RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and FantasyAces. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Thursday, December 22 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

We have another busy night with 10 games on the schedule as we are not just three days from Christmas. After a slow night on Wednesday, only the Philadelphia Flyers are playing on a back to back.

There are two key matchups on the schedule tonight. At 7:00 p.m. ET it gets started with the Metropolitan division leading Penguins visiting the red-hot Blue Jackets(won 10 straight) who sit just one point back. Then at 7:30 p.m. ET the streaking Wild(won eight straight) will be traveling to Montreal to face off with the Habs who sit atop the Eastern Conference's Atlantic division.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NHL Premium Pass (DFS Cheat Sheets) for free, a $99.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

 

NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Thursday, December 22 

For those that are new to this, each day we'll be providing you with a few of our top DFS lineup picks for daily league cash games on FanDuel, DraftKings, and FantasyAces. We will also provide you with one of our favorite teams to stack for GPPs. You can grab the rest of our Premium DFS lineup picks and stacks through the NHL Cheat Sheet and DFS Premium Pass below.

 

 

Nazem Kadri (C, TOR)

DraftKings - $5,900, FanDuel - $6,500, FantasyAces - $5,250

A nice mid-tier option that is safe in all formats due to his high shot volume. He ranks ninth overall in shot attempts per 60 minutes(all situations) which he has converted into just over three shots on goal per game this season. He has slowed down in the scoring department lately but gets a ton of opportunities playing on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner and also getting time with Auston Matthews on the powerplay.

 

Taylor Hall (W, NJ)

DraftKings - $6,800, FanDuel - $7,100, FantasyAces - $5,650

His salary falls right outside the top tier on DraftKings and FanDuel making him a nice value play at home tonight. He will be facing the Flyers, a team that has been prone to high scoring games, which adds value tonight as the offense runs through him. He has cooled down over the last five games where he has failed to record a point but that all but ensures very low ownership for tournaments.

 

Ivan Provorov (D, PIT)

DraftKings - $4,700, FanDuel - $4,200, FantasyAces - $4,650

The price is starting to climb but so is Provorov's skill set. He is coming into his own in the NHL and feels he belongs even if only 19 years old. For fantasy he is providing everything we look for with a floor in shots/blocks and upside with multi point ability. Over his last 10 games he has not scored less than two DraftKings or six FanDuel points.

 

 

 

Stacking Option

Toronto Maple Leafs PP - Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri, Frederik Gauthier

The Leafs have been much better at home this season but get an excellent spot on the road in Colorado tonight. The Avs sit in the basement of the league with just 23 points this season and look destined to have a  great shot at the top overall pick in next years draft. They got to this place by having the league's worst defense and offense. The Leafs powerplay is the best place to aim at tonight as the Avs take the seventh most penalty minutes per game this season. Frederik Gauthier was called up on Monday and provides soem salary relief and was skating on the second powerplay unit.

 

Premium Cheat Sheets for Daily Fantasy Hockey

Get an edge on your NHL DFS competition with our Premium cheat sheets -- more lineup picks, deeper analysis, and advanced stats to unlock DFS player value.

Premium access to 15 deeply researched lineup picks including stats like Shots Attempted per 60, Points per 60, and more. Come see for yourself:

• Weekly Premium Pass - includes playoffs
• Monthly Premium Pass - includes playoffs
• Year-Long Premium Pass - includes playoffs

 

Sample NHL Premium DFS Cheat Sheet

Want to know what the Premium NHL DFS Cheat Sheets looks like? Below is a sample. We go above and beyond standard daily fantasy hockey analysis.

Click image to enlarge

 
Bonus: General NHL DFS Strategy Notes

For cash games, look at players who can contribute to your score even when they are not providing offense. Some examples are guys who take a ton of shots and defensemen who block a lot of shots. Also, look for guys who get power play time. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury, or just get a promotion and more ice time. It is also recommended to spread out your exposure to three or four different lines, and not put all your eggs in one basket.

For large field tournaments (GPPs), find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. If you want 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 defenseman who will get power play time, or a playing time boost due to an injury. For a contrarian approach, paying up at the defense position can be a great strategy - but it also comes with more risk. GPPs bring a great opportunity for goaltenders in the value price range - you can look for backups on good teams.