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Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for February 15th 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.
A smart pick at goalie on Monday would be Corey Crawford facing the Toronto Maple Leafs. But that's relatively obvious, and unnecessary to explain why. The two goalies mentioned below aren't mind-blowing picks, but they are cheaper, and safe, options that will help free up cap space to spend on the likes of bigger names.
Tonight's lineup targets and picks on the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, and Calgary Flames quite a bit, with a mix of others in the midst of playoff races, and those looking to build off recent production. Let's get to it!
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NHL DFS Picks for Monday, February 15th
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 today's action.
Frederick Anderson - Goaltender, Ducks (DraftKings - $7,400 FanDuel - $8,200)
The Anaheim Ducks square off against the Karri Ramo-less Calgary Flames Monday night. Either Jonas Hiller or the young Joni Ortio will likely start in relief of Ramo, both of which make Anderson an even more appealing pick. Yes, Hiller would be facing his former team, but his prominent years between the pipes during his time in Anaheim are long behind him, despite playing better of late after his undesirable start to the season. Ortio, recently recalled from the AHL, has yet to win a game this season. Anderson faces a Calgary team that has allowed the fourth most goals a game in the league, and although the Ducks are one of the worst scoring teams in the league, he should get plenty of help against the struggling and short-handed Flames. Anderson also replaced John Gibson Saturday night when Gibson left the game with an upper body injury.
Louis Domingue - Goaltender, Coyotes (DraftKings - $6,500 FanDuel - $6,900)
With Mike Smith's return to net still not happening any time soon, Domingue will likely get the nod against the struggling Montreal Canadiens. Even though the Habs have won three of their last four, their season has quickly spun out of control as they have fallen five points out of a wild card spot. After a once extremely promising start, and an injury to franchise netminder Carey Price, Ben Scrivens and Mike Condon have been shaky in relief. Domingue definitely hasn't been lights up between the pipes but he's allowed an average of two goals in his last three starts and gets a great matchup against Montreal.
Sidney Crosby - Center, Penguins (DraftKings - $8,100 FanDuel - $9,900)
It's been really difficult to stay away from Sid the Kid of late, as he has scored 12 goals in 11 games. Yes, he's been held without a point in two straight contests and yes, hockey is a streaky sport, but as long as Evgeni Malkin remains sidelined, Crosby is one of the top Daily Fantasy picks any time his skates hit the ice. The Penguins head to a warmer climate and face the tough Florida Panthers on Monday. The Penguins are only a point behind the New York Islanders for the third divisional playoff spot in the Metropolitan, and will need a big performance from their ace to keep pace, in the game and in the division.
Martin Hanzal - Center, Coyotes (DraftKings - $4,000 FanDuel - $4,500)
Hanzal has scored two goals in three games and, like the aforementioned Louis Domingue, gets a solid matchup against the Canadiens. Montreal recently gave up six goals to a Buffalo Sabres team that scores the fourth fewest per contest in the league. My guess, is that the Canadiens three game winning streak was a mere glimmer of hope that will once again fade at the hands of their two untrustworthy goaltenders. Hanzal should have plenty of opportunities to light the lamp and fire on net. Hanzal tallied 26 shots on goal in January and already 12 in February. He spends a good amount of time in the box as well, signifiant for DFS players of FanDuel.
Sven Baertschi - Winger, Canucks (DraftKings - $3,200 FanDuel - $3,900)
While the Sedin twins are the more desirable pick here, Baertschi is a much cheaper option and has strung together a tiny bit of consistency, something that he could build off of against the Minnesota Wild. Baertschi has scored two goals in three games, and if his season tendencies are indicative of anything it's that he scores in bunches. The young winger has strung together three streaks of two or more straight goals, with another of two in three games as well. The same applies for his proclivity of tallying helpers. Whether it's been Dubnyk or Kuemper in net, the Wild have been allowing a ton of goals lately, at least four in six straight, and have lost eight straight, and 16 of 19 overall.
Patrick Kane - Winger, Blackhawks (DraftKings - $8,700 FanDuel - $8,600)
It will obviously be difficult to afford both Sid the Kid and Patrick Kane in your lineup, but it's really difficult not to mention this guy, this season, when putting together a DFS roster. Kane leads the league and the Blackhawks in points by insane margins of 15 and 26 respectively. Easily the top pick of the night, Kane should find numerous openings against a Maple Leafs team that allow more goals than they score. Kane shoots often and tallies power play points as well; favorable for FanDuel. The talented winger's price is more appealing for FanDuel as well.
Ben Hutton - Defenseman, Canucks (DraftKings - $3,500 FanDuel - $3,600)
With top Vancouver defenseman, Alexander Edler, likely to miss six weeks of action, Hutton is now the top guy, playing on the first defensive line with Christopher Tanev. Hutton's numbers are less than stifling, as he's only posted one goal and 14 assists on the season, but Baertschi, gets a nice matchup against the Wild. Hutton plays well over 20 minutes a night and should be considered more for DraftKings tournaments because of his ability to block multiple shots a night.
John Klingberg - Defenseman, Stars (DraftKings - $6,300 FanDuel - $6,100)
Whenever a defenseman leads his team in points, he should undoubtedly be given a look in Daily Fantasy, mainly because defenseman are often on the ice longer than wingers and centers. Klingberg has collected points in three straight and six of his last seven. He's a threat on the power play, tallies plenty of shots and blocked shots, and logs in over 2o minutes a night. Klingberg has come alive this season and should get plenty of nods for breakout player of the year. He should be considered in both DraftKings and FanDuel.
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