Happy New Year ! NHL is about halfway through the season, and tonight we have a MASSIVE 12 game slate tonight , and there are fantastic options all across the board. Stacking will be big tonight, so look for some value where you can, and then load up on the star skaters.

Vegas lines are big when it comes to picking games to target, and that's a good place to start for goalies. When it comes to skaters, goal totals is another main place to start. Usually 5.5 goals is average, so targets games at six, and can look for goalies in games with a total at five.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/2/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DFS_Tom. Let's get to it, shall we?

DFS Forwards to Consider

John Tavares - C, NYI vs BOS (DK - $7,600, FD - $8,800)

Tavares is a player I tend to lean to when he plays, and it's for a number of reasons, so let's dive in. He is on the first forward line and the first power-play for the team that has scored the second most goals in the league this season. The consistency and the general upside they have on a nightly basis is always strong. He is taking over three shots per game, and his multi-point potential is always there. He will have a tougher match up tonight, as he will be squaring off against Patrice Bergeron, but with the amount of ice time he sees, he should always be in play.

Patric Hornqvist - W, PIT @ PHI (DK - $6,100, FD - $5,900)

Hornqvist seems a bit too cheap on FanDuel tonight, so we want take advantage of this. He is on the first forward line, and the first power-play unit, with Crosby and Malkin, so anytime you can get some cheaper exposure to them, you don't want to pass it up. He is taking over three shots per game, and he has four points in his last six games. Hornqvist also blocks one shot per game, so you are getting free fantasy points for no offensive production.

DFS Defenders to Consider 

Jacob Trouba - D, WPG @ COL (DK - $5,500, FD - $4,600)

Trouba is now on the first defensive pairing and the first power-play unit for the Jets due to some injuries, so he is seeing a bit of a minutes increase. He is taking about 2.5 shots per game, along with blocking two shots per game. So he can provide DFS value without recording a real NHL point. Minutes are in the mid twenties, and potential for low ownership GPP play. He is up against the Avalanche, who are giving up over three goals per game.

Alex Pietrangelo - D, STL vs NJ (DK - $6,500, FD - $5,800)

Pietrangelo is one of my favorite players to roster in DFS, simply from the fact he does so much. He is taking about three shots per game, blocking almost two shots per game, and has assists in five straight games. Since he has come back from his injury, he seems a bit too cheap on FanDuel, so given the ceiling he has from being on the first power-play unit, you want to roster him while his price is still lower than normal. I like him in all formats tonight, since he has the consistency for cash games, and the upside from being on a great power-play with Tarasenko.

DFS Goalies to Consider

Marc-Andre Fluery - G, VGK vs NSH (DK - $7,800, FD - $7,900)

There is something about this Vegas team when they play at home, where the visiting team comes out a bit slow. Maybe it's the road team "exploring" the Vegas strip, maybe it's just a silly trend, but road teams have not been playing well at Vegas. This puts Fleury in a great spot to pick up the win, and he isn't too expensive tonight. He has four straight wins, and has given up two or fewer goals in three of those games.