Nothing like a nice 5-gamer to get your weekend started the right way. We’ve got a couple spots (STL, PIT) that should carry hefty ownership, but on slates like this, I don’t mind playing some chalk, as long as I can differentiate my roster in other ways, including picking 3 defensemen, going 5-2-1 with the stack, or spreading it out and going 3-3-2. Just because there’s chalk doesn’t mean you have to fade — it just means you have to get a little creative! With that out of the way, let’s get into a few of Awesemo’s lines he likes, and then I (Jake Hari/Tommienation1) will follow up with some additional analysis.
STL1: Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko ($20,100 DK/$20,500 FD)
“A 3.6 implied goal total is going to get our attention most of the time, and tonight is no different. These guys regularly see 20+ minutes of ice time, as well as top power-play time, so they have a case to be the top stack on the night.”
The Blues top line, at the very least, is going to be an incredibly scary fade tonight in tournaments. They should see most of their time against the Bo Horvat and Henrik Sedin lines, neither of which are tough defensively. This line has a 58.2 Corsi For Percentage (CF%) and over 40 Scoring Chances For per 60 minutes (SCF/60) in their time together. The fact that they’re all on the top power-play together is just icing on the cake, as I’m going to try to find a way to jam them in tonight at all costs.
MTL1: Byron-Drouin-Gallagher ($15,200 DK/$16,000 FD)
“Montreal has had trouble scoring goals as of late, but tonight they have a decent 2.8 goal total on the road in Buffalo. If they can do some damage tonight, their top line can be a success for GPPs.”
While I’m not crazy about the even-strength matchup against the Ryan O’Reilly line here, I can get on board with Awesemo’s “A” DraftKings value for MTL1. Buffalo’s penalty-kill is under 80% on the year, and each of Byron, Drouin, and Gallagher all play on the top power-play together. It’s rare that you get a line that has full power-play correlation, and even rarer that you get one against a bad team for a mid-tier price like we do tonight with this Canadiens’ top line.
DAL1: Benn-Seguin-Ritchie ($16,700 DK/$19,400 FD)
“The top line for the Stars makes a lot of sense in tournaments tonight as they are at home against a banged-up Bruins team for an easy-to-fit price tag.”
We’re going to get top line Brett Ritchie tonight, which will undoubtedly increase the ownership for the Stars’ top line (“A” points grade). However, they may still come in at lower ownership than STL1 and PIT2, so you shouldn’t be scared off of using them. they have a 62.8 CF%, 37.8 SCF/60, and 17.3 HDCF/60 in over 65 minutes at even-strength, and they are all listed on the top power-play. With this stack, you get exposure to two stud playmakers, and a $3K cheapie in Ritchie that opens up a ton with the rest of your roster. What’s not to like?
