Joel Bartilotta 
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Saturday Slapshot. Although it’s NBA All-Star Weekend, we still have a great slate of NHL DFS. This article will be focused on the 8-game main slate starting at 7 pm est. There are some great matchup tonights that we’ll want to exploit.
Let’s dig in and see if we can make some money.
NHL DFS Goaltending
Ilya Samsonov vs. Montreal Canadiens – Ilya Samsonov is currently listed as day-to-day with an illness, but should he get the nod tonight, I’m all over him. He’s put together some really strong starts of late and with Matthews back in the mix, this Maple Leafs team is poised to go on a solid run. In 3 of his last 4 starts, Samsonov has been at or above 18 DK points. Look for him to continue with his strong play tonight against the Habs.
Adin Hill vs. Tampa Bay Lightning – This is far from a safe pick as the Lightning offense can explode at any moment. That said, the Lightning have been struggling to find the back of the net. Over their last 6 games, they’ve averaged just 2.5 goals per game. Add in the fact that Hill has been playing very well, I’m willing to roll the dice and play him at just $7.4k on DK tonight. He’s reached at least 15 DK in 4 of his last 5 starts. If he can get us that tonight against the Lightning, I’ll be happy based on his price.
NHL DFS Stacks
Toronto 1 (Matthews, Nylander, Bunting) + Rielly vs. Montreal
Although Montreal has been a little more stout defensively over the last couple of weeks, they’re still the Montreal Canadiens. On the season, they have a -50 goal differential. They can get blown out anytime they take the ice and I think that happens tonight against a really good Maple Leafs offense.
In his first game back from a lengthy IR stay, Matthews had a goal and an assist. He also sparked a fire under linemate William Nylander. Matthews is a difference maker and having him back in the lineup will have this offense clicking. With this stack, I’m mostly focused on these 2. You can certainly add in Bunting to bring down the average cost of this stack, but he’s far from a must-play. I’d prefer to go with Rielly to get this stack to 3 people.
Buffalo 1 (Thompson, Skinner, Tuch) + Dahlin vs. San Jose
After a struggle to start the month of February, the Sabres exploded for 7 goals vs. the Ducks the other night. If their offense can get going again, they’ll be a force. While I don’t expect them to get another 7 tonight, they do get a great matchup vs. a defensively challenged Sharks team. The Sharks have given up over 16 high-danger chances per game over the last 2 weeks. The only reason their GAA isn’t sky high is due to some solid goaltending. That can only last so long.
Although this top line for Buffalo has been mostly quiet recently, this is a matchup that may tap their ceiling. We’ve seen what this trio can do and I’m hopeful that comes out tonight. Thompson and Tuch both lit up the lamp the other night against the Ducks and I’m hopeful they do it again tonight vs. the Sharks. I will add though that they are a big risk because they are pricey.
Philadelphia 1 (Hayes, Cates, Tippett) + Provorov vs. Vancouver
Since Rick Tocchet took over the head coaching responsibilities in Vancouver, the Canucks rank dead last in Goals Against Average, Penalty Kill, and Save %. They’ve never been good on defense, but they’ve taken it to another level since Tocchet took over. Maybe the coach wasn’t the issue? Although the Flyers offense isn’t the greatest, we’ll always want to take advantage of the Canucks.
We’ll do so tonight with the top line for Philly. I’m mostly focused on Hayes and Tippett here. Cates would be in play if you really need the extra cash since he’s only $3.2k on DK. In this game, you can also just play the top PP unit for Philly which consists of Hayes, Frost, JVR, and Konecny. As I noted above, the Canucks PK has been abysmal.
Other Stacks: Toronto 2, Car 1 and 2, NYR 1, 2, 3, Cgy 1, LA 1, Det 1, Sea 1 and 3
NHL DFS Top Value Defenseman
- Nick Seeler – $2.8k on DK
- K’Andre Miller – $4.3k on Dk
- Matt Roy – $3.9k on DK
- T.J. Brodie – $3.6k on DK
Summary
We have a fun day of NHL DFS in store. This night slate has a few games that have the potential to be real blowouts, especially Toronto vs. Montreal.
Make sure to use our Projection model when setting lineups.
Good luck and hope to see you in the green!
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