Fantasy buzz: Fiala thriving for Predators alongside Turris

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff will have you covered with daily lineup news, production trends and injury notes from around the League. We will identify how these developments affect fantasy owners in year-long (Yahoo) and daily (DraftKings) formats.

5 p.m.

DraftKings picks for Tuesday

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy staff will provide daily picks for DraftKings NHL contests. These targets can be used as a basis for your roster decision-making.

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CENTER:

Nolan Patrick, PHI ($3,500 vs. VAN)
An underrated line stack on this three-game slate is Patrick with wing Wayne Simmonds ($5,000) against the Vancouver Canucks at home. Simmonds has no goals, three assists an a low shot volume (19 shots on goal) over his past 12 games, but his rookie linemate is back from injury and scored his second goal of the season with four SOG against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

WING:

Drake Caggiula, EDM ($3,800 at STL)
Exposure to Connor McDavid and Pat Maroon led to a two-goal game for Caggiula against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. The Edmonton Oilers are splitting up McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the time being, which means Caggiula carries boom-or-bust potential against the St. Louis Blues. He had two blocks and two SOG against them Nov. 16 and has scored two of his three goals on the road.
Other value pick: Brock Boeser, VAN ($4,900 at PHI)

DEFENSEMAN:

Colton Parayko, STL ($4,600 vs. EDM)
The Blues defenseman was an early-season disappointment but has put together a three-game point streak with an average of 4.5 DraftKings points per game. He's due for a goal at home with none on 21 SOG, and has a high floor with 56 SOG and 24 blocks through 21 games. The Oilers are allowing the seventh-most DraftKings points to opposing defensemen.

GOALTENDER:

Ben Bishop, DAL ($7,800 vs. MTL)
Bishop will be a popular pick at home against the Montreal Canadiens, but he is still a must-draft player in this spot. He has struggled on the road, but his home splits have been exceptional; he's 6-1-0 with a .948 save percentage and one shutout. He's somehow priced behind Michal Neuvirth ($8,100) of the Flyers and Jake Allen ($7,900) of the Blues, so take full advantage against the Canadiens, who are allowing the most DraftKings points to opposing goaltenders.

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2:30 p.m.

Malkin of Penguins, McDonagh of Rangers out Wednesday

-- Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin will not play against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday because of an upper-body injury.
Malkin is ranked 15th overall in Yahoo based on standard-category production. The Penguins are expected to shift Jake Guentzel (71 percent owned) to center alongside Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust (LW/RW, 10 percent owned). Guentzel has 11 points, four power-play points and 47 shots on goal in 22 games but is minus-7. His fantasy owners have another reason to remain patient after this development.
-- New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh will not play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday because of an abdominal strain.
McDonagh, 166th overall in Yahoo, has remained fantasy-relevant despite being behind defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (60th in Yahoo) in the power-play equation. McDonagh has 12 assists in 21 games but no goals on 38 shots on goal.

Brady Skjei (23 percent owned) could be a viable short-term addition and/or DFS value pick from the Rangers if he sees greater power-play usage in McDonagh's absence. Skjei has been used more often in shorthanded situations (1:41 per game) compared to his rookie season (0:17).

Krug, Marchand of Bruins out Wednesday

The Boston Bruins will be without defenseman Torey Krug (upper body) and left wing Brad Marchand (undisclosed) against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Marchand has missed their past three games and been limited to 14 of 19 games this season.
The Bruins have recalled defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who could potentially see power-play time in Krug's absence, from Providence of the American Hockey League. Grzelcyk could be a worthwhile value play in DraftKings on Wednesday depending on his lineup placement. Rookie Charlie McAvoy is likely to play on Boston's first power-play unit with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.
Since the return of center David Krejci (20 percent owned in Yahoo), the Bruins have stacked Bergeron and Pastrnak on their top line with Danton Heinen (C/LW/RW, 1 percent owned), who has a three-game point streak. Krejci has been centering mostly Jake DeBrusk and Peter Cehlarik. In Boston's 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, DeBrusk had one goal, one assist and four shots on goal, and Cehlarik had one goal.

Fiala thriving alongside Turris; Ellis back on ice for Predators

Nashville Predators forward Kevin Fiala (LW/RW, 4 percent owned) continues to benefit from even-strength and power-play exposure to center Kyle Turris. Fiala has six points (two goals, four assists), two power-play points and 15 shots on goal in five games since the Turris trade.
He had one goal, one assist and three SOG in a 5-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, marking his third multipoint game since the Turris trade. He has power-play points in back-to-back games and should be added immediately in deeper fantasy leagues.

Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis was back on the ice at practice Monday. He has not yet played this season because of offseason knee surgery.
Ellis (D, 40 percent owned in Yahoo) would likely be paired with Roman Josi upon his eventual return, but he remains on injured reserve for now. Mattias Ekholm (51 percent owned) is currently playing alongside Josi at even strength and on the power play and has goals in four straight games and 10 points (four goals, six assists; five power-play points) over his past 10.
Ellis had 16 goals last regular season, tied for fifth among NHL defensemen. He also finished tied for third among defensemen with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 22 games during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoff games.