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NHL Plays will highlight the best and the most underrated daily fantasy options among forwards, defensemen and goaltenders.
Please note, these players were chosen early in the day, so make sure to check NBC Sports EDGE’s player news for any lineup changes, injuries and potential changes in the crease for starting goaltenders.
Additionally, it is worth reminding everyone that FanDuel allows you to roster nine players (2C, 2W, 2D, 2UTIL 1G) with a salary cap of $55,000, while DraftKings has a cap of $50,000 for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 1G, 1UTIL) and Yahoo has a $200 budget for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 2G).
There are 13 games tomorrow, but keep in mind that a lot of them are early starts, so not every league will include every contest.
Forwards:
David Pastrnak (Boston) – W - $8,700 FanDuel, $15,600 DraftKings(*), $34 Yahoo
Pastrnak is a touch cheaper than the highest end choices in FanDuel, but he can be just as effective. He’s off to a strong start with six goals and 17 points in 16 contests and has been particularly good lately with 11 points in his last seven games. Note that in DraftKings, he’s available in the one-game Bruins-Rangers showdown, hence his unusual price. He’s a strong choice for your 1.5x player if you participate in that format.
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) – W - $8,200 FanDuel, $7,800 DraftKings, $29 Yahoo
With Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point both sidelined, the Lightning need Stamkos to lead their offense. Fortunately, he’s up to the task. He had a three-point game on Tuesday to climb to 10 goals and 22 points in 18 contests in 2021-22.
Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh) – W - $7,800 FanDuel, $6,400 DraftKings, $24 Yahoo
Guentzel is entering today’s contest on a seven-game point streak. He’s up to eight goals and 16 points in 18 contests this season. He’s a particularly good pick on DraftKings given his price point there.
Mika Zibanejad (NY Rangers) – C - $7,300 FanDuel, $12,600 DraftKings(*), $27 Yahoo
Zibanejad is a fine pick on FanDuel and Yahoo, but he’s particularly worth considering in the DraftKings’ single game league. He’s a regular contributor for the Rangers who has recorded at least a point in eight of his last 11 games. He has four goals and 16 points in 19 contests.
Nazem Kadri (Colorado) – C - $7,100 FanDuel, $7,200 DraftKings, $22 Yahoo
You won’t find many players who have done better than Kadri so far this season, which makes his price on FanDuel and Yahoo particularly good. He’s up to seven goals and 25 points in 16 contests, which is good for fourth place in the league. A lot of that production is due to his current 10-game point streak, where he’s scored six goals and 21 points.
Filip Forsberg (Nashville) – W - $6,400 FanDuel, $7,900 DraftKings, $19 Yahoo
Forsberg has had a weird season. He started off a little slow and just as he was starting to heating up, he was forced to sit out for a few weeks due to an upper-body injury. He returned on Wednesday though and showed that the injury didn’t slow him down by scoring both of Nashville’s goals against Vegas. With him healthy and decently priced on FanDuel and Yahoo, he’s worth grabbing on both of those sites.
Bargain Bin: Sam Bennett (FLA) - $6,100 FanDuel/$6,000 DraftKings/$22 Yahoo, Roope Hintz (DAL) - $6,000 FanDuel/$5,400 DraftKings/$19 Yahoo, Bryan Rust (PIT) - $6,000 FanDuel/$5,700 DraftKings/$21 Yahoo, Trevor Zegras (ANA) - $5,600 FanDuel/$4,000 DraftKings/$17 Yahoo, Ryan Strome (NYR) - $5,400 FanDuel/$11,100(*) DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, Ryan Hartman (MIN) - $5,200 FanDuel/$5,100 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, Brandon Saad (STL) - $5,000 FanDuel/$4,300 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo
Defensemen:
Cale Makar (Colorado) - $7,100 FanDuel, $7,200 DraftKings, $26 Yahoo
Makar is riding high right now, scoring at least a goal in each of his last four games. He’s up to eight goals and 16 points in 14 contests in 2021-22. He’s always been a great offensive defenseman, but he’s taken a big step forward in terms of goals this season with him already just four away from his career-high.
Aaron Ekblad (Florida) - $6,500 FanDuel, $6,900 DraftKings, $23 Yahoo
Ekblad is typically a good bet, but he’s particularly worthwhile during his current hot streak. He’s recorded at least a point in five straight games, including a goal and an assist on Wednesday. He has six goals and 17 points in 19 contests, which puts him in a three-way tie for fourth place in the league.
Bargain Bin: John Carlson (WAS) - $6,400 FanDuel/$6,600 DraftKings/$21 Yahoo, Zach Werenski (CLM) - $6,200 FanDuel/$7,400 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Tony DeAngelo (CAR) - $5,200 FanDuel/$6,300 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo
Goaltenders:
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) - $8,500 FanDuel, $8,200 DraftKings, $37 Yahoo
Vasilevskiy is just a typically safe pick on any given day. Like any other goaltenders, he has his off days, but their less common than most. He’s having another high-end season with a 9-3-3 record, 2.22 GAA, and .924 save percentage in 15 starts.
Frederik Andersen (Carolina) - $8,400 FanDuel, $7,700 DraftKings, $40 Yahoo
Andersen is particularly good today on FanDuel and if you’re participating in the afternoon DraftKings leagues. He’s worked out superbly well in Carolina, posting an 11-3-0 record, 1.89 GAA, and .936 save percentage in 14 starts this season. He hasn’t slowed down either, allowing two or fewer goals in four of his last five starts.
Bargain Bin: Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA) - $8,200 FanDuel/$7,600 DraftKings/$35 Yahoo, Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) - $8,000 FanDuel/$7,400 DraftKings/$30 Yahoo, Tristan Jarry (PIT) - $7,500 FanDuel/$8,000 DraftKings/$37 Yahoo