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Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for February 3rd of the 2015/2016 NHL season. Each day we'll be providing you with a handful of forward, defensemen, and goaltender picks for DraftKings and FanDuel GPP and cash games.
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NHL DFS Picks for Wednesday, February 3rd
As we enter February hockey, with the all-star break now in the rearview, playoff races will start to heat up quickly, hopefully alongside the slowly approaching spring. There are only three games on the card for Wednesday's action, which means limited plays at each position. Tonight's lineup features players, and teams, looking to get hot again, with others looking to ride some momentum established before the break.
For updated goalie confirmations, check out www.leftwinglock.com.
As per my colleague and fellow Hockey DFS writer, Chris:
A couple strategy notes. For cash game construction look for players who can contribute to your score when they are not providing offense. Examples are guys who take a ton of shots, defensemen who block a lot of shots(DraftKings). Also, look for guys who get powerplay time and especially Top 6 forwards. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury or just get a promotion and more ice time.
For large field tournaments (GPP's) you want to find payers who have multi point upside and can grab double digit fantasy points. To stack the most upside in your forwards a common strategy is to punt the defense position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone. Try and look for a D man who will be playing more PP time or might get a boost in overall playing time due to an injury.
Let's take a look at some solid plays for Wednesday's action.
Eddie Lack - Goaltender, Hurricanes (DraftKings - $6,700 FanDuel - $7,200)
Lack is riding a two game win streak into Calgary on Wednesday. One of the two wins was a 26-save shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks, while only letting up two goals in the other. Lack now faces the Flames who allow 3.00 goals a game; third most in the NHL. Calgary is also without one of their top defenseman, Dennis Wideman, who faces a suspension indefinitely. Lack is an affordable option and should continue his success against the short-handed Flames.
Robin Lehner - Goaltender, Sabres (DraftKings - $6,800 FanDuel - $7,000)
After a dream-like start to the season, Montreal has won only a nightmarish six times in their last 25 games. At this point, whoever is between the pipes for the Canadiens, whether it's Mike Condon or Ben Scrivens, the desirable pick would be the goalie facing them. Up next, Robin Lehner. Keep an eye on who starts, since it hasn't been confirmed whether he or Chad Johnson would start as of writing this. But if Lehner starts, he'll be looking for only his second win on the season, coming off his first against the Ottawa Senators before the break. Lehner has let up more than two goals in only one of his five starts, making 30-plus saves in three of them.
Ryan O'Reilly - Center, Sabres (DraftKings - $5,900 FanDuel - $4,400)
O'Reilly leads the Sabres in goals, assists, power play goals, and power play assists. O'Reilly hasn't scored a goal in nine straight games, and hasn't picked up a point in three straight. Despite playing over the break, O'Reilly should be well rested and will look to take advantage of likely openings and get back on track against the struggling Canadiens. O'Reilly averages over 20 minutes of ice time a night and should be considered in both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Gustav Nyqvist - Center, Red Wings (DraftKings - $4,700 FanDuel - $5,300)
Nyqvist plays on Detroit's talented third line, and more importantly on Detroit's first power play unit. Nyqvist's time on special teams has resulted in six power play goals, leading the Red Wings in that category. The Red Wings face off against their divisional foe, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The two teams are tied in the standings with 58 points, just five points behind the first place Florida Panthers. The importance of the game will likely result in plenty of ice time for Detroit's top guys. Nyqvist is an affordable option on both DFS sites.
Johnny Gaudreau - Winger, Flames (DraftKings - $6,900 FanDuel - $8,400)
Gaudreau leads the struggling Flames in goals and assists, and has been their one consistency all season. Gaudreau is a smart pick every time his skates hit the ice as Calgary depends on him the most for production. The 2016 All-Star is having quite the season in his third year, already with 20 goals and 27 assists. Gaudreau fires the puck on net often and has found success on the power play, leading the team in power play points as well.
Dale Weise - Winger, Canadiens (DraftKings - $3,800 FanDuel - $3,700)
Weise is an affordable option, capable of producing in multiple ways, and plays on Montreal's first line with Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais. Weise entered the break without a point in two straight games but will look to help the Canadiens snap out of their losing ways. Weise has done most of his damage at home this season. Luckily for fantasy owners, the Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
Rasmus Ristolainen - Defense, Sabres (DraftKings - $5,700 FanDuel - $4,200)
Ristolainen is another Sabres player looking to take advantage of the struggling Canadiens. Buffalo has not been playing all too well either, so this game could consist of plenty of scoring or scoring opportunities for both teams. Ristolainen leads the Sabres in ice time, over 25 minutes a night, and is tied with the aforementioned Ryan O'Reilly for the team lead in assists and power play assists. Ristolainen has also struggled of late, going pointless in his last four games, but is still one of the top defenseman on Wednesday's card.
John-Michael Liles - Defense, Hurricanes (DraftKings - $3,400 FanDuel - $3,300)
With fellow defenseman and line-mate, Brett Pesce, expected to miss some time with a lower body injury, Liles will need to step up against the Flames, who are, as previously mentioned, playing without Dennis Wideman. Liles sees over 20 minutes of the ice a night and gets the nod on both the power play and penalty kill. Liles owns the sole short-handed goal on the season for the Carolina Hurricanes.
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