No. 29, and his Colorado Avalanche teammates celebrate his goal in the second period of Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday.Julio Aguilar / Getty Images
