DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy hockey lineup February 9

The NHL has a busy slate with an 11-game schedule this Thursday. Get your DFS fantasy hockey roster set by checking out FanSided’s DraftKings daily picks.

After a one game evening on Wednesday, the NHL is back in business with 11 games on the schedule for Thursday Feb. 9. With a lot of games on the schedule, there are naturally a ton of options. This makes picking teams difficult and stressful. Allow FanSided to make your life less stressful and get you some money with our daily DFS fantasy hockey picks.

Tonight’s DraftKings rosters will lock in place at 7:00 PM ET with six games starting things off. There are several leagues available, including a turbo option and a late night league. Here’s tonight’s schedule.

All Day (starts at 7:00 p.m. EST)

Turbo league (starts at 7:30 p.m. ET)

Late Night League (starts at 9:00 p.m. ET)

From a matchup standpoint, if you like to exploit mismatches and stack team members in your DFS lineup, the Red Wings versus Capitals, Sharks versus Bruins, and Penguins versus Avalanche games are all worth keeping an eye on. Today’s picks will be separated by position and also by value. There will be both high salary and high value picks available.

If you find my picks and analysis helpful and would like to check out my DFS hockey posts each morning, the easiest way to find the DraftKings daily picks is to drop a bookmark on our new and improved fantasy hockey hub or follow @fansided_dave on Twitter where I’ll tweet out the links each day when my picks go live. You’ll find updates throughout the day there as well and I’m always open to giving advice.

DraftKings scoring rules and settings apply to all references of fantasy points and salaries. Check out FanSided each day for the latest daily fantasy advice and also follow @FanSidedFantasy on Twitter for even more fantasy sports information.

With those pregame ceremonies aside, let’s drop the puck on tonight’s fantasy hockey daily picks with a look at the best centers.

Feb 4, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) talks with defenseman Kris Letang (58) during the third period against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

High Price Centers

Nicklas Backstrom – Washington Capitals ($6,700): The Capitals have been steamrolling mercilessly over opponents so far in 2017 and Backstrom has been a huge part of it. He’s tied for the league lead with his teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov with 24 points since New Year’s Day. While either center is a great option, Backstrom’s your best bet against the Red Wings. Not only does he have 12 points in 15 career games against them, he also has 33 points in 28 home games. With T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin scoring goals at will, Backstrom’s racking up assists.

Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins ($8,500): Crosby is always a strong option for centers. But going against the Colorado Avalanche, he’s even more tempting than usual. Crosby has 12 points in his last 10 games and 13 points in 15 games against the Western Conference. With the Avalanche in last place and allowing the most goals per game in the NHL, he’s a slam dunk pick for your fantasy hockey team tonight.

John Tavares – New York Islanders ($7,600): The Islanders are starting to climb their way back into the playoff picture. Don’t think it’s just a coincidence Tavares has been dominating for the past 10 games. With 14 points in his last 10 games, he’s looking much more like the Hart Trophy candidate hockey fans are familiar with. Going against a slumping Philadelphia Flyers team, Tavares is a very good option.

Alex Galchenyuk – Montreal Canadiens ($6,200): Galchenyuk and the Canadiens have been slumping, but the Coyotes could be just the slump buster they need. Even though he has just five points in his last 10 games, no team allows more fantasy hockey points to centers than Arizona. Galchenyuk is a risky pick, but he’s facing a favorable team.

Jeff Carter – Los Angeles Kings ($7,200): Even with the Kings suffering back to back 5-0 losses, Carter remains a great fantasy option. Only Crosby has scored more goals than him and he’s responsible for a lot of the Kings’ offense. Moreover, the Panthers allow the 23rd most fantasy hockey points per game to centers.

Other options: Auston Matthews ($7,900), Logan Couture ($6,500), Aleksander Barkov ($6,300)

Dec 31, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes (13) controls the puck in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center. The Rangers defeated the Avalanche 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

High Value Centers

Lars Eller – Capitals ($3,300): If you want to go hardcore cheap, go with the Caps third forward line. Eller has 12 points in his last 19 games, including 11 in his last 14. He’s the center of a line which has a combined 37 points in 2017.

