NHL Building Blocks – April 4
Solid slate of nine games tonight as we approach the weekend. 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 – April 4
The Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8200 DK / $8400 FD)
The Lightning played last night, beating the Leafs, and tonight they get an easier matchup against the Canadiens. Montreal’s offense has been stagnant all season (27th in goals scored and 26th in power play), and they’ve only scored 25 goals in their past 10 games. Vas has been playing very well, winning eight of his last 10 starts; he’s also got the league’s fifth-best penalty kill in front of him.
The Center: Sidney Crosby ($8500 DK/ $8600 FD)
Five goals and six assists in his last five games and continues to play hard even though the Pens are out of it; they get Ovie and the Caps tonight, and he always shows up for that one.
The Wing: Nikita Kucherov ($9600 DK/ $10100 FD)
Leads the league with 130 points and has a goal (21 shots) and six assists in his last five games; Montreal won’t have an answer for him.
The Defenseman: Roman Josi ($8000 DK / $8500 FD)
One of the best floor-ceiling combos in the league; 76 points in 75 games on the season (goal and four helpers) in his last five and averages over three shots and nearly two blocks per game.
The Value: Eetu Luostarinen ($7200 DK / $4000 FD)
Two assists in L5 and skating on L1; sees time in all three situations. Sens’ defense is bad, but they do shoot a lot.
The Stack: TB1 (Kucherov-Point-Stamkos-Paul-Hedman)
Great spot for the Bolts’ offense going up against a Montreal defense allowing the third most shots and eighth most goals per game in the league. Tampa Bay is 9-2 in their past 11 games and is rounding into playoff form, averaging over four goals per game during this streak, and they have the league’s best power play at 28.9%. Mix and match.
The Builder: TB/LAK ML parlay
Oct 21, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
