Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: NHL DraftKings Picks for April 10
There are just two days left in the NHL regular season, and there are two games on tap Friday night. While the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets will not be playing for a spot in the postseason, the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet in a crucial game at the Consol Energy Center.
The Islanders clinched their spot in the playoffs when the Boston Bruins lost to the Florida Panthers Thursday night, but the Penguins still have work to do. If the Penguins can beat the Islanders, they will punch their playoff ticket. However, if the Islanders pull off the victory, the Penguins will have another chance to go to the playoffs since they close the season at Buffalo Saturday.
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Even with the small card, we have another chance to pick up a win in our DraftKings fantasy battle. As always, we will stay under the $50,000 salary cap.
| Pos. | Player | Opp. | Key Stat | Salary |
| C | John Tavares | Pittsburgh | 11 points in last 10 games | $9,000 |
| C | Ryan Strome | Pittsburgh | plus-24, 50 points | $4,400 |
| W | Patric Hornqvist | New York Islanders | 15 power-play points | $7,600 |
| W | Scott Hartnell | Buffalo | .214 shooting percentage in last 10 games | $6,400 |
| W | Josh Bailey | Pittsburgh | 39 points | $3,700 |
| D | Paul Martin | New York Islanders | 137 blocked shots | $3,000 |
| D | Rasmus Ristolainen | Columbus | seven points in last nine games | $4,300 |
| G | Sergei Bobrovsky | Buffalo | 9-0-1 in last 10 games | $8,800 |
| U | Casey Cizikas | Pittsburgh | 439 faceoffs won | $2,700 |
Centers: John Tavares, New York Islanders ($9,000) and Ryan Strome, New York Islanders ($4,400)
The battle between the Islanders and the Penguins is not only a showdown between John Tavares and Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby, it's a goalie showdown between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jaroslav Halak. We don't have much faith in either of them, but the feeling here is that Halak will provide more resistance than Fleury.
That's certainly good news for Tavares and teammate Ryan Strome. They should be able to take advantage of the opportunities they will get against the Penguins' shaky goaltender, who is 3-5-2 in his last 10 games with a 3.47 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage.
Tavares has scored 36 goals and 47 assists this season, and he was considered a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate until the Islanders started to struggle in recent weeks. Tavares has scored three goals and eight assists in his last 10 games, and he will be tough for the Penguins to contain.
Strome will also have an opportunity to score against the Penguins' vulnerable defense. He has scored 17 goals and 33 assists this year and has potted three goals and four assists in his last 10 games. Look for Tavares and Strome to have big scoring games in Pittsburgh.
Wingers: Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins ($7,600), Scott Hartnell, Columbus Blue Jackets ($6,400) and Josh Bailey, New York Islanders ($3,700)
Patric Hornqvist has been a solid scorer in his first season with the Penguins. He has taken advantage of his chance to play regularly with Crosby, as he has potted 25 goals and 25 assists. Hornqvist has been a key member of the Penguins' power play, as he has scored six goals and nine assists with the man advantage.
While the Blue Jackets won't be going to the playoffs, they have been one of the hottest teams in the league in the last three weeks. Scott Hartnell has been a huge part of that run, as he has six goals and three assists in his last 10 games. Hartnell has adapted well in his first season in Columbus, and he has scored 27 goals and 31 assists this season.
Josh Bailey is not a star, but he has been an opportunistic player for the Islanders, and he's a solid fit given our other salary expenditures elsewhere. Bailey has 15 goals and 24 assists this season, and head coach Jack Capuano is giving him more than 16 minutes of ice time per night.
Defensemen: Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins ($3,000) and Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres ($4,300)
Paul Martin is not a high-scoring blueliner, but struggling first-year head coach Mike Johnston has depended on Martin regularly throughout the season. Martin is averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game this season, and that figure has risen to more than 24 minutes per game in the Penguins' last 10 games. Martin has three goals and 16 assists this season.
Rasmus Ristolainen is not a household name around the NHL, but the young Sabres defenseman is starting to find his stride. He has eight goals and 12 assists this season, and he has been somewhat more productive recently with seven points in his last nine games. One of those games saw him collect three assists in a Buffalo loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Goaltender: Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets ($8,800)
We had to go with Sergei Bobrovsky despite his high salary because we expect the Islanders and Penguins to turn on the red light regularly. That leaves Bobrovsky as the only quality goaltender available.
Bobrovsky is 9-0-1 in his last 10 games, and he has a 2.25 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in that time frame. He should have an excellent chance to put another good game together against the lowly Sabres.
Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and DraftKings.
Steve Silverman covers daily fantasy sports for Bleacher Report. Follow and interact with him on Twitter.
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