Happy end of the week, everyone. There are six games around the league tonight with some very talented rosters to choose from. Let’s take a look and see who are the prime candidates for your NHL daily fantasy team’s starting six tonight:
C- Artem Anisimov, CHI
Anisimov is on pace to shatter his previous career-high for goals in a season. At just over the halfway marker, he has 17 which is five off his record. He is shooting an incredible 22.4% this season and is averaging 1.55 points/60 minutes- the same as Jonathan Toews. The Panarin-Anisimov-Kane line has been historically good this year, and a lot of their success can be credited to Anisimov’s superb penetrating ability. The Blackhawks will be taking on the Florida Panthers, who are on a four-game losing streak and among the worst in the league at shot suppression. Look for Anisimov to be a catalyst tonight.
LW- Alex Tanguay, COL
The 36-year old Tanguay is still alive and putting up points for the Colorado Avalanche. He has four points in his last four games playing on the Avs’ top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene. Tanguay is putting up 1.64 points/60 mins, which is second on the team among regular starters behind linemate Duchene. The Avalanche will be playing the Blues tonight at home, and may very well be getting Erik Johnson back on their blueline tonight. Tanguay may be a good under-the-radar pickup for your daily fantasy team.
RW- Dylan Larkin, DET
Larkin has had a phenomenal rookie season for the Red Wings. He has tallied 14 goals and 16 assists on the year, and is slated to be on the top line tonight with Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg. With the Red Wings taking on the Buffalo Sabres tonight, Detroit could very easily shred through the neutral zone with that top line. Larkin only has two assists in his last five games, but he has been getting shots on goal and he remains fourth in the league in +/-, which is important to consider in daily fantasy. Put Larkin in your starting six tonight.
D- Erik Karlsson, OTT
Karlsson has four assists in his last three games, and has been a monster on the puck. He eats up about 30 minutes of ice time a night, and is very rarely off his game. Even against the New Jersey Devils last night, Karlsson was a 68.8% in shot attempt ratio. On the year, Karlsson has 40 assists (2nd in the league) and 49 points (4th in the league). It is never a wrong move to put Erik Karlsson in your daily fantasy lineup. The Senators will need him badly tonight as they take on the Islanders in the tail end of a back-to-back. Give him the start tonight.
D- Matt Niskanen, WAS
Niskanen has developed great chemistry with his defensive partner Karl Alzner and is fitting in much better with the Caps as a unit. Last year was fine production-wise for Niskanen, putting up 31 points, but as the team has improved so has he. He has 21 points already on the year and three in his last two games. His performance on the Caps’ top pairing has been much improved, and Washington is excelling as a result. Get the American in your lineup tonight.
G- Henrik Lundqvist, NYR
Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers will be battling the Hurricanes tonight in Carolina. I discussed this in my daily predictions article, but games between these two teams are usually filled with a large quantity of low-quality shots. Play in the neutral zone is muddled, chances are limited to the outside, and one goal separates winner and the loser. Three of the last seven meetings have gone to a shootout. Lundqvist himself is third in shots faced and third in saves in the league. The Rangers’ defense will allow plenty of shot attempts, so Lundqvist will have a good amount of saves tonight. Given that the Rangers have won nine of their last 10 against Carolina, this is a very winnable game that all comes down to whether they can convert in front of the King. Put Lundqvist between the pipes for your starting six.
