The Sharks, the Hurricanes and the Lightning share the top implied total at 3.6 goals. The Sharks' game against the Canucks is one of four games tied for the top total at 6.5. The Sabres carry 3.5 implied goals against the Ducks, and the Wild sit at 3.1 against the Islanders with a 63% win chance. Thursday's 11-game main slate locks at 7:00 PM ET, and Sabres–Ducks, Canucks–Sharks and Senators–Kings start at 10:00 PM ET.
In net, Jesper Wallstedt (DK $8,200) is the Wild's projected goalie against the Islanders, and his 12.8 Hero Projection is the top mark at the position. Andrei Vasilevskiy (DK $8,400) is the Lightning's projected goalie against the Jets with a 65% win chance behind him. Colten Ellis (DK $8,000) is the Sabres' projected goalie against the Ducks with a 56% win chance. Every goalie on the slate is projected until his team confirms, and the three 10:00 PM ET games are the late-swap spots if a projected starter changes.
Injury Watch
- Nick Suzuki (Canadiens, out)
- Dylan Larkin (Red Wings, out)
- Thomas Chabot (Senators, out)
- Matt Duchene (Stars, out)
- Brock Faber (Wild, out)
- Jared Spurgeon (Wild, out)
- Esa Lindell (Stars, out)
- Drew Doughty (DK $3,100) (Kings, day-to-day)
Top Stacks
DAL PP1 vs MTL (DK $30,900)
Players: Jason Robertson (DK $7,400); Mikko Rantanen (DK $6,800); Wyatt Johnston (DK $6,300); Miro Heiskanen (DK $5,400); Roope Hintz (DK $5,000)
The Stars PP1 stack projects 54.9 points with 11.8% average ownership, a 17.1% optimal rate and 1.78 value. This is Stack IQ's top stack, and the Stars carry 3.3 implied goals against the Canadiens. Robertson, Heiskanen and Hintz play on the first line, Rantanen and Johnston on the second, and all five work PP1. Hintz averages 15.4 DK points over his last three games and Robertson averages 15.3.
MIN PP1 vs NYI (DK $33,100)
Players: Kirill Kaprizov (DK $8,800); Matt Boldy (DK $8,300); Quinn Hughes (DK $6,800); Joel Eriksson Ek (DK $6,700); Max Shabanov (DK $2,500)
The Wild PP1 stack projects 57.2 points with 11.5% average ownership, a 19.9% optimal rate and 1.83 value. Its leverage of 8.4 makes it a stack to let Build & Sim size, and the Wild carry 3.1 implied goals against the Islanders. Kaprizov, Boldy, Hughes and Eriksson Ek play on the first line, with Shabanov joining the unit from the third. Eriksson Ek averages 15.9 DK points over his last three games, and Shabanov averages 10.8 over his.
BUF PP1 vs ANA (DK $28,400)
Players: Tage Thompson (DK $7,900); Rasmus Dahlin (DK $6,500); Jack Quinn (DK $6,000); Zach Benson (DK $4,300); Noah Ostlund (DK $3,700)
The Sabres PP1 stack projects 51.4 points with 13.0% average ownership, a 10.4% optimal rate and 1.83 value. The Sabres carry 3.5 implied goals against the Ducks in a 6.5-total game. Thompson, Dahlin and Benson play on the first line, with Quinn and Ostlund on the second. Benson put five shots on goal against the Sharks on October 27 for 19.0 DK points, with a 9.5 average over his last three.
Center
Macklin Celebrini (DK $9,300)
The Sharks carry 3.6 implied goals against the Canucks, and Celebrini plays on their first line and PP1. His 16.8 Hero Projection is the top mark at center. The Sharks hold a 61% win chance.
His 35.0 ceiling tops every center on the slate. He is a popular play that the field agrees on, with a 23.3% optimal rate.
