Peter dremonas 
DFS NHL Blue Line Power Plays February 23rd 2021 Slate Summary
Last Tuesday, we had a very even-sided DFS NHL slate to pick through. The upside of that slate was that ownership was leveled off, and the mild odds of each game gave us a good chance to win some GPP’s.
This week is quite different. There are several lop-sided games in this slate, at least seemingly so. And, we have some VERY cheap DFS NHL options in both DraftKings and FanDuel, making a cash lineup fairly easy to build with top players, but also making GPP lineup outcomes more possible.
NHL Schedule for February 23, 2021
| Away | Home | Time (EST) |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | @ New Jersey | 7:00 PM |
| Pittsburgh | @ Washington | 7:00 PM |
| Chicago | @ Columbus | 7:00 PM |
| Montreal | @ Ottawa | 7:00 PM |
| Nashville | @ Detroit | 7:30 PM |
| Edmonton | @ Vancouver | 10:00 PM |
When I first eye-balled this six-game slate, my immediate thoughts where:
Look to see if Lankinen is starting in goal for the Hawks.
Consider stacking the Canadiens against the Senators.
The Devils could be a sneaky value play in this slate.
And the Penguins and Capitals could be another shootout, another stacking possibility.
After researching the plays, match-ups, and trends, I’m sticking with many of those high-level targets for this slate, with the exception of stacking the Habs against the Sense.
The Canadiens started this season hot, and looked like a Cup contender, as many were hoping and expecting. But, the Habs have only won two of their last seven games, including only one of three wins against the Senators.
In fact, they’ve only scored five total goals in their last three games against the Senators, or less than two goals per game. Cary Price could still be a good play in goal, but outside of that I’m mostly staying away from the Habs in this slate.
Top DFS NHL Goalies
Alright, we don’t have a lot of confirmed net-minders, at the time of writing this post, yet for this slate, but goalie is where I usually like to begin my builds, as that cost/value has a huge impact on ‘where I go’ with the rest of my lineup picks.
Cary Price (FD $8.6K / $8.4K DK) is one of the better more expensive options to goalie for this slate. BUT, I not only think you can get better value out of this pick, for both FanDuel and DraftKings, but we have overall better fantasy hockey options at the position.
Kevin Lankinen (FD $7.5K / $7.3K DK) has been a fantastic rookie net-minder for a struggling Blackhawks team this season.
Kevin’s had some rough outings, including against the Blue Jackets on Feb 11th, but he’s also mostly had some gems, including his 2-goal bounce-back win over the Blue Jacks on Valentine’s Day.
One of the bigger attractions to me about Lankinen is that he’s a solid enough net-minder that he’s keeping a struggling Hawks defense in most game she starts, piling up over 30 saves per game. That often leads to DFS NHL points, even during losses.
Lankinen is fairly cheap for both DraftKings and FanDuel, and likely will have more overall points than Carey, potentially even with a low-goals against loss.
But, Lankinen is growing in popularity with DFS NHL players, so ownership is a factor. Fortunately, Tristan Jarry (FD $7.7K / $7.7K DK), MacKenzie Blackwood (FD $7.1K / $7.8K DK), and Jonathan Bernier (FD $6.6K / $7.0K DK) are very similar options to Lankinen.
Of those three, Jarry and Bernier are the riskiest, each facing a struggling team but also almost equally as likely to lose. Blackwood could be better set up for a high save win over the Sabres.
Bernier is likely lowest ownership, flying under most radars against the Predators, but with better odds to win than most likely think.
Top DFS NHL Centers, Wingers, and Defenders
Next, I like to start with Defenders, usually targeting those with the best value of the night. Ideally, I want my defenders to be within some the stacking lines we like for this slate, including EDM PP1, PIT PP1, NJD PP1, NJD PP2, and SENS PP1.
Defenders often yield points with blocked shots and shots on goal, and are on the ice the most. So, it’s not hard to find a solid defender within the top two power play lines of most teams.
Usually, you want to find the guys who take shots on goal, consistently over the course of each game. Most of these guys aren’t that expensive, and FanDuel especially provides tons of value at this position.
From there, you can load up on top center and winger plays.
