There were a lot of strange scores over the long weekend. Unexpected blowouts and late-game meltdowns flipped the daily fantasy and sports betting market on its side. The standouts included the Panthers handing the Lightning a 9-2 loss in Tampa. These teams don’t like each other, but it’s rare to see Vasilevskiy give up six goals and then get pulled, especially at home. The also Canucks gave up seven goals in the third period and lost 10-7 on Monday. – That’s a football score.
Tonight, there are eight games on the hockey slate; let’s try to put some pucks in the back of the net.
NHL Trends
- The Senators won in Tampa last night but still hold one of the worst road records in the Eastern Conference (8-14). They play the Panthers, who are on a five-game win streak and are 9-1 in their last ten games
- The Rangers are on a 7-game-win streak and are 8-1-1 in their last ten games. They have an excellent home ice record of 19-7. The Stars are an excellent team, 2nd best in the West, but are on a two-game losing skid.
- The Penguins are 3-6-1 in their last ten games. They host an Islanders squad in a similar situation, dropping their last three games and 3-3-4 in their previous ten games.
- The Devils are trying to save their season. The team is 3-3 since Jack Hughes returned from injury, although the Devils have outscored their opponents 14-8 in their last four games.
- The Wild and Jets both played yesterday, yet they are trending in the opposite directions. The Wild are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and 4-1 in their previous 5. The Jets have had issues putting the puck in the net, scoring just 11 goals in their last six games.
- The Predators are one of the better road teams in the West but are 3-6-1 in their last ten games. They take on a Golden Knights in Las Vegas, who slapped the Sharks to a 4-0 easy victory last night.
- The Blue Jackets are dead last in the East and have only eight road wins all year. They play the Kings, who hold the worst home-ice record of all potential playoff teams.
7 NHL Players to Target
Chris Kreider: Over 3.5 Shots
Kreider had one dud game against Calgary on Feb 12th, but outside of that has been playing great hockey. He has four goals in his last ten games and 24 shots in his last four games. The Rangers host the Stars tonight, who rank 16th in shots allowed per game (30.2). Dallas just played yesterday against the Bruins with Oettinger in the net. Scott Wedgewood (3.03 GAA | .897%) will start for the Stars tonight.
Matthew Tkachuk Over 0.5 Points
Matthew Tkachuk is one of the hottest fantasy hockey players in the league right now. He may be chalk in DFS, but I would still add him. Just look at his game log recently:
Brady Tkachuk Over 3.5 Shots
The Tkachuk brothers face off against each other tonight, which, in my opinion, adds a boost to both players. The brotherly rivalry is fun to watch and always brings out the best in these two. Brady Tkachuk didn’t shoot much in Tampa last night but has had at least four shots in his previous six games.
Tyler Toffoli Over 0.5 Points
The top line for the Devils is starting to heat up. Toffoli has three goals in his last four games and plays the Capitals tonight who rank 12th in shots allowed. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren will be between the pipes (confirmed) for the Caps. Lindgren last played a week ago, allowing four goals on 39 shots.
Joel Eriksson Ek Over 0.5 Points
Eriksson Ek has seven goals in his last four games. While I’m sure many people will hop on the bandwagon and bet on him to extend his goal streak, I, on the other hand, will just hope for a point in tonight’s game. The Winnipeg Jets are a stenchy hockey club ranking 1st in the league for allowed goals. That said, the backup goalie, Laurent Brossoit, is in the net tonight. Brossoit doesn’t play much; his last game was 16 days ago, where he let in four goals on 25 shots.
Noah Dobson Over 0.5 points
Dobson has a point in eight of his last nine games. He’s not cheap in DFS due to this fact, but his consistency can’t be overlooked. The Penguins are (surprisingly) ranked 3rd in the NHL for the least amount of goals allowed, but the wheels are starting to come off, dropping four of their last five games. I’m advising this pick with caution as the Penguins have played really well against the Islanders in the past, but after the meltdown game in which the Islanders blew a 5-3 lead to the Rangers, I like the comeback game for Dobson and company.
Mikko Rantanen Over 3.5 Shots
Rantanen has hit the four-shot milestone in five of his last six games. The Cancucks are in the middle of a three-game road trip that started with the 10-7 shocker loss yesterday. The Avalanche are at home for the second game in a row after playing a ridiculous schedule in which they had to play 11 out of 13 road games. I like the AVS in this game and think the top line has a big night.
