NHL DFS Between the Benches (Oct. 20)

Welcome back to WinDaily’s NHL Between the Benches article. We’ve had an excellent start to the season, and it’s time to keep the ball rolling tonight! Tonight’s 10/20 NHL slate begins at 7:00 pm ET, and we have two games taking place. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!

10/20 NHL Stack Report

1. New Jersey Devils 1 (Meier-Hughes-Toffoli)

— The Devils’ have made a small switch to their top line, and I think it looks even better than last week. With Meier replacing Bratt on the top line, the overall price of the line goes up, but so does the lines’ firepower, and on a two-gamer like this where there’s lots of value in play, I don’t mind paying up for the Devils’ top line in this spot. Despite coming into Long Island against the Islanders’ tough defensive core, including goalie Ilya Sorokin, the Devils are coming in as the favorites with one of the highest implied totals of the slate at 3.2.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Dougie Hamilton (Honorable Mention(s): Luke Hughes)

2. New York Islanders 2 (Palmieri-Nelson-Engvall)

— New York’s second line has really been pulling its weight as of late, scoring three of New York’s four goals this season, with every player on the line recording a point thus far. All three players see power-play time, with Palmieri and Nelson on the top unit, while Engvall appears on the Isles second power-play unit. There isn’t a large sample size for the Islanders, but what we have seen from the second line thus far has been impressive, and on a small slate such as this one, their strong start to the season makes them a clear option for Daily Fantasy.

Last season, Nelson led the Isles in goalscoring and assists, with Palmieri not far behind. If the Isles put up their implied goal total (3.0) tonight, Line 2 will certainly be involved.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Noah Dobson (Honorable Mention(s): Ryan Pulock)

Honorable Mention(s): Calgary Flames 2 (Ruzicka-Kadri-Dube)

10/20 NHL Goalie Tracker

Best (Goalies to Roster)

1. Vitek Vanacek
2. Jacob Markstrom
   Honorable Mention(s): Ilya Sorokin

Worst (Goalies to Target)

1. Elvis Merzlikins
Honorable Mention(s): N/A

10/20 NHL Wild Card Targets

Adam Ruzicka
– Ruzicka has had an excellent start to his 2023-24 campaign, with four points over his four games this season. He’s playing alongside a solid veteran centre in Nazem Kadri and sees time on the Flames’ top power-play unit. Based on his impressive performances as of late, I can see him taking on a larger role in the squad and seeing more ice time as a result. The Flames have the biggest implied total of the slate at 3.6, which makes a lot of sense considering they are going up against the Blue Jackets, whose starter, Elvis Merzlikins, held a 4.23 goals-against average last season.

Honorable Mention(s): Luke Hughes, Simon Holmstrom, Yegor Sharangovich, Matt Coronato

Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)

Center – Jack Hughes

Winger – Kyle Palmieri

Defenseman – Rasmus Andersson

Goalie – Jacob Markstrom (value)

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