Welcome to February, everyone! The NHL is back and thankfully so is fantasy hockey. There are a whopping 12 games on the schedule tonight, with a good number of them being rivalry games. So, let’s take a look and see who the top candidates are for your starting six tonight for your NHL daily fantasy team.
And no, sadly none of them are John Scott.
C- Connor McDavid, EDM
The Oilers’ wunderkind has returned from the dead! Connor McDavid is back after suffering a broken clavicle from a nasty tumble into the boards against the Philadelphia Flyers. He will be taking home ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets with Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Eberle flanking him. For what it’s worth, McDavid was gaining steam before his injury, scoring 11 points in eight games. He has 13 games total under his belt this regular season. Coming back from such a nasty injury is a real test of mettle, especially for a 19-year-old. This will be an enormous game for both Edmonton and McDavid, but he deserves your trust. Put him in your lineup tonight.
LW- Andre Burakovsky, WAS
The young Russian is going to be getting top-line minutes thanks to the NHL’s All-Star Game attendance policy. With Alex Ovechkin serving a one-game suspension, it’s #65 that will be slotted in the left wing position on the first line with Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. Burakovsky headed into the break red-hot. He has three goals and two assists in his last three games, and seven points in his last five. Four of the last five games he has registered points in have been multi-point nights. He has gone from fighting for 10 minutes a night to seeing top-line ice time, and has rewarded Barry Trotz for the trust. He is another possession machine on a team chock full of them.
RW- Patrick Sharp, DAL
The Dallas Stars were one of the many teams that needed the All-Star break badly. Their reign over the Central Division, the Western Conference, and really the entire NHL was relatively short-lived. It fizzled out about as suddenly as it began. One player that has shown no signs of slowing is Patrick Sharp. Sharp, one of the elder statesmen on the Stars, took a 12-game point streak into early January. His production did not dip following its end, however. He has three assists in his last four games, and has 18 shots on his goal over his last five. A hopefully rejuvenated Stars team is taking on the Jets tonight in Winnipeg. Sharp deserves to be in your lineup when they do.
D- Brent Burns, SJS
Brent Burns is always a solid fantasy selection for your daily lineup. That is common knowledge, at this point. So there really is not all that much to talk about that has not been said already about Brent Burns’ spectacular playmaking and laser shot. I honestly just want to spend this paragraph showing my appreciation to him for making the Skills Competition tolerable this past weekend. His antics as a Wookie and with his son were a riot. The Sharks are taking on the Anaheim Ducks on the road. They are a fine road team at 16-6-2. So, let the Wookie win. Get him in your starting six tonight.
D- Shea Weber, NSH
Speaking of the Skills Competition, holy Shea Weber. Weber won his second shot velocity contest, unloading a 108.1 mph slapshot. This came just shy of his mark from last year (108.5 mph) and of the all-time record held by Zdeno Chara (108.8 mph). It was a cool moment to see Weber revel in the exaltation raining down on him from the Nashville crowd. The St. Louis Blues will be making their way into Nashville tonight. Weber and his lethal shot will be waiting for them.
By the way, in case you were curious- John Scott shot 95.9 mph, harder than Aaron Ekblad and Tyler Seguin. As you were.
G- Cory Schneider, NJD
Is it accepted that Cory Schneider is an elite goaltender yet? It should be. Schneider has won four of his last five starts to bring his record to 22-15-5 on the year. And yes, he is first in the league in appearances. He allowed more than two goals only twice in the entire month of January. What’s perhaps most impressive is that he has 10 games on the year where he did not allow a goal at even strength. Two of those games went to overtime. The Devils are 9-1 in those games. New Jersey will be taking on a Rangers team with no Rick Nash and inconsistent possession performance. Schneider will have a low-scoring game ahead of him. He deserves to start between the pipes for you tonight.
