Happy Saturday, Razzball puck enthusiasts! MarmosDad is back for a quick set of notes and numbers ahead of a healthy slate of games for Saturday night.
Our top pick for the day is about as chalk as it gets with the renaissance of Erik Karlsson (DK: $7,700) in the Shark Tank. Karlsson has 73 points in 56 games and is on pace to pass the 100 point mark with 109 projected points. He would be the first D-man to hit that mark since Brian Leetch in 1991-1992, and just the 6th defenceman to do so in NHL history. Throw your guesses in the comments if you can figure out/remember the other names!
Saturday’s games are yet again different from the early season schedules, as there are only 8 games starting at 7:00 PM ET or later. We’ll build our $50,000 DraftKings lineup from that main slate tonight.
Let’s get to it!
C – Auston Matthews , DK: $8,900 – The boy is back in town! Leaf fans are undoubtedly excited about the return of their top center. The knee injury that had Matthews sidelined since January 27th seems to be resolved, too. Chipping in a goal and an assist in his first game back on Wednesday night should be proof enough that he’s feeling good. He looks ready to lead the Leafs to another playoff appearance…at least until the end of the first round.
C – Tage Thompson, DK: $8,700 – It’s been a while since I wrote up those superstar Sabres, so let’s head back to the Buffalonian beasts for a two pack pick. The Sabres put up a 7-spot against Anaheim on Wednesday and it doesn’t look like their offense is slowing down anytime soon. Thompson continues to lead the way with 70 points in 52 games, and is a top pivot here.
W – Alex Tuch, DK: $7,100 – The Tonto to Thompson’s Lone Ranger, (I can still reference this, right?), Tuch has exploded for more than a point a game (56 PTS in 53 GP) and smashed his personal best point total already by nearly 20 PTS. He had a goal and assist in that Ducks debacle and looks to continue his run to 80 points in San Jose with that top offense tonight.
W – Phil Kessel, DK: $3,400 – Answer : Boiled hot dogs and shaky goaltenders. Question : What are two things that a focused Phil Kessel is still able to instantly devour? Kessel isn’t exactly the 30 goal scorer that he used to be, but he does have 6 PTS in his last 6 GP. Phil the Thrill might be in tough as Tampa is probably not happy about being shut out by the Coyotes on Wednesday, but he’s an affordable winger to help us round out our lineups.
W – Jared McCann, DK: $5,100 – Well, my brain has definitely moved to baseball as I originally had this guy written up as James instead of Jared. Oof. Seattle has been a source of unlikely fantasy wealth, and McCann is a top target for today. He is riding the first line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, and has four points in his last four games. He should get some prime ice time against Detroit at home in this one.
D – Mikey Anderson, DK: $3,200 – Who? I’m sure that the East coast DFS players might not recognize this name, but Anderson is the recipient of a shiny new 8-year extension for $33 million. I’d throw shade at him for the first name like I usually do with “Dougie” Hamilton, but that’s mostly due to how the latter left Beantown in a huff in his RFA year. ‘Mikey’ is definitely not a point producer like “Rickey” Karlsson above, but he has 10 BLKs in his last two games and throws the body a bit too. Similar to a few plays in the past weeks, this guy won’t put up a zero tonight.
G – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen , DK: $7,800 – Limited choices here means the need to go big. Literally. I nearly went with Martin Jones, but he’s winless in his last three starts and hasn’t seen the net in Seattle’s last three games. Samsonov in Toronto is probably another smart play tonight. Let’s double (triple?) down on the Sabres stack. The 6’5” U.P.L., (had to spell check him 3X), hasn’t won since January 24th, but he’s the projected starter here and San Jose is a less formidable opponent than Calgary, Carolina, and Minnesota (his last three losses).
UTIL – Vince Dunn, DK: $5,300 – I’m pretty sure Viz and I share a healthy appreciation for all things Dunn. And, like I said before, I’m not going to stop writing him up until his price tag reaches those upper tier defensemen. At the very least, Dunn is not being priced as a 40 point D-man. You’re paying a mid-tier price for a top 10 rearguard here. If you don’t want to play three defensemen, I get it, but I had to work him in here somehow.
Speaking of the Sabres, in the words of Rick Jeannerett…”Oh, baby!” We’re $7,200 over our cap, so we’ll need to make some mix-ups here. Subbing out Thompson for his much more affordable Peyton Krebs ($2,600) and moving out Dunn for Kings RW Gabe Vilardi ($4,200) brings us right to that $50,000 cap.
Here’s the three moneyline picks for the week too…
The Sea Bass : (Favorite)
LA Kings (-225) at home vs Arizona (+190). Despite the Coyotes shutting out the Lightning (!) at home on Wednesday night, I think that carriage turns back into a pumpkin today. LA is on a two game win streak and is seven games above .500 at home.
The Happy Gilmore : (Underdog)
NY Rangers (+120) got a boost from the Tarasenko deal last week and I think they can ride that today in Calgary (-140). Filip Chytil’s hot streak has cooled a bit, but the Rangers should still have the secondary scoring to take it to the Flames in this one.
The Claude Lemieux : (Turtle/Flop)
Carolina at home today is a pretty heavy favorite (-190), but I’m steering clear of this one. Washington (+160) has their fair share of veterans that have a knack for stepping up on the big stage. I’d tread carefully for this Stadium Series matchup with guys like Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson lacing them up outdoors.
That’s it for this week! I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below or give me a shout @MarmosDad.