Tage Thompson (DK $7,900)
Thompson put six shots on goal against the Sharks on October 27 for 19.6 DK points. He plays on the Sabres' first line and PP1 against the Ducks, and his 31.5 ceiling ranks second at center. He is a well-backed play with a 16.9% optimal rate.
Elias Pettersson (DK $4,900)
Pettersson plays on the Canucks' first line and PP1 against the Sharks, with a 12.5% optimal rate. He scored 14.3 DK points against the Ducks on October 27 and averages 11.6 over his last three. His 28.2 ceiling ranks third at center, and the field has piled on.
Wing
Kirill Kaprizov (DK $8,800)
Both of Kaprizov's points against the Mammoth on October 27 came with the man advantage, a goal and an assist worth 20.8 DK points. He averages 18.9 over his last three. He plays on the Wild's first line and PP1 against the Islanders, and his 14.2 Hero Projection is the top mark at wing.
The Wild carry 3.1 implied goals, and Kaprizov's 31.9 ceiling is the top mark at wing. He is 13.8% owned with a 15.0% optimal rate.
David Pastrnak (DK $8,000)
Pastrnak averages 20.4 DK points over his last three games, and he plays on the Bruins' first line and PP1 against the Blues. He carries a 30.0 ceiling and a 13.8% optimal rate as one of the field's go-to wings.
Matt Boldy (DK $8,300)
Boldy plays with Kirill Kaprizov (DK $8,800) on the Wild's first line and PP1 against the Islanders. He projects 13.8 with a 7.0 floor and a 13.6% optimal rate. The crowd likes him.
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin (DK $6,500)
Dahlin plays on the Sabres' first line and PP1 against the Ducks. The Sabres carry 3.5 implied goals in a 6.5-total game. His 12.6 Hero Projection is the top mark at defense.
His 27.9 ceiling also sits first at the position, and his value is 1.94. He is a popular blue-liner with a 15.2% optimal rate.
Quinn Hughes (DK $6,800)
Hughes plays on the Wild's first line and PP1 against the Islanders, with a 12.7% optimal rate and a 26.9 ceiling, second among defensemen. He had two power-play assists against the Mammoth on October 27 for 19.9 DK points, with a 15.7 average over his last three. The crowd has noticed.
Jake Sanderson (DK $5,500)
The Senators are 52% to beat the Kings, and Sanderson plays on their first line and PP1 with a 10.0% optimal rate. He averages 12.0 DK points over his last three games and brings a 1.97 value as a heavily played defenseman.
Goalie
Jesper Wallstedt (DK $8,200)
The Wild hold a 63% win chance against the Islanders, and Wallstedt is their projected goalie. His 29.4 ceiling is the top mark at goalie.
Wallstedt allowed one goal in a win over the Mammoth on October 27 for 20.7 DK points. He averages 15.4 over his last three. He is a popular goalie with an 8.1% optimal rate.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (DK $8,400)
Vasilevskiy got the October 29 nod for the Lightning net against the Jets, with a 5.9% optimal rate behind him. The Lightning hold a 65% win chance, and his 12.3 Hero Projection is second at goalie. He carries a 26.8 ceiling as a well-backed pick in net.
Colten Ellis (DK $8,000)
Ellis posted a shutout against the Sharks on October 27 for 26.1 DK points, with a 9.4 average over his last three and a 5.7% optimal rate. The Sabres are 56% favorites against the Ducks, and the field has warmed to him.
What The Market Is Saying
The market builds around the Wild's top line of Kirill Kaprizov (DK $8,800), Matt Boldy (DK $8,300) and Joel Eriksson Ek (DK $6,700), with Quinn Hughes (DK $6,800) on defense. It treats the Hurricanes against the Blue Jackets as its other default. It splits on whether that Wild line is worth its price, and on paying up for the Hurricanes' goalie. DFS Hero has Kaprizov at a 15.0% optimal rate, above his 13.8% ownership. DFS Hero has Boldy at a 13.6% optimal rate.
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The content in our articles is based on data available at the time of publishing. Always double-check your lineups before locking in your players.
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