DraftKings Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: March 16th

There are six games on the schedule tonight and with the playoffs looming, each game takes on even more importance. There are a few teams coming in on the tail-end of a back-to-back which is bound to make DraftKings all the more interesting tonight.

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Here’s a quick explanation on how to build your lineup an play! You have $50,000 in Salary space, to build a team that consists of 2C, 3W, 2D, 1G and 1 Util. Below you will find how skaters and goalies scoring works!

• Players will accumulate points as follows:

Goal = +3 PTS
Assist = +2 PTS
Shot on Goal = +0.5 PTS
Blocked Shot = +0.5 PTS
Short Handed Point Bonus (Goal/Assist) = +1 PTS
Shootout Goal = +0.2 PTS
Hat Trick Bonus = +1.5 PTS

• Goalies only will accumulate points as follows:

Win = +3 PTS
Save = +0.2 PTS
Goal Against = -1 PTS
Shutout Bonus = +2 PTS

• Goalie Scoring Notes:

Goalies WILL receive points for all stats they accrue, including goals and assists.
The Goalie Shutout Bonus is credited to goalies if they complete the entire game with 0 goals allowed in regulation + overtime. Shootout goals will not prevent a shutout. Goalie must complete the entire game to get credit for a shutout.

Below I’ve listed my top DFS line stacks, defensemen and goalies as well as a few sample DraftKings lineup for tonight

Centres

Mark Scheifele – @ CGY – $5,900

Scheifele is the hottest player in the NHL right now. Since the trade deadline, the 22-year-old has eight goals, four assists (12 points) and 6.3 DraftKings points per game (FPPG) in eight games. Tonight the Jets face the Flames, who have lost nine of their last 12 games while giving up an average of 3.5 goals per game. The matchup and the hot streak make Scheifele a safe play tonight.

Jonathan Toews – vs. PHI – $5,800

The Blackhawks have lost three games in a row, so they’ve changed their lines entirely. Tonight Toews will play on a line with Patrick Kane and Tomas Fleischmann. The Toews and Kane duo alone is enough to consider stacking these two. Toews has three goals, two assists and 3.1 FPPG in his last seven games. Not elite numbers, but playing him alongside the NHL’s top winger should spark the Blackhawks’ captain. Tonight they face a Flyers team that is on a roll, but prone to giving up a lot of offence.

Alex Galchenyuk – @ BUF – $5,100

People were expecting big things out of Galchenyuk, but he didn’t have a great start of the season. He was recently shifted back to centre and it has made a huge difference. He has scored nine goals with one assist (6.1 FPPG) in his last seven games and makes for a great play vs. the Sabres—in the first four meetings with Montreal, Galchenyuk has scored five goals.

Value Options:

Robby Fabbri – @ EDM – $3,800

Fabbri has two goals and six assists (eight points) in his last seven games (3.8 FPPG) and has looked really good on the Blues second line. His salary remains below $4,000, making him a solid value option.

Brandon Pirri – vs. NYR – $3,800

It isn’t a guarantee that Pirri will make his Ducks debut tonight, but all signs are pointing towards that being the case. He skated on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and David Perron, putting him in a strong spot for success in his debut.

Wingers

Patrick Kane – vs. PHI – $8,500

Kane has been held off of the scoresheet for three straight games, for the first time this season. So, the chances of him being held pointless for a fourth consecutive games seem slim. Tonight, he will skate alongside his buddy Toews and those two have had a tonne of success in the past. Expect the NHL’s leading scorer to get back on track vs. a Flyers team on a back-to-back.

Max Pacioretty – @ BUF – $7,100

Galchenyuk’s recent success has helped his linemate Pacioretty as well. Pacioretty is on a five-game point streak, picking up one goal, six assists and 5.1 FPPG over that span. He has also torched the Sabres this season, registering one goal and four assists in their first four meetings.

Blake Wheeler – @ CGY – $6,800

Wheeler is the prominent winger on Scheifele’s line and he comes in with four assists and 28 shots on goal since the trade deadline. You would assuredly like to see more production out of Wheeler, but with a strong matchup and a red-hot linemate, you can do worse than Wheeler tonight.

Value Options:

Drew Stafford – @ CGY – $4,300

Stafford is the third member of that line and the value option of the trio. He has two goals, two assists and 3.1 FPPG in his last seven games and at $4,300, he is a great money-saving option this evening.

Tomas Fleischmann – vs. PHI – $3,100

Fleischmann has just two goals and one assist in his last five games, but tonight he moves to the top line with Toews and Kane, opening the door for increased production from what he had been doing on the Blackhawks’ third line.

Defensemen

Kevin Shattenkirk – @ EDM – $6,700

Shattenkirk has three goals and his last two games and seven points (3G / 4A) and 5.0 FPPG in his last six contests. Cam Talbot has played better for the Oilers, but the Blues will looking to avenge their brutal loss in Calgary on Monday. Shattenkirk is an elite blueline option on the Blues’ top-PP.

Duncan Keith – vs. PHI – $6,100

Keith has just one goal and one assist in his last five games, but has still picked up 3.3 FPPG over that span thanks to strong peripheral numbers. I’m all in on the Blackhawks, who are strong on home ice against a Flyers team on a back-to-back.

Francois Beauchemin – @ VAN – $5,800

Beauchemin doesn’t possess elite offensive numbers, but his peripheral numbers boost his DraftKings value. He has three assists in his last four games and is averaging 4.8 FPPG over that span.

Value Option:

Mark Barberio – @ BUF – $2,900

Since P.K Subban went down with a neck injury, Barberio has played a much larger role in the Canadiens offence. He is on the top pair and top power-play unit and has one goal and three assists in his last three games.

Goalies

Jake Allen – @ EDM – $7,700

I played Allen vs. the Flames on Monday and that was a debacle. But, he had won six in a row previous to that and tonight’s matchup is definitely a winnable one. Expect a strong bounce-back performance from Allen and the Blues in Edmonton.

John Gibson – vs. NYR – $7,600

The Rangers have a tonne of flaws defensively, so the Ducks should be able to expose them, especially with Henrik Lundqvist getting the night off. Gibson has lost two in a row, but is 11-5-2 with an impressive 1.84 GAA and .929 SV% on home ice this season.

Sample Lineups