NHL Building Blocks – December 14
Eleven games on this Saturday evening. We’ve got a lot of good matchups tonight, so let’s see where we can focus our efforts. Let’s dive in!
The premise of each article in this series is to feature starting spots (building blocks) for your lines. These are plays that are cash-viable as well as GPP-worthy and can be considered in all contest formats.
Starting Lineup – December 14
The Goalie: Jake Oettinger
Perhaps the best goalie in the league, Oettinger (14-7-0 / 2.46 / .911) continues to be elite in all facets (and it helps that Dallas is one of the best defensive teams in hockey as well). St. Louis’s offense is quite below average and the Stars are at home, so he’s someone I’m going to be over the field on.
The Center: Nathan Mackinnon
Mac leads the league in scoring with 47 points and is second in shots on goal with 123 in just 31 games. He’s got eight points in his last five games, and the Avs host the slumping Predators who can’t get anything going.
The Wing: Jake Guentzel
Guentzel looks like he’s finally found his stride in his first season in Tampa, notching seven goals over his past five games and pacing toward a 50-goal season. He skates L1/PP1 with Kuch and Point, but he’s a little cheaper, which is a plus on a slate like this with a ton of high-ceiling options.
The Defenseman: Zach Werenski
Starting to get his due as he continues to play the best hockey of his career, leading the Blue Jackets in scoring (30 points) and shots on goal (103) in 29 games. Columbus hosts the anemic Ducks, so he should be able to do what he wants from the blue line.
The Value: Max Pacioretty
Still too cheap skating on L2; two goals and a helper last game and gets a great matchup tonight.
The Stack: TB (Point-Kucherov)
One of the better matchups on the slate even on the road, these two are playing as well as anyone, combining for 25 points between the two of them in their past five games. Mix in Guentzel and Hagel as solid secondary pieces.
DFS ARMY VIP MEMBERSHIP
Do you want access to the most advanced Daily Fantasy NHL content in the industry? How about the chance to talk player picks and lineups with our NHL DFS Pros and like-minded players? DFS Army VIP Members get all of that PLUS access to our best in the industry projections and optimization tools. Go to DFS Army VIP membership and use promo code DARTH to lock in at 10% off the monthly membership fee. You won’t find a better deal or a better DFS team.
Nov 3, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) celebrates his first period goal with Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images