NHL Building Blocks – December 21
We’ve got eight games tonight. There are some great goalies in action and some really nice offenses, so where do we start? 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 21
The Goalie: Jacob Markstrom
The Devils are at home tonight against a Penguins team that’s been a little better recently; however, Markstrom (16-6-2 / 2.29 / .909) has been great in his first season in New Jersey, and if Pittsburgh is shooting the puck more, that ups my interest in him (plus he’s got an elite offense in front of him).
The Center: Jack Hughes
Hughes continues to play extremely well, scoring 42 points in 35 games and ranking fourth in shots on goal with 128 (including a video game-esque 13 in the Devils’ last game). Pittsburgh’s defense is not good, either, so I like the floor/ceiling combo here.
The Wing: Brad Marchand
Odd to see a Bruin listed this season, but he’s got five goals and four assists during his eight-game point streak and Boston hosts the Sabres who are on the second half of a road back-to-back and who just lost their 12th game in a row.
The Defenseman: Zach Werenski
Has become a must-consider on every slate given his production (32 points in 33 games) and volume (leading the team with 115 shots and seeing nearly 26 and a half minutes of ice time per game).
The Value: JT Compher
Seeing PP1 time and is in a good matchup.
The Stack: NJ (Hughes-Hischier-Bratt)
New Jersey might have the highest upside on the slate, and the Devils’ offense continues to be elite. These three have scored 43 goals between them, and Pittsburgh has allowed the most goals in the league on the third-most shots per contest. Mix in Noesen and Meier as solid secondary pieces.
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Oct 30, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt (63) and forward Stefan Noesen (11) and forward Jack Hughes (86) and forward Nico Hischier (13) celebrate Jack Hughes’ goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images