The talent pool to choose from is plenty deep, with 11 games slated for tonight. Seven of the 11 games have over/unders set at 5.5, so Vegas is expecting plenty of goals to go around. So much for having a scoring issue in the NHL, eh. Let’s take a look at the top contenders for the starting six of your NHL daily fantasy team:
C- Anze Kopitar, LAK
While the Los Angeles Kings’ offense on the whole has been stymied their past few games, there simply is no stopping Anze Kopitar. Kopitar has 11 points in his last nine games, and is going up against a team he has manhandled his entire career. He has 40 points in 35 games against the St. Louis Blues. Kopitar is one of the special players in the league where he makes his linemates ostensibly better to the extent that he makes everyone on the ice with him a scoring threat. He has unbelievable playmaking ability and is a driving force in possession. He carries the puck into the zone with such power and speed that it is a marvel to watch. The Kopitar-Lucic-Brown line is unapologetically strong in their zone entries and positively brutish down low. In his last five games, Kopitar has four goals, including a hat trick against the Rangers, an assist, a +4 rating, and 15 shots on goal. Look for Kopitar to reek some havoc tonight against the typically stingy Blues.
LW- Andre Burakovsky, WAS
Andre Burakovsky has made one of the most impressive mid-season jumps in recent memory. At the beginning of the season, the young Russian had to fight just to hit 10 minutes of ice time. Now, he’s one of the top scorers on the league’s best team since the turn of the calendar year. Burakovsky has at least one point in 12 of his last 14 games since being added to a line with Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov. In that stretch he has eight goals and nine assists, accounting for more than half of his 27 points on the year. The Capitals will be in Brooklyn tonight taking on the New York Islanders. With some of the top left wingers in the game playing tonight, Burakovsky is a great option if you don’t want to the obvious route.
RW- Patrick Sharp, DAL
Boy, did Patrick Sharp missing having Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn on his line. After a remarkable point streak on the Stars’ first unit, Jason Spezza’s injury meant a juggling of the lines. Sharp had just one assist in the six games without Jason Spezza. With Spezza poised to make his return to action tonight against the Arizona Coyotes, Sharp has resumed skating with the Dallas Dynamic Duo. He displaces Patrick Eaves, who will be returning to fourth line duties after an admirable job filling in on the top line. Eaves’ spike in scoring serves to illustrate the kind of effect that 14 and 91 have on the Stars’ supporting cast. Though Sharp has been cold, he could very well heat up in the desert tonight. Put him in your starting six tonight.
D- Ryan McDonagh, NYR
I expressed concern in my daily predictions yesterday that Ryan McDonagh really should not be forced into too many minutes, however tempting it may be to rush him back from his concussion. I guess my lack of medical degree hurts my credibility, because the Rangers skated McDonagh for his usual 24+ minutes. He took 35 shifts, which is the most he’s taken since November 21st when he took 40. However McDonagh is feeling, he has to be anxious to hit the ice tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In two games against Toronto, McDonagh has a goal and an assist with a whopping 12 shots on goal. The ice is far more open for McDonagh, and he has actually joined the rush on multiple occasions knowing that the opponent grants him that luxury. The Rangers need a big win to keep a leg up on the rest of the Metro Division that is nipping at their heels. McDonagh will see plenty more time tonight, and if he is as fine as he says he is, he should find the score sheet somehow someway.
D- Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJS
Marc-Edouard Vlasic is on the cusp of setting a San Jose Sharks record. With a point tonight against the Florida Panthers, Vlasic would extend his point streak to nine games, the longest of any Sharks defenseman in franchise history. The previous marker of eight games was set earlier this season by teammate Brent Burns, as fate would have it. Vlasic’s vision of the ice and ability to see multiple passes into the future opens up so much space on the ice. The Panthers have been allowing more open ice than they are content with, so there is a good chance that history is made tonight. That’s an exciting reason to get Vlasic in your daily fantasy lineup.
G- Ben Bishop, TBL
There are a couple of interesting choices for starting goaltender tonight. Antti Raanta against the Toronto Marlies might be a good play, but the Rangers playing on a back-to-back might cause them to be a bit sloppy. Al Montoya has been a great backup for Florida this year, but the Cats have been letting a lot of pucks get to high-danger scoring areas and the Sharks are one of the best road teams in the NHL. Ben Bishop is the best way to go. The Lightning will be taking on the Winnipeg Jets, who have been starved for goals lately. Though Bishop has been far from perfect of late- in fact, he is 2-3 in his last five starts- the Jets have scored just five goals in their last four games. They are anemic. Bishop is the best bet for your starting goaltender.
