Facing the Devils, Thomas Greiss should come through in daily leagues.

Top Budget Plays

Centers

Christian Dvorak $3400 – The center is a play at the least. However, playing against San Jose can be tough. Arizona is home at least and Dvorak has eight points in his last ten games. The Arizona third line is inexpensive and may give the Sharks some issues. His shot volume is decent enough and there are quite a few values on Saturday. Stay tuned and look down below.

Wingers

Stephen Gionta $2900 – There is just a theme here that we must risk more. Gionta had an assist in his last game and played New Jersey tough in the pre-season. Andrew Ladd has looked better and largely because of Gionta’s ability to dig out pucks. Gionta is best when the game is a little slower and uglier. New Jersey cannot rush the puck up the ice like most teams so in some ways, this is an ideal value play.

Defensemen

David Schlemko $3300 – Hey, why not! Schlemko had two assists and six shots on goal the other night. It is high risk but the defenseman can get pucks on net. This all comes down to if he gets the ice time and the chances. Arizona will allow lots of shots and high quality opportunities. This is another value play that could pay off big. On an eight-game evening slate like this, players will need all the help they can get.        

Goalie

Florida goaltending $7200/7000 – This is an extremely dangerous GPP play because Los Angeles tallied a half dozen on Florida in their last meeting. Florida is mostly healthy and looking for revenge here. Roberto Luongo may or may not play due to that cramping issue. James Reimer could get that start so keep an eye out on confirmations first. The best bet is to wait a bit on this decision. It could be a good late hammer risk even if one feels hesitant with the main slate.            

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.

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Centers

Connor McDavid $8200 – People will run to this as it is likely to be chalk err chalky. That just means McDavid will be owned at an elevated rate. He had three points in his last game against Philadelphia. Yes, this game is in Chicago, but arguably Edmonton plays better away from home. Chicago is coming off the bye week and teams were 3-10 after the NHL-mandated recess. McDavid and that first unit power play may be worth taking a chance on here.

Wingers

Tyler Seguin $7100 – Though we may be going all in, Seguin can strike for multiple points/goals at any time. Dallas draws a solid match-up at home against Tampa Bay. The forward has 11 points in his last ten games on nearly four shots a game. He also has six power play points in that span. Tampa Bay has been playing somewhat better of late but Dallas at least should have a bit of an offensive boost at home even if they lose.          

Defenseman

Brent Burns $8500 – Again this should be a considerable risk but Burns is practically a plug and play at this juncture. He has five goals and 12 points in his last ten contests while averaging about four shots and 1.5 blocks per game. The floor for the Sharks defenseman is astronomical and he is even within shouting distance of the league lead in scoring. Let that sink in for a bit. Risk is involved here because Burns has to go nuts floor wise and/or get a point or two via goals or assists. Arizona is 25^th in the league in yielding points to defensemen in daily fantasy.

Goalie

Thomas Greiss $8000 – The choices out there may appear to be better, but it is hard to go away from an obvious cash goalie. New Jersey barely beat Colorado on Tuesday and was completely flustered by Ottawa on Thursday. The Islanders will allow more than 21 shots, but they have a frustrating style that New Jersey cannot figure out. New York has speed and acceleration while the Devils often get stuck in their own zone. Greiss may not face a ton of shots but with the mastery of New Jersey, this is at least worth a cash play.

Chris Wassel has been playing DFS for the past couple years and has played Fantasy Hockey for over two decades. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. We are targeting the eight-game evening slate to give readers more of a range on what to go on. Finally, please note that Saturday’s slate has several options and smaller late options. Also, remember there are no teams on bye weeks until next week. Thanks for reading and enjoy the big slate daily fantasy hockey fans!