The Shot Dude: Day-to-Day

I've vowed to always be straight up with the readers of this feature.

So I must admit that your favorite Shot Dude is listed as day-to day with an upper-body injury.

Unlike the NHL, which gives very little injury detail on its players' afflictions, I'll divulge that I had the ulnar nerve in my left arm repaired yesterday.

This won't deter me from finding six great skaters around which to build your fantasy team, but I'll just be giving the abbreviated nuts and bolts version.

Doctor's orders!

Get all the latest data of the eight games on tap for tonight by using the Bovada data tool on our Home page:

Another day, another great assortment of fantasy games to choose from at FanDuel! They're your leader in the industry and never have to visit the surgeon.

Now, here are today's recommendations;

Forwards

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington ($9700) ... is the only skater to have reached the 300-shot plateau this season. Dude's 335 blasts have netted 41 goals in 66 games. With just 3 assists and 16 shots in his last 4 games, I'll wager Ovie breaks out tonight at home against Carolina.

Aleksander Barkov, Florida ($6400) ... is back on the top line with Jágr and Huberdeau and has registered 10 points in his last 10 games. The three-way battle for the Atlantic Division crown involving the Panthers, Boston, and Tampa Bay sees these teams only separated by one point. Florida visits injury-riddled Montréal tonight.

Zack Smith, Ottawa ($6000) ... has now tallied a point in eight straight contests, including six goals. Since the injury to Kyle Turris, Smith's been occupying his spot on the top line and has been quite effective for the Sens. The salary is just too cheap for how great dude's been playing lately. Plus, Ottawa gets home ice against Minnesota, a team that's been very average on the road, going 15-14-6 so far this season.

Defensemen

Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay ($4800) ... has seen 11 of his 32 points come via the power play for the Lightning this season. Dude averages over 22 minutes of ice time and has launched 121 shots. Tampa will face Toronto, a team that is not playing for anything these days.

Alec Martinez, Los Angeles ($4600) ... has assisted on goals in 3 of the King's last 4 games and has been an underrated part of Los Angeles' blue line this season. Even though dude's taken fewer shots (107), he's scored the same amount of goals and registered almost the same amount of power play points as more highly regarded Jake Muzzin. The Kings have a date with Dallas, a team that's won only 4 of their last 10.

Goaltender

Braden Holtby, Washington ($9100) ... never goes too many games without a stellar performance. That's why he's the NHL's leader in wins with 41 in 55 starts for the Capitals. This is even after trading wins and losses in his last eight outings. I see everything coming together for Holtby tonight in his home crease against Carolina. Dude's already beaten the Hurricanes this year and has 8 wins in 12 career starts, holding them to under two goals per game.

Your favorite Shot Dude hopes you stay out of the operating room and get into some major winning.

Remember to say thank you to your caring nurses, and always give it your best shot!

You can follow me on twitter@fsofia8.