NHL DFS Between the Benches for DraftKings and FanDuel (Jan. 13)

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Welcome back to the Friday Night WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article! We’ve had a crazy week of games as we head closer to the all-star game! Tonight, we have a small-sized 3-game slate, but every game is packed with action! Tonight’s 1/13 NHL slate begins at 7:00 pm ET. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!

1/13 NHL Stack Report

1. New Jersey Devils 2 (Tatar-Hughes-Haula)

— The Devils have surprised many people this season, including me. From their red-hot start to the season and now their continued success down the stretch, they have rebuilt themselves into a competitive playoff team, and tonight, they’re up against the third-last-placed team in the league (or the Bronze Medal in the Bedard Bowl) in the Anaheim Ducks. This is a pretty big mismatch; the odds are at -320 in favour of the Devils, the Devils implied total is over four goals, and the Ducks are at a measly 2.5 implied goals. Statistically, this shouldn’t even be close. The Ducks rank 2nd last in goals per game and dead last in power play %, shooting %, goals allowed per game and SOG allowed per game. On top of that, they take nearly 12 penalty minutes a game and have the third-worst penalty-kill rate in the league at 71%. With the Devils at 3.44 goals and 34.6 shots a game on average I don’t see a way that Anaheim doesn’t get completely blown out here. The Devils are also very defensively disciplined, only allowing 27.3 shots per game and holding a stellar goals-against average of 2.63. This line, in particular, does some real damage. Headed by the Devils’ team leader in points, Jack Hughes, who has 10 points over his last six games and combined this line has put together 20 points over their last six. All three forwards on the second line see power play time as well, with Hughes and Tatar on the top unit and Haula on the second unit. I’ve really been impressed with the Devils this season, and I think this game should not be a challenge for them.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Dougie Hamilton (Damon Severson works as a salary saver)

2. Edmonton Oilers 2 (Hyman-Draisaitl-McLeod)

— Usually, my recommended play from the Oilers is to play McDavid and anyone around him, but with the most recent line shuffle, I am actually favouring the second line a little more. (Although, I would still recommend playing McDavid if you want him in your line with his value wingers) This line has been very consistent over the past few games. Hyman and Draisaitl alone have 11 points over their last five games. They both also saw over 20 minutes of ice time on average over those five games, including time on the top power-play unit; McLeod also sees power-play time on the Oilers’ second unit. The Sharks haven’t been that great defensively this season as they sit near the bottom of the league in goals against this season with a goals-against average of 3.65, putting them at 27th in the league. It should come as no surprise that the Oilers are coming into this matchup with an implied total of 3.7 goals, and I would expect the second line to play a part in some of those goals tonight.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Darnell Nurse

Honorable Mention(s): San Jose Sharks 1 (Meier-Hertl-Labanc), Edmonton Oilers 1 (Holloway-McDavid-Yamamoto)

1/13 NHL Goalie Tracker

Best (Goalies to Roster)

1. Vitek Vanecek
2. Casey DeSmith
   Honorable Mention(s): James Reimer

Worst (Goalies to Target)

1. John Gibson
Honorable Mention(s): David Rittich

1/13 NHL Wild Card Targets

Dawson Mercer
– Despite the fact that he is on the third line and not on the Devils’ power play, Mercer has been racking up a respectable amount of points as of late. He is currently tied for fifth on the Devils in points, including four points over his last two games (2 goals and 1 assist last game). He is also steadily seeing an increase in ice time, and I expect that he will see over 16 minutes in this game. Coupled with the fact that the Ducks have shockingly bad defensive stats (as mentioned earlier) and hold a big odds disadvantage against the Devils, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Mercer ends up on the score sheet tonight.
Honorable Mention(s): Jason Zucker, Ty Smith, Logan Couture

Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)

Center – Jack Hughes

Winger – Zach Hyman

Defenseman – Darnell Nurse

Goalie – Vitek Vanecek

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