At the defender position, once again, I love Tyson Barrie (FD $5.5K / $6.4K DK) and Darnell Nurse (FD $5.8K / $6.2K DK).
If you’ve been following my Tuesday posts, you’re likely bored me of me talking about them, but that should also tell you just how consistently good these fantasy hockey defenders are each game!
Quinn Hughes (FD $5.6K / $5.7K DK) is also a solid one-off play. Hughes is likely to challenge Barrie and Nurse for the top defensive spot for this slate.
Kris Letang ($5.6K DK) is priced just low enough to be worth a pick in DraftKings, especially if you’re focused on a PIT PP1 stack. But for FanDuel, I’d rather have Ryan Ellis (FD $5.2K) or Seth Jones (FD $5.1K) as a mid-tier D-man play.
PK Subban (FD $4.2K / $4.4K DK) is one of the better value plays for both DK and FD at defense in this slate. Subban also fits nicely with each NJD PP stack we like Tuesday.
On the DraftKings side, Tyler Myers ($4.1K DK) and Damon Severson ($3.9K DK) are additional top value D-men plays. On the FanDuel side of options, Rasmus Dahlin (FD $4.3K) and Ty Smith (FD $3.8K) offer value.
Severson is still a decent play on FD, he’s just a bit too pricey at $4.6K but fits Devil stacks nicely.
From there, we can start to load up on some of the top center and winger plays of the night. It all starts with the chalky Connor McDavid (FD $9.2K / $9K DK).
Yes, McDavid is chalky and yes McJesus (local nickname in Edmonton) is expensive, but he’s also about as close to a lock for 20+ DFS NHL points with a pick as you can get.
McDavid doesn’t just score a goal, he’ll score a goal or three, and sprinkle in some assists as well. The Oilers haven’t seen the Canucks much this season, but in the two games they’ve played, McDavid has three goals and one assist (in just one game), including a power play goal.
After McDavid, things get murkier at the Center and Winger positions, but easier to buy.
Leon Draisaitl (FD $8.4K / $7.9K) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (FD $6.5K / $7.1K DK) are your best additions to any Oilers stack you’re trying to complete, along with Barrie and/or Nurse.
Bryan Rust (FD $6.1K / $7K DK) is your best mid-tier value at winger or utility, likely the next best fantasy hockey play in this slate behind McDavid.
Jack Hughes (FD $4.8K / $5.3K DK) and Pavel Zacha (FD $3.8K / $3.3K DK) make some of these other expensive big-name plays easier to afford. The Devils stack, focused on either PP1 or PP2, should yield several double-digit points in this slate, without having to use much salary.
Here are some other DFS NHL plays by tier at Center:
Mid-Tier – Evgeni Malkin (DraftKings), Bo Horvat (DraftKings), Nicklas Backstrom (FanDuel), and Sidney Crosby (FanDuel)
Value – Lars Eller (DraftKings), Josh Norris, and Pius Suter (FanDuel)
Here are some other DFS NHL plays by tier at Winger:
Top – Patrick Kane
Mid-Tier – Alex DeBrincat (FanDuel), Cam Atkinson (FanDuel), Kyle Palmieri (FanDuel), Brady Tkachuk (FanDuel)
Value – Zach Aston-Reese, (FanDuel) Jesper Bratt, Nils Hoglander, Jakub Vrana (FanDuel), Drake Batherson (FanDuel)
Blue Line Power Plays Summary for February 23rd 2021
So, even though the Canadiens are appealing against the Senators in this slate, we don’t like the Habs on Tuesday night.
Instead, Look to see if Lankinen is starting in goal for the Hawks. The Devils could be a sneaky value play in this slate. And the Penguins and Capitals could be another shootout, another stacking possibility.
Consider several of the one-off DFS NHL plays we like for Tuesday, but generally the stacking lines we like for this slate are EDM PP1, PIT PP1, NJD PP1, NJD PP2, and SENS PP1.
The last three are higher risk, but also very affordable.
Make sure to check out WinDailySports.com for more content in the near future, follow me me on Twitter @MattyMcMatt17 and our team @WinDailySports, and hop into our Expert Chat for one on one conversations!
