The Shot Dude: Presidential Pucks

For those who celebrate it, Happy President's Day!

Here's something we can all celebrate: there are seven NHL games on today's schedule.

Your favorite Shot Dude never makes a triumphant stroll to this podium and Hail to the Chief isn't playing in the background, but I do have some great recommendations for your fantasy lineup to pass along.

You can survey the day's sports schedule with the aid of the Bovada data tool located on our Home page. Here, for example, are the six NHL games set for tonight:

I cast my vote for FanDuel as the best place to play fantasy games, try out an NHL contest as soon as you're done here.

Let's get to today's players and some of their historical accomplishments:

Forwards

Patrick Kane, Chicago ($8600) ... should be in your fantasy lineup most every night, but make sure he is tonight. Dude's second to Alexander Ovechkin in goals scored this season with 33 on 206 shots in 59 games. Not only does Kane lead the league in points (78) and power play points (26) but has a great history against tonight's foe, Toronto. With 9 goals and 8 assists, dude's almost averaging 1 of each in the 10 career games he's played against the Leafs.

Daniel Sedin, Vancouver ($7300) ... is the new career scoring leader in Canuck history, surpassing fellow Swede Markus Näslund. There must be something fantastic in the water of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. For the record, the name translates to Osprey Nest Bay, and it's the home town of such NHL high flyers as Peter Forsberg, Näslund, and the Sedin twins.

Daniel's 185 shots have produced 22 goals, and he's now tallied 45 total points in 55 games. His formidable presence on the power play -- 14 points scored this season -- will come in handy tonight against Minnesota. The Wild are eighth-worst in the NHL with a lowly 79.1% penalty kill, and Sedin has 62 career points in 76 games against them.

Max Pacioretty, Montréal ($7000) ... has only played seven games in his career against Arizona, accounting for six points. I have a feeling he adds to that total tonight. Not only are the Coyotes the fourth-most generous team in the league by allowing 168 goals this season, but they also own the fourth-worst penalty kill at a paltry 77.9%. With 215 blasts on goal, Pacioretty has out-shot his nearest teammate by 65 and sees almost 19 minutes of ice time per game.

Defensemen

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh ($6900) ... has launched 134 shots in 44 games this season, scoring 9 times. Two of those came in the same game nine days ago against tonight's rival, Florida. In 27 career games against the Panthers, dude's recorded 18 points. On fire of late, Letang has 12 points in his last 10 games. Even though he's played less games, Letang's current season total of 40 points is third on the Penguins. 

Ryan Ellis, Nashville ($4400) ... has been taking more shots on goal lately and is up to 109 in 55 games on the year. Dude's registered 22 points, gets over 22 minutes of ice time per game, and runs the point on the Predators' second power play unit. Nashville is never an easy place to play for visitors, and with a win tonight, the Preds can leapfrog Colorado in the Central Division standings.

Goaltender

Jacob Markström, Vancouver ($6800) ... has been one of the most dependable backups in the NHL this season, with 9 wins and a sturdy .925 save percentage. In fact, dude's won four straight and only allowed 7 of the last 128 pucks he's seen get past him. From a fantasy perspective, 7 of his last 10 games have produced a score of 6.2 or higher, which at this salary, is excellent. In addition, he gets to face Minnesota, a team with an interim coach and losers of eight consecutive games.

Your favorite Shot Dude sincerely hopes you come out on the winning side of all your fantasy games tonight.

Please get out and vote in the next election, and always give it your best shot!

You can follow me on twitter@fsofia8.