Thursday brings us another busy night in the NHL DFS, as there are 11 games on the ice. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Alex Ovechkin are in action, so all three are in play, but I’m going to look at a few other options.
With 11 games, there’s plenty of action on the board, and there are a lot of appealing names available at SuperDraft. I’ve listed my favorite plays at each position as well as a couple underrated players who could be the difference in your lineups due to the multiplier at SuperDraft.
Center
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers @ PIT
Barkov’s averaging a healthy 6.7 fantasy points per game at SuperDraft, and we’re getting him with a 1.7x score multiplier. The Panthers’ captain has eight goals and 14 points in 12 games. He enters Thursday’s game riding a seven-game point streak and he has six goals and nine points over that span. The Pens are still without Sidney Crosby, and they’ve lost five of their past six games.
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings @ OTT
There’s no need to get too cute here at C with Draisaitl and McDavid on the board, but Kopitar’s a solid pivot. The Kings’ center has seven goals and 15 points in 13 games and he’s averaging four shots per game over his past six contests. Los Angeles has won six straight games and they should get their fair share of chances considering the Sens have allowed the third-most shot attempts, the most shots, the fourth-most scoring chances and the second-most goals at 5v5/60.
Others to consider: Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Patrice Bergeron, Pierre-Luc Dubois, J.T. Compher
Winger
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets vs. SJ
Connor only has a 1.05x multiplier, but he’s very hard to ignore. The winger is tied for third in goals with nine, his 17 points rank fourth and he’s third in shots with 49. The Sharks are short-handed, and the Jets enter with the fifth-highest team implied goal total. Connor has at least one point in eight of his past 10 games and at least two points in five of those games. His 80 shot attempts are the seventh-most among forwards.
Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames @ MTL
Lindholm has an impressive seven goals and 14 points in 12 games. Seven of his points have come on the power play and the Canadiens have the league’s worst PK. They’ve also been shorthanded more than any team in the NHL. Montreal has surrendered a league-high 90 shot attempts, 78 scoring chances and 17 goals while shorthanded. Overall, the Canadiens have allowed the third-most goals and fifth-most goals per/60. I’m big on Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.
Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers @ PIT
Bennett returned to the lineup Tuesday and scored a goal on five shots. He has five goals, eight points and 31 shots in nine games this season and he’s been fantastic since his arrival in Florida. The former Flame has an impressive 12 goals, 28 points and 88 shots in 24 games with the Panthers dating back to last season. He’s listed as a winger, but he’ll center the second line and play on the top power play. He also has a 2x multiplier, which is huge.
Others to consider: Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak, Matthew Tkachuk, Alex Iafallo, Jonathan Huberdeau, Brad Marchand, Troy Terry
Defense
Bowen Byram, Colorado Avalanche vs. VAN
I didn’t want to suggest a third Panther, but don’t ignore Aaron Ekblad and his 1.7x multiplier. Byram checks in with a 2x multiplier and continues to impress with Cale Makar sidelined. He had two goals, three points and six shots in 25:17 of ice time Nov. 3 against Columbus. He has five points in his past six games.
Others to consider: Aaron Ekblad, Darnell Nurse, Rasmus Andersson, Neal Pionk, Josh Morrissey, Charlie McAvoy, John Carlson
Goalie
Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders @ NJ
A 2x multiplier for Sorokin seems like stealing. The Islanders goalie didn’t start strong, but he has a sparkling .939 SV%, 1.98 GAA and three shutouts. Three of those shutouts have come over his last five games and he’s only allowed four goals over that span. Sorokin had a 36-save performance and 42-save performance during this run.
Others to consider: Jacob Markstrom, John Gibson, Sergei Bobrovsky
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
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