With six games on the docket tonight, let’s have a look at what your Starting Six should be for your NHL Daily Fantasy team:
c- Matt Duchene, COL
After a bit of a December lull, Duchene is back on track. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in his last five games. Colorado’s powerplay has been clicking of late, tallying 11 goals in their last eight games. Duchene has only grabbed points on two of those goals, but he’s heating back up. Nashville’s defense may not be fully adjusted to the Seth Jones trade, so expect Duchene and the Avs to put the pressure on at home.
LW- Artemi Panarin, CHI
The Russian rookie is having quite the season. For frame of reference: through his first 42 games Panarin has 38 points. Rookie Patrick Kane had 39 points through his first 42. Panarin has 7 points in his last five games. He burned the Penguins in back-to-back nights, tallying four goals. He has slid in flawlessly on a line with fellow Russian Artem Anisimov and scoring machine Patrick Kane. As he goes up against a Buffalo team that allows a plethora of high-danger scoring chances, Panarin absolutely belongs in your starting six tonight.
RW- Nikita Kucherov, TBL
Kucherov has easily been Tampa’s most consistent forward this season. His eight-game point streak came to a close on Tuesday. Over that stretch, he amassed 3 goals and 9 assists. Those numbers improve to 8 goals and 9 assists dating back to the beginning of December. With a game against Edmonton tonight, Kucherov and the Lightning are sure to get a lot of shots on net. Kucherov himself has a 53.5% corsi rating at 5v5 this season. Not to mention, 16 of his 30 points this season have come on the man advantage. The Oilers have a perfectly ‘meh’ penalty kill unit. Kucherov will easily be a catalyst tonight.
D- Tyson Barrie, COL
Barrie exploded for 4 points against the Kings Monday night. He’s been huge for the Avs’ man advantage from the point this season and has notched points on 6 of their 11 goals of late. Barrie is usually good for a couple of blocked shots and shots on goal, too. His +/- normally suffers from Colorado’s notoriously poor possession numbers. Barrie himself has a 44.4% Corsi this season. That number has been on the rise lately, as he’s been a positive possession player in most of his last nine games. He’s trending upward. His play on the man advantage makes him an invaluable asset on your starting six.
D- Torey Krug, BOS
The injury to Adam McQuaid means that Boston’s other big-name blueliners will see an increase in minutes. Krug went from seeing 20-23 minutes to 25:34 minutes of ice time last game. He has 3 assists in his last three games, all coming on the powerplay. He had been held off the scoresheet in his previous six games. But there’s reason to believe that Krug is waking up. He’s not a 2.7% shooting player as his stat line currently indicates. The law of regression says he will return back to his mean of about 6% at some point. Krug is still at .99 points/60 minutes too, so he has the ability to produce. Kevin Connauton on Columbus has been hotter of late, but have faith in Krug. He deserves to be in your starting lineup. His increased ice time, along with the fact that he starts in the offensive zone more often than not, will make him a nice pickup.
G- Corey Crawford, CHI
Crow has been solid all year for the Blackhawks. Chicago has what should be a layup game tonight against Buffalo. The Hawks are on a five-game win streak while the Sabres have lost five in a row. Chicago allows a surprising amount of shots though- Crawford faces almost 30 shots a night on average. Chicago will be controlling the pace of play tonight, and the lack of high-danger chances generated by the Sabres will only make things easier. Tonight should be a ‘W’ for Crow, and he should face enough shots to make it worth your while.
