The 2019-20 NHL season started off with a bang last night. Despite featuring just four games, there was still a lot going on in the fantasy hockey world. The Capitals made an opening night statement against the Blues, Connor McDavid did Connor McDavid things, and Auston Matthews put on a show for those who had him in their NHL DFS lineups. We keep it rolling with a nice eight-game slate on Thursday with some intriguing matchups and a handful of players making debuts for new teams. Here are our favorite picks for the slate listed below.
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Today's NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel advice for Thursday, Oct. 3
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| Pos | Player | Matchup | FD | DK | Y! | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | N. MacKinnon | CGY@COL Thu 9:00 | $8700 | $7300 | $34 | MacKinnon erupted for 10 points (five goals, five assists) in seven games against Calgary last season, including the postseason. |
| C | P. Bergeron | BOS@DAL Thu 8:30 | $7700 | $6700 | $33 | The two-way center just played in the preseason finale against Chicago as he rehabbed from a groin injury suffered in May. Bergeron didn’t have a point, but did have two shots on goal in 12:47 of ice time. |
| C | C. Mittelstadt | BUF@PIT Thu 7:00 | $4300 | $3400 | $10 | Experts around the NHL seem really high on Mittelstadt and are anticipating a breakout year from the youngster. The winger will also be seeing a lot of the Pens' second defensive line, which starts the season ranked towards the bottom of the league by several publications. |
| RW | N. Kucherov | FLA@TB Thu 7:00 | $8900 | $7900 | $35 | The NHL’s leading goal soccer last season (41 goals, 87 assists) and Hart trophy winner looks to kick the season off on a high note against the Florida Panthers. |
| RW | M. Duchene | MIN@NSH Thu 8:00 | $6700 | $5600 | $23 | The Preds finished 2018-19 dead last in the league on the power play, converting at 12.9%. But they added Duchene, and the Preds are confident the unit, which also includes Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen, will be a bright spot this season. |
| LW | B. Marchand | BOS@DAL Thu 8:30 | $8400 | $6800 | $33 | Marchand has eight goals and 17 points in 13 games versus Dallas in his career. |
| LW | A. Panarin | WPG@NYR Thu 7:00 | $7800 | $6000 | $24 | He’s a bona fide star who will be playing a Winnipeg club that comes limping into the season. Panarin has quickly found a comfort level during the preseason with fellow Russian wing Pavel Buchnevich. |
| LW | M. Hoffman | FLA@TB Thu 7:00 | $6200 | $5600 | $19 | The winger became a vital part of the power play last year, his sharpshooting ability proved to be a perfect fit on the right side of Florida's top unit with the man advantage. Alongside a healthy Vincent Trocheck, Hoffman should see plenty of the score sheet this season. |
| LW | B. Tanev | BUF@PIT Thu 7:00 | $3700 | $4000 | $12 | Brandon Tanev has some nice value and could have opportunities to excel out of the gate being paired on one of the top two lines with Crosby and Malkin. |
| RW | K. Kakko | WPG@NYR Thu 7:00 | $5800 | $5600 | $18 | There will be plenty of eyes on Kakko, a Calder Cup candidate who scored 26 goals in 50 games (regular season and playoffs) in Finland last season, then shone with six goals in 10 games at the World Championships. |
| D | R. Josi | MIN@NSH Thu 8:00 | $6300 | $6000 | $23 | The Predators have won the last five meetings against the Wild, and each of the last five games on home ice. Josi will be a part of a new look first-line power play unit that will be looking to get off to a good start this season. |
| D | C. Makar | CGY@COL Thu 9:00 | $4600 | $4700 | $19 | The 20-year-old defensemen will play his first regular season game in the NHL after he had six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games in the 2019 playoffs. Makar will also be running point on the Avs' top power-play unit. |
| G | P. Grubauer | CGY@COL Thu 9:00 | $8000 | $7900 | $32 | The former career backup will look to improve upon his career-high 18-win performance in 2018-19 when he assumes the starting role with Semyon Varlamov now playing for the New York Islanders. Tonight he takes on a Flames club that has only won two of its last 24 opening night games. |
| G | M. Murray | BUF@PIT Thu 7:00 | $8400 | $8300 | $36 | Matt Murray owns a 3-0-1 mark in five career starts against the Sabres. |
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