Why Tavares will produce tonight, the reasons for using Johnny Gaudreau, and other good options for daily fantasy hockey tonight on DraftKings.

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Be sure to check out the $3 entry, $30K guaranteed Sniper contest on DraftKings tonight! Enter through this link, and follow the instructions below for your chance at a $2,000 top prize.

– $30,000 prize pool

– First place wins $2,000

– FREE for new users or $3 to join

– Top 2,302 scores win money guaranteed

– Starts on Saturday, December 12th at 7:00pm EST

– Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 9 spots. 8 players and 1 goalie

– Roster Format: 2 C, 3 W, 2 D, 1 G and 1 Util

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Now some suggestions to build your roster…

Top Budget Plays

Centers

Vladislav Namestnikov $2,800 – We do not dip into players that float around the lines for a team but Namestnikov is at least worth a shot given his potential. Currently, he has about a point every other game but for some reason, there is this upside that screams he could do more. Yes, Tampa Bay is getting healthy but there should still be a place in the lineup somewhere for the forward on Saturday. It’s a high risk GPP play.

Wingers

Defensemen

Calvin de Haan $3,600 – If Columbus plays like they did Thursday night which was uneven at best then New York defenseman are going to be owned. Now de Haan has a moderately solid floor which is great when dealing with value plays. Typically, he sees 20+ minutes of ice time and it may be a night where the blue-line could be the source of some solid scoring for the Islanders. It could be a wise move.

Goalie

Jhonas Enroth $7,300 – So at this point, we are literally grasping a bit at straws. Los Angeles often has a tough time on the road but Enroth will be up against his former Buffalo teammates. It may be quite dicey. On the other hand, the Swedish goalie may just fire off a gem. That is how the goalie is. This last line of defense will not have an easy time of it but rolling the bones sometimes actually works.

Since we saved some money on the budget plays let’s look at the few of the pricey options that are worth paying up for today.

Enter the DRAFTKINGS $30,000 sniper…just $3 to enter or FREE if you deposit today!

Centers

John Tavares $7,800 – The Islanders may be a bit of a stack play on Saturday as Columbus again seems to be kind of on a rudderless state of floating. Either way, the center is a buy low candidate of sorts and is due to break out of his mini slump of sorts. Columbus is not that great on the penalty kill and defensively they can be a mess. If you have some money to spend on the nine game slate, then Tavares may just be your guy.

Wingers

Johnny Gaudreau $6,400 – They call him “Johnny Hockey” for a reason and the New Jersey native is a lot of fun to watch. He is the reason you play him against the New York Rangers. Playing at the “sea of red” is a unique place and the energy he provides pales in comparison. With the Rangers defensemen in the state they are in, the winger is going to cause them a ton of fits and create a fair share of offense and then some. Be aware of the pace he sets and if the Rangers cannot keep said pace then look out.

Defenseman

Erik Karlsson $7,300 – Karlsson is the better defender to play on this night than even Brent Burns because it is a rivalry game against Montreal. Consider that Karlsson plays nearly a half hour a night. That means more and more chances for the defenseman to take advantage of no Carey Price in net. He nearly averages five DraftKings points a night on Saturdays so if you are going to spend high, then go for the gold!

Goalie

Pekka Rinne — G — Nashville Predators — $7600

Rinne could be a moderate to high GPP risk but at least he bounced back with a big effort against Chicago in the back end of a home and home. Now the question is can the Finnish goalie begin to sustain a better level of play? Remember Rinne had a .861 save percentage in an eight game span since just before Thanksgiving. With a lot of goalies in questionable spots, Rinne fares pretty well against Colorado and has the ability to fully regain his early season form. 

Chris Wassel has been playing DFS for the last year and has played Fantasy Hockey for over two decades. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. Please note that this is a modestly large Saturday slate. We are targeting only the nine game evening schedule and will have all the breakdowns on Twitter.