The Shot Dude: Dust Off the Zamboni
There have been no NHL games played since Tue 22 Dec, which made me sad.
It's time to dust off the zamboni, sharpen the skates, and heat up the popcorn machine.
Your favorite Shot Dude is happy again because the pucks are ready to be dropped.
There are nine glorious games on tap, which you can check out using the Bovada data tool located on our Home page:
The folks at FanDuel never take a break and have created a variety of fantasy games for your enjoyment.
Skaters I like today include:
Forwards
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver ($8700) ... is currently the NHL's sixth-most-frequent shot taker. Stadsbo -- Swedish slang for dude -- has launched 130 in 36 games resulting in 16 goals, five of which have come on the power play and four of which were game winners. Sedin will enjoy home ice against Edmonton and -- most likely -- Cam Talbot, whose road record of 3-4 with a 2.80 goals against average is not exactly awe-inspiring. Pairing Daniel with his brother Henrik and/or Jannik Hansen -- or even both -- could really escalate your scoring potential.
Vladimir Tarasenko, St Louis ($8100) ... is the second player I really like today who currently resides in the Top 10 for shots taken so far this season. Tarasenko has not only scored 22 times on the 127 blasts he's fired in 35 games, but like Sedin, he has four game-winning goals. Dallas opposes the Blues today with Antti Niemi likely in net for the visitors. Tarasenko will take aim at the average Dallas defense and Niemi, who owns a pedestrian 2.50 goals against average through 10 road appearances to date.
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay ($6400) ... has 12 goals on 87 shots in 35 games this season. When you add in the 12 assists he's tallied, Kucherov makes for a great secondary scorer next to Steven Stamkos. Eleven of his points have come on the power play and two of his goals have won games for the Lightning. Columbus, winners of only 3 of their last 10 games, will bring its 8-12 road record to Tampa Bay's rink tonight.
Defensemen
Colin Miller, Boston ($3000) ... doesn't take a ton of shots but does have 12 points, with four coming on the power play. Dude's 28 penalty minutes in 27 games will help with the scoring system FanDuel uses. Today's lineup was built by paying up for forwards and finding value on defense. Miller has scored a point in two of his last four games. Boston also skates home ice against Buffalo and confirmed starter Chad Johnson, who owns a 4-6 road record and gives up a robust 2.63 goal average per road game.
Noah Hanafin, Carolina ($3200) ... like Miller, is not a high volume shooter but has been elevated to the Hurricanes' top power play line, so we can expect his power play point total of two to increase. Hanafin has seven total points and has taken 42 shots in 31 games played. I expect this one with New Jersey to be a low-scoring defensive battle. Dude shouldn't have a minus rating, either, as he has done in nine of his last ten games.
Goaltender
Pekka Rinne, Nashville ($8000) ... is one of only two netminders with 17 home starts and is tied for the NHL lead with 29 starts overall. Dude will defend his home crease, where he's won 11 and has an impressive 1.93 goals against average. This Finn has been gaining recent momentum with two straight wins and by only allowing four goals in his last three victories. Rinne will face Detroit, who currently ranks second-to-last in the NHL in road goals scored with just 31.
Your favorite Shot Dude hopes the return of hockey has you smiling, and you cash in on your fantasy games.
Remember to always give it your best shot!
You can follow me on twitter@fsofia8.