02242018raanta

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

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Projected lineups
CENTER
Filip Chytil, NYR ($3,600 at WSH) -- The New York Rangers center's price has risen after his first game ($3,000 on Monday) since being recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League. Chytil had one assist and six shots on goal for 5.0 DraftKings points against the Washington Capitals, whom the Rangers visit for the second of a home-and-home set Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV). Chytil has favorable lineup placement with Mats Zuccarello ($4,800) and Kevin Hayes ($4,400) and faces struggling goalie Braden Holtby, who has allowed 37 goals in his past 10 games.
WING
Richard Panik, ARI ($4,100 at VGK) -- The Arizona Coyotes wing has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 13 road games since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 10. He's playing on the top line with fantasy-relevant forwards Clayton Keller ($5,600 in DraftKings) and Derek Stepan ($5,100) and visits the Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV), who have had a few blips at home in the past month (3-4-0, outscored 23-22). Panik also plays on the first power-play unit with Stepan, Keller and defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($4,400) and Jakob Chychrun ($3,600), providing creative stacking options.

DEFENSE
Matt Niskanen, WSH ($3,900 vs. NYR) --The Capitals defenseman has strong home splits, scoring 3.1 DraftKings points per game compared to 2.1 on the road. He has two goals, seven blocked shots and eight SOG in three games against the Rangers, whom he had 5.0 DraftKings points against Monday. Still priced under $4,000 in DraftKings, Niskanen is a value pick against a favorable, familiar opponent, especially considering he has at least 3.0 DraftKings points in six of his past nine games and is averaging 23:39 per game in the span.
GOALTENDER
Antti Raanta, ARI ($7,200 at VGK) -- It's a daunting road test for Raanta at first glance, but the Coyotes goaltender is 8-6-2 with a .919 save percentage in 17 road appearances. The fact that he's 0-1-1 with a .894 SV% against the Golden Knights may scare fantasy owners away, but those games were played Oct. 7 and Oct. 10. A lot has changed since then for the Coyotes; Raanta is 13-5-4 with two shutouts since Jan. 1 and leads the NHL in SV% over the span (.938; minimum 20 games). He's coming off a road win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (one goal allowed on 20 shots faced), so he's become a trustworthy option regardless of matchup.
TOP GAME TO TARGET
Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, FS-F, NHL.TV) -- These teams have scored the same number of goals (117) in the same number of games (36; 3.25 per game) since Jan. 1. The Maple Leafs have scored 20 goals in five March home games (4-1-0), and the Panthers have scored 16 goals in five road games this month (3-1-1). Florida and Toronto's top skaters are expensive, but it's worth spending up for either defenseman Keith Yandle (FLA, $5,700 in DraftKings) or Morgan Rielly (TOR, $5,300) given their point-per-game or better averages over the past 10 games. Forwards Jamie McGinn ($3,800), who's on the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau, and Zach Hyman ($3,900), who's in his usual spot with Auston Matthews, provide cheap exposure to these potent offenses.
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