Looking at both the best top-end and bargain bin options for tonight on DraftKings. 

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It is Thursday again, and that means another round of DraftKings options for tonight’s 12-game slate. This is a column that looks at both top-shelf options and bargain bin players. The yin and yang of DFS NHL, as it were.

Last week went fairly well, with Jakub Voracek being the only big miss. Then again, anyone that’s used Voracek at all this year has missed. It’s not like things are going well in Flyerland.

Each player listed as a top option will be $7000 or more, with the bargain options each being $3000 or less. If there are any updates to pass along as the day wears on, I will update this column.

Top Shelf Options

Tyler Seguin (Dallas – Centre) – $8900

To be fair here, there really aren’t great, expensive options at centre tonight on DraftKings. The Islanders in Los Angeles doesn’t breed confidence in John Tavares, and Nathan MacKinnon facing Patrice Bergeron isn’t very good, either. That would leave Steven Stamkos or Seguin. Despite the price difference, I will choose the latter.

Part of building a cash game lineup is creating a solid floor. With Seguin managing over four shots on goal a game and half a blocked shot, just peripherals alone give him over two points. It may not be much, but it’s about a third of Seguin’s cost is recouped by his floor, while the floor for Stamkos is closer to 25-percent of his cost.

Seguin and Dallas hosting Winnipeg doesn’t seem like a great matchup, but it is for the Dallas power play. The Jets are bottom-three in the NHL in shot attempts allowed per short handed minute, and give up nearly four power plays per game. That’s good news for the Dallas power play, and hopefully Seguin.

Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis – Wing) – $7600

One of the dirty secrets in the NHL this year is that the NY Rangers haven’t been very good. Set aside the standings. The team is showing all sorts of signs of regression, and a big reason is that they aren’t very good defensively as a whole; the Rangers are bottom-third in shot attempts allowed per 60 minutes, giving up about as many adjusted scoring chances as the Oilers, and have been floated by Henrik Lundqvist and his nearly .950 save percentage. That can’t last forever.

Tarasenko is another player with a high floor. On the season, he’s averaging over four shots on goal per game (with half a blocked shot), and has just two games this year with fewer than three shots on goal.

It looks like the pairing of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi should see the Tarasenko line the most. There is also a good bet that the Girardi-McDonagh pairing is the worst of the three Rangers pairings available. Tarasenko’s floor helps his value for tonight, and he shouldn’t be very widely owned, given most people would avoid Lundqvist.

Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg – Defence) – $6100

Granted that Dallas is one of the better teams in the league, they have largely done so through sheer out-scoring their opponents. Dallas is more middle-of-the-pack in shot attempts and near the bottom in scoring chances allowed.

In four matchups last year, these two teams averaged nearly 64 shots on goal combined per game. That is a lot for any NHL contest, and it’s a lot for a four-game average between two teams. It resulted in 5.75 goals per meeting, which was above the league average.

Byfuglien’s floor gives him over two points per game, and for a defenceman, that’s really solid. With the Dallas struggles in their own end limiting shots and scoring chances, and the high-flying Jets coming in, there seems to be a decent chance for Byfuglien to at least end up with something like three shots, a blocked shot, and an assist. There is a lot of upside beyond that, which is why he’s a solid cash game option.

Bargain Bin Options

Zemgus Girgensons (Buffalo – Centre) – $2900

The downside to Girgensons here is that he was moved off the power play. While he was never a focal point of the offence this year, some power play time is preferable to none. Bargain bin players don’t always have everything we’re looking for, however.

Buffalo goes into Florida tonight. I would never take a top option going into Florida to face the Panthers; the defensive numbers for the Ekblad-Campbell pairing are outstanding so far this year. By comparison, and just overall, really, the Gubranson-Mitchell pairing has been horrific for the Panthers. They’re last in the NHL in giving up scoring chances per minute among regular pairings. 

I would prefer to use Girgensons in a tournament than a 50/50, because this really does seem like an all-or-nothing situation. Either this line connects for a couple of goals, or they’re irrelevant offensively. All the same, it’s a great matchup for Girgensons.

Frank Vatrano (Boston – Winger) – $2600

This should be a highly owned bargain option. Vatrano has taken the second spot wing spot that was opened by David Pastrnak, and subsequently Alex Khokhlachev. In the two games since he was called up, Vatrano has managed a goal, which is nice, but eight shots on goal, which helps give a solid floor. It’s just two games, but it’s a good sign.

Boston being at home to the Avalanche means a lot of people will be on a lot of Bruins players tonight. With the expensive options like the Dallas Stars skaters, Patrick Kane, Washington skaters, and Taylor Hall likely in high demand, though, using a bargain option or two tonight to get to those players seems prudent, and Vatrano is in a better spot than most.

Colin Miller (Boston – Defence) – $3000

I don’t normally like to double up on cheap options in this column, as to vary the matchups (especially on a 12-game slate). With that said, Boston is in such a good situation that going elsewhere would be dishonest.

Miller has worked his way from the AHL last year to the second power play unit with the Bruins this year. Speaking of which, Miller had 52 points in 70 games in the AHL last year as a 22-year old defenceman. That was good for top-35 in scoring last year in the entire league.

Again, the biggest reason for liking Miller tonight is that Colorado is in town. If he was going to get two or three shots on goal against a team, this seems like a good matchup for it. At his price, he can recoup his cost without registering a point. That is a great value.

Good luck today!

Some stats from Hockey Reference, Hockey Analysis, War On Ice, and Emmanuel Perry’s app. Line combos from Dobber’s Frozen Pool.