allenjesse24@yahoo.com 
Tonight’s slate is one of three left in the NHL regular season. So many emotions come with that fact…one being sadness that the regular season is over. Another is excitement for the playoffs, and for some fans, disgust and anger because their team didn’t make it. For these last few slates, it is important to know what’s on the line. For that reason, we will have one extra section for the different scenarios in play. Let’s find the best NHL DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck!
Playoff Scenario Notes
Out of the Playoffs, nothing to play for: We will get this one out of the way quickly, because these teams have nothing left to play for (unless you count draft lottery chances): ARI, CHI, MTL, PHI, SEA, WPG
Locked into the Playoffs: While they may be able to improve their seed, these teams have already clinched playoff spots: NYR, LAK
Still Playing to get in: Dallas and Vegas are the two teams who can still get into the playoffs. While each team has two games left to play, Dallas has a four point lead on the Knights in the standings, so they can clinch tonight.
The scenarios above should NOT be very influential in building lineups tonight. We still want to build as a normal DFS slate, but if it comes down to it and you have to choose, it makes sense to give a slight bias to a team still fighting for its playoff spot. Overall, this is a very tough slate, and it is imperative to keep an eye on the news throughout the day.
Goalies
Scott Wedgewood – Dallas Stars: The Stars have a nice matchup tonight to lock up the last playoff spot in the West, as they host the lowly Coyotes. Wedgewood should be the cash play tonight, and he should get a win.
Logan Thompson – Vegas Golden Knights: The Knights head to Chicago tonight to face the Blackhawks, where they should be able to pull the win. With the Knights playing last night, and Lehner being out for the season, it is important to verify that Thompson gets the start again tonight on a back to back.
High Risk Goalie Pick – Chris Driedger – Seattle Kraken: Driedger should get the nod tonight against the Kings, who just clinched a playoff spot. If the Kings end up sitting anyone tonight, then this becomes less risky. You can also consider Martin Jones (PHI) in this spot, as the Jets have been struggling to score. However, the Jets are one of our top plays tonight, so make sure you don’t have him in a lineup with a Jets stack.
Lines to Build Around
These NHL DFS lines are considered top plays for the night and can be considered the focal point of your builds. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).
Dallas Stars 1 – Roope Hintz/Joe Pavelski/Jason Robertson/John Klingberg: The Stars have the most to play for tonight, as they look to clinch a playoff spot. Wow, they have an easy path to the playoffs tonight. A cupcake matchup against the Coyotes tonight should get them in, and this line will have to be the one they rely on for scoring, as they have all year. All of these guys slot into the top power play, and Namestnikov joins them, who would provide a slightly different look, as well as some value.
Winnipeg Jets Power Play – Pierre-Luc Dubois/Kyle Connor/Paul Stastny/Nikolaj Ehlers/Neal Pionk: This Jets/Flyers game should be fairly high scoring, as we have two poor defensive teams with poor goalies in net. The Jets have a slight edge here, and the power play helps you get access to the top two lines, who are in good spots against the Flyers’ depth (at even strength).
High Risk Lines
These are NHL DFS plays that carry significantly more risk, but could pay off at low ownership. They will be listed by position in the following order: Center/Winger/Winger/Correlating Defenseman (if applicable).
New York Rangers: As much as we want to have the Rangers in our lineups tonight, it may make sense to fade them. They are already going to be without Copp and Panarin, and they will definitely have some other ‘regulars’ sitting out tonight. Thanks to this news, we can’t list a line right now. However, if they have a solid one, we can play them. Keep an eye on Discord closer to lock to see if they are in play.
Vegas Golden Knights 1 – Chandler Stephenson/Max Pacioretty/Mark Stone/Alex Pietrangelo: The Knights are the only other team on the slate with something to play for, so we can definitely target them tonight. The top line should have their chances against the Hawks, and they should be able to capitalize.
Philadelphia Flyers 1 – Kevin Hayes/Scott Laughton/Travis Konecny/Travis Sanheim: As mentioned above, the Flyers/Jets game should see some scoring, and this top line has quietly been playing well of late. They should see their chances against a Jets team who has been struggling a bit on defense lately.
Notes: Pending the Rangers’ lineup, Montreal may get a boost. Seattle would be on our radar as well, if Quick and some key Kings’ players are resting. This slate is very fluid. Chicago’s top line may get a boost, depending on who the Knights roll out in net.
NHL DFS Honorable Mentions: MTL2, PHI2, LAK2, CHI1, VGK2
Value Options – DraftKings
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on DraftKings. Be sure to stack!
Center: Chandler Stephenson ($3900) – Vegas Golden Knights
Wing: Scott Laughton ($3200) – Philadelphia Flyers
Defense: Neal Pionk ($3400) – Winnipeg Jets
Value Options – FanDuel
Consider these NHL DFS plays to help save you some salary in your lineups on FanDuel. Be sure to stack!
Center: Scott Laughton ($4300) – Philadelphia Flyers
Wing: Kaapo Kakko ($3800) – New York Rangers
Defense: Anton Stralman ($3900) – Arizona Coyotes
Cash Considerations – DraftKings and FanDuel
Consider these NHL DFS plays for your cash lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Cash lineups do not need to be stacked, and it is recommended to play no more than two players from a given team
Center: Mika Zibanejad – New York Rangers (if he plays)
Wing: Kyle Connor – Winnipeg Jets / Joe Pavelski – Dallas Stars
Defense: Alex Pietrangelo – Vegas Golden Knights
Goalie: Scott Wedgewood – Dallas Stars
Player Props
In this section, we will highlight some NHL player props that we like for the upcoming NHL slate.
Travis Sanheim (PHI): over 0.5 points
Joe Pavelski (DAL): anytime goal scorer
Mark Stone (VGK): over 0.5 points
Patrick Kane (CHI): anytime goal scorer
Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Jon and the NHL team will be there answering questions right up until lock! Be sure to be on the look out for future articles at https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-hockey/
All line combinations are courtesy of www.dailyfaceoff.com, and any advanced rates referenced in the above article are pulled from www.naturalstattrick.com.
Sign up and get started with Win Daily Sports! We have your sport and the experts to help make you money. Why lose another buck when you can win TODAY!
