Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: DraftKings NHL Optimal Lineup for October 20
With the new NHL season off to a high-flying start, Tuesday's slate offers more opportunity for some of the league's elite to continue impressive starts. It also affords you the chance to cash in on daily fantasy.
Seven entertaining affairs grace the schedule for Tuesday, including the two top points leaders to this point—Montreal and St. Louis—going toe-to-toe. In total, four of the top five teams in the league at this early stage will step onto the ice.
Thus, there's a flock of worthy options in the world of DraftKings to choose from. We'll help you narrow it down with some can't-miss lineup picks for Tuesday's games.
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DraftKings Optimum NHL Lineup for Tuesday, Oct. 20
| C | John Tavares (Islanders) | CLS | 5.6 | $8,000 |
| C | Martin Hanzal (Coyotes) | NJ | 4.0 | $4,300 |
| W | T.J. Oshie (Capitals) | CGY | 5.0 | $5,400 |
| W | Craig Smith (Predators) | TBL | 3.3 | $5,000 |
| W | Tobias Rieder (Coyotes) | NJ | 4.5 | $4,000 |
| D | Roman Josi (Predators) | TBL | 4.9 | $6,100 |
| D | Matt Niskanen (Capitals) | CGY | 3.6 | $4,200 |
| G | Jaroslav Halak (Islanders) | CLS | 4.4 | $7,000 |
Forwards
John Tavares, C, New York Islanders ($8,000)
The New York Islanders have undergone a brutal stretch of opponents to start the season, but John Tavares has found the net against three of them—Nashville, Chicago and Winnipeg. With eight points in five games, he's proving to be worth every penny of his high salary tag.
Tavares hasn't had trouble against the league's better teams but will only take advantage of a meeting with the 0-6 Columbus Blue Jackets, who have conceded 30 goals already this season.
T.J. Oshie, RW, Washington Capitals ($5,400)
It's safe to say T.J. Oshie hasn't lost his scoring touch amid an offseason move from St. Louis to Washington. Despite leaving one of the league's best offenses, Oshie has emerged immediately on another potent attack, scoring four points in his last two games.
Expect Oshie to continue his recent scoring outburst Tuesday, facing a Calgary Flames squad that is winless at home and has given up nearly four goals per game.
Martin Hanzal, C, Arizona Coyotes ($4,300)
Martin Hanzal doesn't need any goals. Even having not scored yet this season, he's putting up ridiculous fantasy totals and currently leads the league in assists with seven.
With two multi-point games already, Hanzal promises to blow his low salary out of the water against a New Jersey Devils squad that has given up 13 goals in its four defeats.
Tobias Rieder, RW, Arizona Coyotes ($4,000)
I'm obviously big on the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday against the Devils, and it's not hard to see why. Arizona's offense has been a pleasant surprise with an average of over three goals per game, and the Coyotes are getting it from a number of different directions.
Tobias Rieder's surprising emergence has been a big reason for their success, and it's made him a steal on DraftKings. His salary is out of the $3,000 range for the first time all season, but with 19 shots on goal and five points, he'll put it to good use.
Defensemen
Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators ($6,100)
Getting consistent point production and offense is beyond critical at the defenseman spot in DFS, and it's even more important when conceding a healthy chunk of salary. Roman Josi checks all of those boxes.
He's averaging a point per game at this young stretch of the season, already proving more aggressive on the blue line with points in three straight games. That should continue against the Tampa Bay Lightning, an affair that should be high-scoring and allow Josi room to roam.
Goaltender
Jaroslav Halak, G, New York Islanders ($7,000)
Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak didn't make his season debut until Saturday night due to injury, but it was a solid one as he stopped 22 of 25 shots and got the victory. That came against a potent San Jose Sharks offense, but he won't have to deal with a similar type of attack Tuesday.
Instead, he faces the Blue Jackets, a team that has just 13 goals and a minus-17 goal differential already. If Halak gets the nod in favor of Thomas Greiss as expected, he'll be in line for a shutout.
Follow Steven Cook on Twitter for more daily fantasy analysis.
Enter the DraftKings $65,000 Sniper Contest for Tuesday's action. Use Promo Code BLEACHER REPORT when you sign up.
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