Kevin Hayes – New York Rangers ($5,100): One of the best deals on DrafKings, Hayes returned from an injury against the Ducks on Tuesday and made an immediate impact. He’s a fantasy hockey sleeper pick with nine points in his last 10 games. The Predators have been playing solid defensively this season, but the Rangers have enough depth to give them headaches.

Brock Nelson – Islanders ($4,300): Nelson is in the midst of a four game point streak and has at least a point in five of his last six games. He has averaged at least three fantasy hockey points per game in each of his last four games.

Paul Stastny – St. Louis Blues ($4,900): Stastny has at least a point in seven of his last 10 games, including three multi-point outings. Going against a Maple Leafs team which has been terrible defensively as of late, the Blues should score a lot of goals. Stastny has been scalding hot, so stick with him.

Other options: Tyler Bozak ($4,900), Bo Horvat ($4,900), Joe Thornton ($4,800), Brandon Dubinsky ($3,900)

Feb 3, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Cam Atkinson (13) reacts after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

High Salary Wings

Cam Atkinson – Blue Jackets ($6,900): Atkinson is one of the hottest forwards in the NHL. With 10 points in his last 10 games, he’s a staple to many DFS fantasy hockey lineups. Atkinson has been red hot despite the Blue Jackets power play slump. Vancouver’s penalty kill has been one of the worst in the league since the start of 2017.

Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins ($7,100): No matter what your hot take about Marchand is, you’re probably right if it includes “he’s very good at hockey”. He’s a fantasy hockey star with a six game point streak and 13 points in his last 10 games. The Sharks are a tough matchup for anyone, but don’t bet against Marchand.

David Pastrnak – Bruins ($6,800): I rarely advise stacking wings who play together if they’re both expensive, but this is an exception. Marchand and Pastrnak have been destroying all challengers this season with 100 points between them. Just like his slew-footing friend, Pastrnak has 13 points in his last 10 games.

Mitchell Marner – Toronto Maple Leafs ($6,100): Don’t look now, but Marner has more points than Matthews. While the Blue have played better defensively under Mike Yeo, the Maple Leafs skate circles around other teams with their speed and skill. Marner has 10 points and 24 shots on goal in his last 10 games.

Vladimir Tarasenko – Blues ($7,400): Tarasenko is always a tempting fantasy hockey option, but against the Maple Leafs, he could be primed for a huge night. He has six goals and eight points in his last 10 games.

Also consider: Alex Ovechkin, Mike Hoffman, Chris Kreider, Filip Forsberg

Feb 7, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Brett Connolly (10) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

High Value Wings

Brett Connolly – Capitals ($3,600): You aren’t going to find a better value in fantasy hockey than Connolly. In 2017, he has 11 points in 19 games. Over Connolly’s past 10 games, he has eight points and 17 shots on goal. The Caps third line has been stellar and he’s an underrated part of it. With a goal in three of his last four games, ride Connolly until he cools off.

Evander Kane – Buffalo Sabres ($5,300): Speaking from experience, Kane is one of the most frustrating players to own in a standard fantasy hockey league. He’s as streaky as they come. But when Kane is hot, he’s a commodity. With five goals and five assists over his last 10 games, it’s safe to say he’s hot. Kane is coming off a two goal game against the Sharks. He’s always a risky play because he’s an all or nothing kind of player.

Radim Vrbata – Arizona Coyotes ($5,100): Is anyone having a sneakier 30+ point season than Vrbata? The 35 year old forward isn’t ready to retire yet with 35 points this season on a terrible Coyotes team. Vrbata has 22 points in 26 home games this season. Going against a slumping Canadiens team, he’s a candidate to get you some value production.

Kenny Agostino – Blues ($2,600): If you’re feeling bold, Agostino could give you excellent production at a dirt cheap price. After leading the Blues’ AHL team in points, he has led the Blues in shots on goal in each of his first two games. This has translated to a goal and an assist. While starting a guy with such a small sample size is risky, the reward could be monumental.

Josh Bailey – Islanders ($4,800): Bailey has been a bright spot this year with 38 points. The former first round pick is finally starting to show the potential that got him drafted so high. Bailey has at least a point in five of his last six games and 10 points in his last 10. On the road, he has 18 points in 20 games.

