NHL DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Tuesday, December 3

NHL DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Tuesday, December 3

This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.

There's a full night of hockey ahead of us with 10 games on the docket. With plenty to pick from, I'll help narrow the options with my FanDuel DFS recommendations.

SLATE PREVIEW

There were just three games Monday. None of the six teams involved in that action will take to the ice tonight, so rest isn't a concern for the 20 squads playing Tuesday. The Bruins and Golden Knights are gearing up for the first half of a back-to-back, which might influence their lineup decisions.

GOALIES

Logan Thompson, WAS vs. SJS ($8,500): Washington is having a tremendous season with a 17-6-1 record. Thompson has benefited from the improved play of those in front of him, leading to a 10-1-1 record, 2.56 GAA and .911 save percentage through 12 appearances. Meanwhile, the Sharks typically make for a favorable adversary – they have a 9-13-5 record and have been mediocre offensively, ranking 19th in goals per game with 2.89.

Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs STL ($8,400): The Jets have dropped their last three games, largely due to low offensive production, but they were on the road during that slump. The Jets have returned home and will face the Blues, who have averaged just 2.48 goals per game, ranking 29th in that category. Hellebuyck has a 15-4-0 record, 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage through 19 appearances in 2024-25.

Ilya Sorokin, NYI at MON ($8,200): Sorokin is coming off a 29-save shutout victory over Buffalo on Saturday. He'll try to build off that success against Montreal, which ranks 20th with 2.83 goals per game. He has a 6-6-3 record, 2.52 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 15 outings this campaign.

VALUE PLAYS

Charlie Coyle, BOS vs. DET ($4,500): Coyle set career highs in 2023-24 with 25 goals and 60 points in 82 regular-season appearances, but like the Bruins as a whole, offense has been hard to come by for him this campaign. Coyle is hot, though, providing three goals over his past two games, which brings him up to seven goals and eight points through 26 outings overall.

Martin Pospisil, CAL vs. CBJ ($4,000): Pospisil averaged next to no power-play ice time over his first 17 games of 2024-25, but that's jumped to an average of 2:07 of ice time with the man advantage over his past eight appearances. He has a goal and four points across his past five outings, including two power-play points. The 24-year-old is projected to serve on the first line and top power-play unit, which are rare assignments at this price point.

Simon Holmstrom, NYI at MON ($3,900): Holmstrom isn't known for his offensive production, but after back-to-back multi-goal games (four markers total), he's worth taking a chance on. It doesn't hurt that the Islanders will be up against Montreal, which ranks 32nd in goals allowed per game with 3.83.

Philip Tomasino, PIT vs. FLA ($3,600): Maybe the change of scenery has done the 23-year-old some good? Tomasino struggled to remain in the lineup with the 2024-25 Predators, but after being dealt to Pittsburgh on November 25th, he's scored two goals – one on the power play and both game-winners – in three outings while averaging 15:23 of ice time. Tomasino is projected to serve on the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin and the first power-play unit tonight, so he's being given every chance to succeed.

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Oilers at Golden Knights

Connor McDavid (C - $9,000), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $4,900), Kasperi Kapanen (W - $3,300)

McDavid has played like… well, McDavid, recently, providing an incredible nine goals and 21 points over his past 10 appearances. It's hard to say no against that level of production. Vegas is a difficult adversary, but not an especially good defensive squad. The Golden Knights are tied for 18th in goals allowed per game with 3.12, so McDavid is in a good position to have another productive night.

Nugent-Hopkins has underwhelmed this campaign with four goals and 12 points in 24 appearances – a far cry from his 104-point showing in 2022-23 or even his 67 points last year – but he does have two goals and three points over his past two outings, making him a decent value play.

Kapanen playing alongside McDavid at even strength is interesting, especially at that bargain bin price. The 28-year-old Kapanen struggled to even stay in the Blues' lineup, but Edmonton claimed him off waivers and gave him an opportunity to succeed. The result is Kapanen has a goal and an assist over his past three games with McDavid factoring into both of those scores.

Wild vs. Canucks

Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $6,000), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $8,700), Matt Boldy (W - $7,800)

Kaprizov has been one of the league's top forwards this year with 15 goals and 38 points across 23 outings. He did miss a game on November 23rd due to a lower-body injury, which ended his seven-game scoring streak. He was held off the scoresheet in his return on November 25th. Kaprizov then got back into the rhythm, supplying two goals and four points across his active three-game scoring streak.

Eriksson Ek is also on a three-game scoring streak, contributing four assists over that span. He has just five goals and 13 points through 21 appearances, which is a noticeable drop in production compared to his back-to-back 60+ point showings in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He's hot right now and could still increase his offensive pace as the campaign progresses.

Boldy rounds out the unit with 11 goals and 24 points through 24 appearances. He's been a steady contributor, featuring on the scoresheet in 16 of his past 20 outings.

DEFENSEMEN

Zach Werenski, CBJ at CAL ($7,500): Werenski set a career-high with 57 points last year. At this rate, he'll shatter that total. He already has eight goals and 26 points through 23 appearances in 2024-25, thanks in no small part to his recent success. Werenski is on an eight-game scoring streak in which he's providing an outstanding five goals and 16 points.

Evan Bouchard, EDM at VGK ($6,500): Bouchard had four goals and 10 points over his first 19 outings of 2024-25, which isn't bad, but it is a noticeable drop from his 82-point showing in the 2023-24 regular season. Bouchard seems to have found his rhythm, though, supplying two goals and eight points over his last five outings.

Jakob Chychrun, WAS vs. SJS ($5,800): Chychrun is entering tonight's action on a four-game scoring streak. He's supplied three goals and seven points across that span. That brings Chychrun up to eight goals and 15 points despite being limited to 19 appearances due to injury. Be aware that his 21.1 percent shooting rate is almost certainly unsustainable, so you might want to exercise caution in selecting him after the 26-year-old comes out the other side of his current hot streak.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Ryan Dadoun plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Terakai, DraftKings: BTerran, Yahoo: Ryan-SPJ9H.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Dadoun
Ryan Dadoun is a veteran hockey analyst with roughly 15 years of experience in the field. He previously served as a writer and editor for the NHL Department of NBC Sports Edge.
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