RADIO
HOCKEY IS BACK!!! Saturday features a five-game main slate with Montreal against Pittsburgh from Toronto and Chicago against Edmonton from Edmonton along with three other matchups including the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.
Remember, when looking around for plays, an over/under of 6 dictates offense, but an over/under of 5 or sometimes 5.5 tilts towards the goalies. There are several games at 6.5, as that has become the new norm in hockey now.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/1/20. 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 @ChrisWasselDFS. Let's get to it, shall we?
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DFS Forwards to Consider
Sidney Crosby - C, PIT vs MTL (FD - $8,100, DK - $7,200)
Crosby is going up against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in what should be an intriguing matchup. Everyone knows of Montreal's prowess with possession but their special teams ranks overall in the bottom third of the NHL. With Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins possessing a top-ten power-play threat, there should be opportunities given their ability to draw penalties. Crosby can be used with other forwards from Pittsburgh's first-unit power play which could change a bit before game time. Stay tuned there. For now, Jake Guentzel is still a solid wingman.
Artemi Panarin - W, NYR vs CAR (FD - $8,100, DK - $7,600)
The forward was one of the most outstanding players during the season and scared Carolina in their meetings. It was more the possession rates which were astronomical. Carolina is also missing Dougie Hamilton and that will be a tough hole to patch. Panarin again has versatility in the sense that New York's power play can be lethal at times with either Adam Fox or Anthony DeAngelo on the blue line. Panarin's last meeting against Carolina produced a goal, assist, three scoring chances, two shots on goal, and a matchup nightmare. That was WITH Hamilton in the lineup by the way.
Also, Consider:
It is still a good time to look at Jesper Bratt and Nikita Gusev against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen are good owns on Saturday against the New York Rangers.
Watch for third lines on Saturday. Remember this is the playoffs and expect the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl combination to be ridiculously owned with a side of Darnell Nurse or Oscar Klefbom.
DFS Defenders to Consider
Shea Weber - D, MTL vs PIT (FD - $5,000, DK - $5,400)
This is a solid option on Saturday given Pittsburgh's defensive woes before the pause. Pittsburgh allowed three or more goals with increasing frequency and it is something that Montreal could pounce on IF Weber can hit the net on the man advantage. Pittsburgh's middle of their defense is vulnerable in all phases and Montreal already has one of the best possession units at even strength. It all comes down to execution. Can a rested Weber create havoc with his shot and ability to find open players? At a reasonable price and expected lower ownership, that could be a good plan.
John Marino - D, PIT vs MTL (FD - $3,700, DK - $3,800)
Simply, Marino is a nice punt play and is like an open square on DraftKings and FanDuel. That price is just so low one has to put him in just to see what happens. He did not look great in his last few games before the pause but magically had that jump in the one exhibition game against Philadelphia. He is the type of defenseman where some rest again did some good. This is one of those cases where less is more and yes, one will need value in their lineup somewhere.
Connor Murphy has a great matchup against Edmonton for blocks and shots floor possibilities.
Other choices for Saturday may include Jaccob Slavin, Jeff Petry, and yes Ryan Pulock (provided he can HIT THE NET).
DFS Goalie to Consider
Corey Crawford - G, CHI vs EDM (FD - $7,200, DK - $7,200)
Crawford looks poised to start against Edmonton on Saturday afternoon in Edmonton. The expectation is that the Chicago goalie will face at least 35 shots given the Blackhawks' porous defense. Crawford almost made Chicago fans forget that Robin Lehner was traded. A COVID-19 scare put the fear in some about Crawford's availability but all seems well currently. Crawford yielded two or less goals in six of his final seven starts.
The other good GPP choice on Saturday may just be Carey Price for DraftKings at just $7,000. If he is on his game, he could turn away plenty of shots against Pittsburgh's potent offense. However, for a more complete (DraftKings/FanDuel) play, one must consider Connor Hellebuyck. Also, he is just $7,500 on DraftKings. Even at $8,300 on FanDuel, he may be worth playing. Consider he stopped 35+ shots in his exhibition game.
