The Shot Dude: It's Sky-High Day
Did you ever wake up, crawl out of bed, stretch your arms to the sky, and just know it's going to be a great day?
The calendar may say Friday, but your favorite Shot Dude proclaims this as Sky-High Day!
In that spirit, I'm feeling as high as the sky with the prospect of profits for daily fantasy NHL. Travel towards the heavens with me, as I've brought hot-air balloon full of excellent skaters for you to consider while building your fantasy lineup. If you haven't floated over to FanDuel, give them a try; as you'll see their pricing after each player I listed. My anticipation is heightened by the 6 game schedule which you can witness using the Bovada data tool on our Home page.
Forwards
Taylor Hall, Edmonton ($8900) ... has been far and away the MVP for the Oil to begin this season. Not only has he launched 80 shots, but also leads the team in goals, assists, total points, plus-minus, and game-winners. There are only three other NHL players who have taken more than 80 shots so far. Hall leads both the top scoring and No 1 power play lines for the Oilers. Edmonton has struggled their way to a 3-5-1 home record, but your favorite Shot Dude likes Hall and the Oilers to play well versus New Jersey tonight.
James Neal, Nashville ($6400) ... always rises to the challenge of leading the Predators through good and bad stretches of the season. Nashville has won two straight and are 4-2-1 on road ice to date. Neal also leads his team on the top scoring and power play lines and has 9 goals on 62 shots. Throw in 6 power play points and the fact that he's not afraid to mix it up --22 penalty minutes -- and you have a leader by example. Columbus is improving but has struggled at home (5-7) to the point where I'm calling for a Nashville win.
Artemi Panarin, Chicago ($4,300) ... is our discount player of the day who plays like a high-priced stud. Panarin is third on the Blackhawks with 47 shots and has scored 7 goals and assisted on 14 others. Even though he glides along on the second scoring line, Panarin has 5 power play points and one game-winning goal as a member of Chicago's top power play unit. This should come into play tonight as Calgary is fourth-worst in the NHL with a paltry penalty kill percentage of just 75%.
Defensemen
Justin Faulk, Carolina ($6100) ... has taken the third-most shots of any NHL defenseman, with 61. If his price tag seems high, look again; there are 6 other blueliners priced higher on FanDuel for tonight's game. Faulk's production has been uplifting so far this season, with all six of his goals coming on the power play. The Hurricanes will skate on home ice against a Toronto team that's given up 9 more goals than they've scored and own a 3-5-2 road record.
Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles ($4800) ... is another blueliner who gets to direct his team's top power play unit. Muzzin has taken 39 shots, and 2 of his 8 points have come by way of the power play so far this season. The Kings -- winners of three straight -- take their sparkling 5-1 road record to Detroit, who's under .500 at home and has given up 5 more goals that they've scored.
Goaltender
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders ($8800) ... makes for a great play any time he's in his home crease. Halak has won 4 of the 6 games he's started in Brooklyn -- and that still sounds weird -- with a shutout and .926 save percentage. Tonight's opponent is not an easy one -- Montréal -- but my Shot Dude senses are telling me that Carey Price will be rusty in is his first game back from injury. I'm leaning towards a 2-1 Islanders win.
Your favorite Shot Dude truly hopes you elevate your game tonight and rise to the top of your fantasy game standings!
And remember, in fantasy sports, as in life, you can't score unless you take your best shot!
You can follow me on twitter@fsofia8