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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 NBCSports 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). Yahoo has a $200 cap for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 2G).
Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out NBCSports Edge Player News, and follow @NBCSEdgeHK and @mfinewaxhockey on Twitter.
There are 11 games in the NHL on Saturday.
Forwards
Connor McDavid (Edmonton), C $10,000 (FanDuel), $8,700 (Draft Kings), $37 (Yahoo)
McDavid has to break out of his slump and playing at home against provincial rival Calgary is as good a time as any to start a new streak. Both he and Leon Draisaitl were miles ahead of the pack in scoring but have now been caught and passed. McDavid is pointless in his last three games and the last time that happened (last season in three straight games against Toronto Feb. 27-Mar. 3) he exploded for 11 points in his next four games. He had eight goals and 18 points against Calgary last season. He is fourth in NHL scoring with 53 points but one big game will vault him back into first place. McDavid has great value in Draft Kings.
Ryan Hartman (Minnesota), C/W $7,000 (FanDuel), $6,100 (Draft Kings), $26 (Yahoo)
Hartman has had four multi-point games in his last seven contests, including a pair of goals Friday versus the Blackhawks. With the two goals Friday, Harman established a career high with 32 points in just 36 games. His previous high was 31 points set in 2016-17 and 2017-18 when he played 76 and 78 games respectively.
Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary), W $8,000 (FanDuel), $7,100 (Draft Kings), $26 (Yahoo)
Tkachuk has goals in three straight games and has five in his last seven as well as seven helpers. The winger has 17 goals and 35 points in 35 games this season with 11 points coming via the power play. The heart-and-soul of the Flames, will look to extend his streaks as they play the leaky Oilers Saturday.
Mats Zuccarello (Minnesota), W $6,800 (FanDuel), $6,600 (Draft Kings), $21 (Yahoo)
Zuccarello is on a seven-game points streak with three goals and 12 points, giving him 11 goals and 34 points in just 30 games. He is a plus-21 as well. Zuccarello is a consistent performer and has an excellent chance to break his career high of 61 points set in 2015-16, if he can remain healthy.
Andrew Copp (Winnipeg), C/W $6,100 (FanDuel), $5,500 (Draft Kings), $17 (Yahoo)
Copp is on a four-game points streak with two goals and five points, giving him 10 goals and 26 points in 36 games for the Jets this season. Copp has come into his own the last two season as he had 15 goals and 39 points in 55 games last season. He has some nice DFS value Saturday.
Bargain Bin: Pierre-Luc Dubois (Winnipeg), C/W $6,200 (FanDuel), $5,900 (Draft Kings), $17 (Yahoo), Ryan Strome (NY Rangers), C $5,800 (FanDuel), $5,400 (Draft Kings), $18 (Yahoo), Nick Foligno (Boston), C/W $3,500 (FanDuel) $2,500 (Draft Kings), $10 (Yahoo), Blake Coleman (Calgary), W $5,000 (FanDuel), $4,600 (Draft Kings), $18 (Yahoo), Cam Atkinson (Philadelphia), W $6,400 (FanDuel), $6,300 (Draft Kings), $18 (Yahoo)
Defensemen:
Roman Josi (Nashville), $7,400 (FanDuel), $8,200 (Draft Kings), $28 (Yahoo)
Josi has been a force this season as he has 13 goals and 42 points in just 40 games. He is third among defensemen in scoring, trailing just Victor Hedman and Adam Fox who have one more point but have played more games. Josi had an off-season last year with 33 points in 48 games after a Norris Trophy season the previous year. He is overpriced in Draft Kings but not in FanDuel or Yahoo.
Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), $5,400 (FanDuel), $5,200 (Draft Kings), $17 (Yahoo)
At the tender age of 21, Dahlin is showing why he was selected first overall in 2018. He had a tough 2020-21 campaign, picking up 23 points in 56 games and looking lost on the blueline. But this season has been a turnaround as he has seven goals and 26 points in 40 games, including a goal and two assists last game versus Dallas.
Devon Toews (Colorado), $6,500 (FanDuel), $5,000 (Draft Kings), $24 (Yahoo)
Toews has been one of the biggest and quietest surprises of the season as he has 28 points and a league-leading plus-33 rating in just 27 games. His points-per-game are fourth best among defensemen, behind only teammate Cale Makar, Roman Josi and Adam Fox, the cream of the crop among NHL blueliners. Toews only has six of his points with the man-advantage. His value is so underrated, especially in Draft Kings.
Oliver Kylington (Calgary), $5,000 (FanDuel), $4,200 (Draft Kings), $15 (Yahoo), Tyson Barrie (Edmonton), $4,800 (FanDuel), $4,600 (Draft Kings), $14 (Yahoo), Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay), $4,800 (FanDuel), $3,600 (Draft Kings), $17 (Yahoo)
Goaltenders:
Igor Shesterkin (NY Rangers), $8,100 (FanDuel), $8,400 (Draft Kings), $39 (Yahoo)
Shesterkin has been a stud this season with an 18-4-2 record to go with a 2.03 GAA and a .938 save percentage. His GAA and save percentage are tops in the NHL and he is a huge reason why the Rangers are so good this season. Shesterkin has won five straight and 10 of his last 11 games. He takes on Arizona at home Saturday in a great matchup for DFS.
Frederik Andersen (Carolina), $8,000 (FanDuel), $8,300 (Draft Kings), $36 (Yahoo)
Andersen could be considered for comeback player of the year if it wasn’t for the outstanding play of Sergei Bobrovsky, but he still is among the league leaders in all goaltending stats as he is tied for second with 21 wins, is third in save percentage at .928 and is tied with Shesterkin for the lead with a 2.03 GAA. Andersen is on a three-game winning streak and faces the New Jersey Devils Saturday.
Other plays:
Petr Mrazek (Toronto), $8,500 (FanDuel), $7,800 (Draft Kings), $27 (Yahoo), Cam Talbot (Minnesota), $7,200 (FanDuel), $7,900 (Draft Kings), $22 (Yahoo)