With seven games around the NHL tonight, let’s have a look at who deserves a start on your NHL Daily Fantasy team:
C- Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS
When the Capitals win, Kuznetsov usually has a hand in it. He’s not the only one, heck, he’s not even the top-scoring Russian on his team. But in 29 wins, Kuznetsov has 34 points, and his play only got better when Andre Burakovsky was added to his line with Justin Williams. He was a +9 in 5v5 shot attempts against Boston on Tuesday with Burakovsky added to his line, which could be a much-needed shot in the arm for a Capitals team that despite their winning ways could stand to improve on their 50.1% team corsi rating. Even still, Kuznetsov has 10 powerplay points, which the Caps will need when playing an Islanders team with a great, albeit regressing, PK unit. Six points in his last four games will do fine, too.
LW- Patrick Sharp, DAL
A 10-game point streak will be enough to land you on the list of the most coveted fantasy weapons. Dallas skyrocketing to the top of the NHL’s standings has been fueled by 13 points in 10 games from Sharp. For all intents and purposes, Sharp has become the Swiss army knife of fantasy hockey, since he’s technically listed at all three forward positions on several sites. So, the Stars have tallied a league-leading 145 goals this year, 23 more than the Caps in second, and they are going up against a Jets team that sits in last in the Central because of lackluster defense that’s allowed the sixth-most goals in the league. Sharp is a lineup mainstay.
RW- Jaromir Jagr, FLA
The Mulletted One has been shooting to kill of late, grabbing four goals on nine shots in his last four games to bring his season shooting percentage to 19.7%. Even for Jagr, that number is pretty unsustainable, but he’ll be looking to hit 20% nonetheless, a feat he accompished in his 1996-1997 season- when next highest Panthers scorer Jonathan Huberdeau was 3 years old. He’s been all over the ice for the Atlantic-leading Panthers, with nine of his 29 points coming on the powerplay. They’ve been looking to him to light the lamp, expect him to play a key role in tonight’s game against Ottawa.
D- Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI
Find a way to get the GhostBear on your team. The kid is for real. Gostisbehere was a late callup for the Flyers and has impressed at every opportunity. He already has 16 points in 22 games, an amazing scoring pace for a defenseman in today’s league. After having a quiet three-game trip to California, GhostBear returned home and logged a goal and an assist against Montreal Tuesday. Perhaps what the kid needs is a consistent pairing- over the past five games, he has not had the same defensive partner twice in a row, rotating between Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning, the recently departed possession anchor Luke Schenn, and sometimes, a mix-and-match of all five other dmen. Perhaps with Schenn off to Los Angeles, Gostisbehere can be matched with someone who can get him the puck. Keep an eye on him against Minnesota tonight.
D- Matt Niskanen, WAS
The Capitals’ powerplay has been clicking, and it’s becoming apparent that the Isles-Caps game tonight will be a special teams battle. Niskanen is on a four-game point streak, a somewhat rare feat for a defenseman, with four assists, three coming on the powerplay. Niskanen could be the X-factor for Washington against the Islanders tonight. An honorable mention could go to the Isles’ Nick Leddy, who is on a five-game point streak of his own.
G- Devan Dubnyk, MIN
The obvious choice may be Roberto Luongo, who has won his last eight starts while only allowing more than two goals once in that stretch. However, Lu and the Panthers are going on the road to face a tough Senators team, with whom they are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings. In his career against Ottawa, Luongo is 12-14 with a 2.74 goals against average. Dubnyk, meanwhile, is at home, where he’s 11-5 with four shutouts and a 2.02 goals against average. Though he hasn’t performed as well as Lu lately, coming home after a four-game road trip to meet a Flyers team that is mediocre at best on the road this year may be just what Dubnyk needs to get back on track. The Wild are favored at -156, for those curious, while the Sens are actually favored over the Panthers at -106.