Other options: Marcus Sorensen ($2,500), Patrick Marleau ($5,400), Anders Lee ($5,000), Andre Burakovsky ($4,300)

Jan 11, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) controls the puck against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

High Salary Defensemen

Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks ($8,500): Burns is well worth his elite price tag. Not only are the Sharks going against the struggling Boston Bruins, he’s the most productive fantasy hockey defenseman in the league. Burns get a ton of points (59 in 56 games to be exact) and also gets you fantasy points thanks to his massive shots on goal.

Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators ($7,000): Karlsson is having a pretty good season, even by his own high standards. He has 45 points in 52 games, which isn’t quite on pace with last year’s total, but it’s still very impressive. Even though Karlsson isn’t scoring goals, he racks up assists like an elite forward.

Kevin Shattenkirk – Blues ($5,100): Shattenkirk has been quietly having a darn good season with 11 goals and 26 assists in 54 games. A staple of many DFS fantasy hockey lineups, he’s a power play producer and he’s been hot. Over his last 10 games, Shattenkirk has three goals and six assists.

Seth Jones – Blue Jackets ($5,300): Jones has at least one point in six of his last seven games. He gets a ton of minutes for one of the NHL’s highest scoring teams. That’s a recipe for fantasy points.

Kris Letang – Penguins ($6,000): Letang is a great option going against the lowly Avalanche. Even without getting his usual heavy power play minutes thanks to Justin Schultz (more on him later), he has four points in his last three games.

Justin Schultz – Penguins ($5,100): Edmonton Oilers fans have to cringe every time they watch the Penguins because it means watching Schultz have success. Pittsburgh has revived his career, making him a great productive fantasy hockey option. Schultz has 11 points in his last 10 games.

Jan 31, 2017; Raleigh, NC, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defensemen Ivan Provorov (9) skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

High Value Defensemen

Ivan Provorov – Philadelphia Flyers ($4,600): Looking for cheap production? Provorov could be bound for a huge game. While he has just three points in his last 10 games, he also has 30 shots on goal. Provorov hasn’t been lucky as of late, but he’s still putting up fantasy hockey points at a fairly impressive rate.

Matt Niskanen – Capitals ($4,900): Niskanen is quietly having a solid season. Most of what he does well doesn’t necessarily translate into fantasy points. However, over his last 10 games, Niskanen has nine assists. More importantly, he’s getting power play time on a power play that has been on fire recently.

Keith Yandle – Panthers ($4,500): Yandle has been an important part of the Panthers recent turnaround. With eight points over his last 10 games, he’s one of the most productive guys out there. Yandle has two multi-point outings in his last three appearances. With the Kings losing 5-0 in consecutive games, Yandle is a tempting fantasy hockey option at a very reasonable price.

Ryan Ellis – Nashville Predators ($4,500): Ellis has been huge as of late for the Predators. The offensively gifted defenseman has a solid three goals and two assists over his last 10 games. However, Ellis also has 29 shots on goal during the time span. Nashville loves to get their blue line involved offensively and he’s at his best when he gets involved. Ellis has been doing it lately.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Goalies

Braden Holtby – Capitals ($8,500): The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is having another award caliber season. Holtby, much like the skaters in front of him, has been scorching hot. Not only do the Caps score a lot of goals, they don’t allow many. Holtby is tied for the league lead in shutouts and has a .935 save percentage at home. He shut out the Red Wings the last time he faced them.

Matt Murray – Penguins ($8,200): While the Penguins haven’t officially announced who starts against the Avalanche, Murray is the most likely candidate. Even considering Colorado’s recent offensive explosion against the Canadiens, expect the Penguins to blow out Colorado. Marc-Andre Fleury would be a great option as well if he starts.

Sergei Bobrovsky – Blue Jackets ($8,300): Bobrovsky has been struggling a bit lately with a .887 save percentage over his last 10 starts. However, the Canucks shouldn’t present much of a challenge. They’re averaging just over two goals per game since the start of 2017.

Martin Jones – Sharks ($7,900): Much like Bobrovsky, Jones hasn’t been tearing it up as of late, averaging 3.9 fantasy hockey points per game over his last 10 games. However, he’s going against the Bruins, who are struggling to score goals this year. Jones is always a solid start, as the Sharks are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL.