Hey everyone! I’m going to do another daily preview since the reviews were positive. From now, I’m going to add three things that I saw the day before to open the article that I’ll touch on quickly, and will include my top three streamers of the day at the end of the article like I used to do. Let’s get right to it!
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED ON 3/26
1) The Coyotes are an average team with Antti Raanta. The Coyotes went into Tampa and dominated, outshooting the Lightning 35-20 en route to a 4-1 victory. Raanta’s numbers are among the best in the league, so streaming guys against Arizona isn’t as appealing as it appears.
2) The Calgary forward group is appalling. Look at how bad this is:
Bennett-Shore-Lazar
Frolik-Backlund-Brouwer
Ferland-Jankowski-Stewart
Glass-Stajan-Hathaway
With injuries piling up, and the Flames in total free fall, I will be targeting players and especially goalies that go against the Flames for the next two weeks.
3) Vegas clinched a playoff berth! This probably should be #1, but I started writing this before their game started and plugged this spot assuming they’d get at least one point. Simply a remarkable story for an expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season, let alone doing it with relative ease and a probable division title. Nothing new for fantasy here, just wanted to give credit where it’s due.
TONIGHT’S GAME PREVIEWS
Hurricanes @ Devils
Carolina had to play last night (an easy win at home against Ottawa) while the Devils come in having a few days off. Florida’s win last night has the Devils barely holding on in the playoff race, so expect them to come out firing. It’s a nice spot for New Jersey players across the board. Nico Hischier is the top streamer on the Devils right now. Keith Kinkaid is a pretty big favorite to win, but the over-under is 6 in this one so there is some risk. I’d still roll with him though. As for Carolina, I assume Scott Darling will start so avoid him like the plague. The usual guys for Carolina are decent streamers, although nobody really stands out.
Penguins @ Red Wings
This was a marquee matchup 10 years ago. Now, it’s an impending beatdown. You don’t really need my analysis on this one. Start all of your Pens, don’t stream Red Wings or play Jimmy Howard (or Jared Coreau). I’d say my favorite streamer for Pittsburgh right now is Bryan Rust. He’s back with Malkin and has 5 points in his past 6 games.
Islanders @ Senators
Woof. The Islanders were destroyed at home last night by the Panthers, while Ottawa was badly beaten by Carolina. This game has the potential to a 7-5 game with atrocious defending across the board. It makes for a great DFS stack and I would fade the goalies without hesitation. Anthony Beauvillier is the best Islander streamer again while Ryan Dzingel would be my first choice of the Ottawa skaters. This could be one of those games that you have no real interest in watching, but you put it on during a commercial in another game and you can’t turn it off because of the goals.
Sharks @ Blues
The Sharks will be on the tail end of a back-to-back having played in Chicago last night while St. Louis will be well rested. This game looks to be the lowest scoring game of the night. You can stream some of the guys on either team, but they aren’t my targets. Aaron Dell should get the start and makes for a nice option, while Jake Allen is one of the best options of the night given his recent form. I’d favor the Blues in this spot, but while the game has playoff implications, it’s not that appealing from an aesthetic standpoint.
Wild @ Predators
Nashville is coming off a couple tough losses, including one to Minnesota on Saturday, so look for them to bring their A game. Obviously play Pekka Rinne, but I’d also roll Devan Dubnyk. It’s obviously a brutal matchup, but I think he’s earned the benefit of the doubt here. I wouldn’t look to stream Wild guys, while the second liners on Nashville (Kevin Fiala, Craig Smith) look to be the best choices on Smashville.
Bruins @ Jets
This is a massive game for the Bruins. With Tampa losing at home to the Coyotes Monday, a win here would put Boston on top of the Atlantic Division. They also have Patrice Bergeron back at least. It’s hard to sit either goalie in this game, but there is some real downside here too. Ryan Donato is the standout streamer for the Bruins while Kyle Connor is clearly the best option for Winnipeg if he’s available.
Flyers @ Stars
This betting line doesn’t make much sense to me. The Stars are currently -130, yet they have completely mailed it in, including a 4-1 loss to the lowly Canucks on Sunday. I like the Flyers quite a bit in this spot. Travis Konecny is the best option while Nolan Patrick is also a viable streamer. Nobody outside of the elite players on Dallas is playing well right now, so I wouldn’t stream any of the Stars. I’d feel okay using both goalies in this game although I don’t love it.
Blue Jackets @ Oilers
Columbus still isn’t safe in terms of the playoffs despite recently winning 10 games in a row. Connor McDavid is seemingly on a mission to lead the league in points again, so this game isn’t a given. That said, I still like the spot for the Blue Jackets. Obviously play Bob, but I’m all about streaming Thomas Vanek right now. Alexander Wennberg is in play if you need assists, as is Pierre-Luc Dubois. If you’re in a league where Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is available, he’s the best streamer around, but given that he’s owned in over 60% of leagues, there isn’t a lot to stream. In deep leagues, Ty Rattie is okay since he’s with McJesus and RNH.
Ducks @ Canucks
The Canucks have won two of their last three, but expect them to get blown out in this one. I’m guessing Ryan Miller gets the spot start, and he’d be the top streamer of the day if that happens. Revenge game! The problem with the Ducks right now is their usual streamers are all playing relatively poorly at the moment. I don’t mind taking a shot on one of their guys (Ondrej Kase would be my first choice) because of the matchup, but it’s hard to choose a guy who is out of form when there are good options around the league. Avoid Canucks guys.
TOP THREE STREAMERS OF THE NIGHT
I’ll say Vanek, Connor, and Konecny are the best choices of guys who are available in at least 50% of leagues. If you want guys available in 80%+, Rust is my clear favorite, with Dzingel and Kase behind him with their plus matchups.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Thursday with a preview since there are only four games tomorrow. Any questions on those games or anything else, ask me in the comments section below. There may be a podcast on Wednesday as well; I will update this part of the post once I talk with Reid. Thanks for reading, take care!
