Welcome, RotoBallers! If you don’t know me, my name is Brandon and I write both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for Tennis and Soccer respectively. If you haven’t checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season which means it’s time to sharpen our MLB skills and participate in NHL DFS! As always, I’ll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Today I’ll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. Friday, 21st, 2022 at 7:30 P.MM EST. Be sure to also check out our awesome NHL tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, Projections, and DFS Cheat Sheets!
If you have any questions on today’s slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 10/21/22
Tonight we get a small slate with no teams playing on a back-to-back. The opening top-3 highest implied team totals are: Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning at 4 goals each. I will do my best in guiding you through this three-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:30 pm EST.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk
Vegas Odds for the Day
NHL DFS Goalies
Ville Husso: DK $8.1K || FD $7.9K
Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks
In a small slate like this, it is crucial to get the netminder right. The majority of the field will be on Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning, however, we will look at Ville Husso of the Red Wings. The netminder has seen both extreme ends of the spectrum to start the season with 1 shutout and 5 goals conceded in 2 appearances. Husso was a big-money acquisition in the off-season for the Red Wings in an attempt to shore up the position and finally get consistency. Coming off his first major season in the NHL, Husso has a lot of room to improve despite the good start to his career. Chicago is a great way to get back in the win column and to get his form back as well after being shellacked in a 5-4 loss to the Kings four days ago. The Blackhawks possess the second-worst offense in both expected goals for – 5.68 – and scoring chances for – 62 –. Husso finds himself in the ideal situation for tonight.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Georgiev (DK $8.4K || FD $8.6K), Mrazek (DK $7.3K || FD $7.1K)
Centers
Nathan MacKinnon-DK $9.2K || FD $10K
Opponent: Seattle Kraken
The fantasy darling himself will be massively owned on this small 3-game slate tonight and for good reasons. Through 4 appearances, MacKinnon has 2 goals, 6 assists, 20 shots and 1 blocked shot. Those are big numbers considering the bulk of the offense now sits on his shoulders after Nazem Kadri left for the Flames in the offseason and captain Gabriel Landeskog is out with an injury. Add in that Seattle is the eighth-worst defense in expected goals against – 13.56 – and the sixth-worst defense in scoring chances against – 155 – and this sets the centerman up for continued success.
Jonathan Toews: DK $3.8K || FD $5.1K
Opponent: Detroit Red Wings
Toews is a shell of his former self, however, that does not mean he is not producing at all. The veteran center has 2 goals, 7 shots and 3 blocked shots through 3 appearances this season. His peripheral stats are what needs to be highlighted. Toews was never that big of a shooter and he never played a role in blocking shots, but he seems to be doing it all for the lackluster Blackhawks and at a reasonable salary too. This will be a faster-paced matchup against a young Red Wings squad and Toews will need to reach a higher form to keep his team in the game.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Stamkos (DK $8.4K || FD $9.5K), Larkin (DK $5.9K || FD $7.2K)
NHL DFS Wings
Wings
Valeri Nichushkin: DK $7K || FD $8.2K
Opponent: Seattle Kraken
Nichushkin’s salary has skyrocketed and for a very good reason. Not only did the winger get bumped up to Nathan MacKinnon’s line last game where he produced 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots and 2 blocked shots, but he also has 5 goals, 3 assists, 15 shots and 5 blocked shots on the season – 4 games -. This is the Nichushkin that the Dallas Stars hoped for when drafting him in the 2013 NHL Draft. The winger is the perfect supplementary piece to the Avalanche when captain Gabriel Landeskog is out. Nichushkin brings physicality, but also great playmaking and a great shot. Until he is moved off MacKinnon’s line he is all systems go.
Dominik Kubalik: DK $3.7K || FD $4.6K
Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks
For ‘cash’ game lineups, it is not always the best to take a winger that does not have shot volume, however, Kubalik is in a good matchup and in a good value spot. The winger got moved up to the top line after teammate Tyler Bertuzzi went on IR – blocked a shot with his hand –. In Kubalik’s first game after the promotion, he assisted 2 goals, took 3 shots and blocked 1 shot. Prior to joining the top line, Kubalik did not have these peripheral stats and it is something worth keeping an eye on. In 3 appearances this season, he has 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 shots and 1 blocked shot. This is a major value play and thanks to Chicago’s lackluster defense, Kubalik should see ownership tonight.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kucherov (DK $7.4K || FD $9.3K), Tkachuk (DK $6.8K || FD $8.5K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Moritz Seider: DK $5.6K || FD $6.3K
Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks
Thanks to a one-off poor performance against the Kings, Seider is less salary than he should be. The defenseman has been a revelation for the Red Wings thanks to his strong two-way play. He is also the perfect ‘cash’ candidate due to his peripheral stats. Seider has 11 shots and 5 blocked shots through 3 appearances this season. Surprisingly enough, he doesn’t have a point yet, but that won’t be for long. Take advantage of his low salary now in a good matchup before it starts to climb again.
Gustav Forsling: DK $5.5K || FD $5.7K
Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning
Forsling will be the ultimate ‘cash’ defenseman option on the small slate tonight. The two-way defender is soaking up as many minutes as he can possibly take due to the injuries on the blueline for the Panthers – Aaron Ekblad IR and Brandon Montour DTD –. When Forsling got the bump in minutes, he saw a 12-minute increase in ice time. That is a monstrous jump and he has not looked back since, racking up 1 goal, 2 assists, 10 shots and 4 blocked shots in 2 games. Tampa Bay has not been strong defensively this season and there will be many chances for Forsling to shoot, as well as block shots from Tampa’s high-octane offense.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Hedman (DK $7.5K || FD $7.2K), Girard (DK $4.1K || FD $4.6K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
Brandon’s Stack of the Day
- DET: Kubalik-Larkin-Perron
Chalk Stack
- COL: Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Nichushkin
Sneaky Stack
- SEA: Schwartz-Beniers-Eberle
