On the final Thursday of the regular season, some cheap and expensive players for DraftKings.

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Welcome to the final bargain bin and top shelf column of the regular season for me at Dobber Hockey. Hopefully the readers were able to win some money with me over the season, and bring a different level of enjoyment to the game we all love.

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The regular season is almost over, so be sure to get in on one of the last big slates of the year! Just follow this link to get to the player selection screen for tonight’s $3 Sniper contest! Details below.

• A pool of $20 000 guaranteed, with 7666 entries, at $3 per entry.
• Top 1540 scores pay, with a top prize of $2000.
• Select two centres, three wingers, two defencemen, a goalie, and a utility skater.

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As always, there will be one bargain bin option for each skater position, priced at $3000 or less. There will also be one of each forward position at $7000 or more, with the top defenceman at $6000 or more.

Cheap Players

Oscar Lindberg (NYR-C) – $2900

The Islanders/Rangers game is big in a way that if the Islanders were to win in regulation, the two would be tied for third in the Metro. In that sense, I suppose both teams have something to play for. At the least, this should be a spirited game.

Kevin Hayes was scratched last game in favour of Lindberg, and Lindberg was inserted on the third line with Eric Staal and Jesper Fast. He didn’t get much ice time, but seeing as it was his first game in a little under four weeks, he can probably be forgiven for that.

One thing I will say is that on a huge 13-game slate, there really isn’t much need to go bargain bin at centre (and there are few good bargain options at this position anyway). With that said, the Islanders are stacking their top line with Nielsen-Tavares-Okposo, and that kind of things out the rest of the roster. That should give the Staal line some good in-game matchups, especially with the blue line injuries the Islanders have. I wouldn’t go cheap at centre tonight, but if it’s a must, Lindberg is the guy I would look to.

UPDATE: Lindberg may be out tonight for Kevin Hayes. Keep an eye on your favourite lineup resource for further information. If Lindberg is indeed out, I would use John Mitchell (COL) instead as a bargain centre. 

Hunter Shinkaruk (CGY-W) – $2600

Shinkaruk scored his second NHL goal last game, against the Los Angeles Kings, no less. He is also averaging over 16 minutes of ice time since getting to Calgary. He is not shooting much, but that may not matter tonight.

The Flames are home to the Canucks, one day after the Canucks got shelled in Edmonton. Needless to say that neither team is very good, but with Vancouver on a back-to-back, and Calgary playing their final home game of the season, this could be a very similar outcome tonight as the 6-2 loss last night by Vancouver.

More than anything, it’s the fact that Shinkaruk is playing on Calgary’s top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. That also includes power play time with that duo. As far as third wheels go, that’s an excellent spot to be. With a lot of top options sporting big price tags tonight, and I’ll get to those, Shinkaruk is an excellent way to get access to those high-priced options.

Marc Staal (NYR-D) – $2900

The loss of Ryan McDonagh, and possibly Dan Girardi, the remaining defencemen are going to have to play a much bigger role. Staal has been doing exactly that, having averaged over 24 minutes over his last two games.

This is one of those, “I don’t think he’s getting a point but he might not need it to reach value” type of plays tonight: in the nine games this year where Staal has played at least 23 minutes, he’s registered at least two blocked shots in seven of them. In the games he’s played at least 24 minutes, he’s averaged nearly 2.5. He could easily register three or four blocked shots, getting him very close to value. It’s not a pretty way to accumulate points, but fantasy points are fantasy point.

Expensive Players

Claude Giroux (PHI-C) – $7200

The suspension to Nazem Kadri presents some problems for the Toronto Maple Leafs for the balance of this season. Most notably is that it forces players, specifically their centers, into roles that they probably shouldn’t be occupying. Looking at Kadri’s top opponents this year, it’s pretty clear that he plays the other team’s top starts. In Toronto’s last home game, the honour of facing the opposing top line went to Frederik Gauthier’s line. Going into Philly, they won’t be able to dictate the line matching.

After a slow start to the season that saw just five points in his first 10 games, Giroux has 61 in his last 65 games going back to November 1^st. A big reason for this surge is that with Wayne Simmonds on his flank, the Flyers generate over 13-percent more shot attempts this year with Giroux on the ice with Simmonds than without him. In a sport where money is made at the margins, that is a big number.

No Kadri for the Leafs means favourable matchups for the Flyers top line. The Flyers still have something to play for, while the Leafs are relying on youthful enthusiasm. There is an abundance of useful centres tonight, but Giroux stands out among the field.

Jamie Benn (DAL-W) – $8000

I will be honest and say that Joe Pavelski also makes a fine top-tier winger option for tonight. At home to the Winnipeg Jets is a really good matchup, but with the defenceman I’ve recommended, I’m moving to the secondary option.

With five goals and three assists in his last eight games, Benn has been a point-per-game player since Tyler Seguin’s injury. I certainly cannot be the only person that didn’t expect those kind of numbers to maintain when the star centre went down, but the Stars have just kept chugging along.

One big reason for liking Benn and the Stars tonight is kind of anecdotal. Sure, being home to a bad team is always nice, but coach Patrick Roy calling out his players, and throwing them under the bus, makes me think the Avalanche may not have strong performances with what’s left in the regular season.

Other than the anecdotal evidence, the Dallas Stars have outshot the Colorado Avalanche, in the three games they’ve played this season, by a margin of 53 shots. That is an absurd number. Dallas also has just eight goals on 120 shots in that span, or a 6.7-percent overall shooting percentage. For reference, Dallas is shooting 10-percent as a team this year. Playing the “they’re due” game is a dangerous one, but considering how thorough they’ve dominated Colorado this year, they’re due, and Benn should be a big part of it.

Brent Burns (SJS-D) – $8500

Winnipeg coming to town should prove to be a favourable matchup for the Sharks. In the first two games these two teams have played against each other, the Sharks have drawn 11 power plays. This isn’t that shocking considering how often the Jets take penalties, but the Sharks should be able to convert for at least one power play goal, and that’s a big plus for the Sharks skaters, Burns included.

As I’ve mentioned before in this column, the floor that Burns provides is absurd, which is why his price is so high. With just shots (347) and blocked shots (138), fantasy owners can expect three DraftKings fantasy points a game out of Burns. That is all without registering an actual point. It’s impressive.

The one concern is that as the season has wound down, so has Burns’ ice time; in his last five games, he’s played fewer minutes in each than his seasonal average of nearly 26 minutes. Even with the downturn in minutes, though, he’s still averaging three DK points through shots and blocked shots alone. The guy is bulletproof, fantasy-wise.

Burns is expensive, but with the expected power plays, the floor, and the value that can be had elsewhere to make up for the cost, Burns is a solid option for tonight.

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Don’t forget to jump into tonight’s Sniper contest on DraftKings!

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*Some stats from Hockey Reference, Hockey Analysis, and War On Ice. Line combinations from Dobber’s Frozen Pool.