Welcome back to WinDaily’s NHL Between the Benches article. It’s been a long off-season, but we are finally back with some NHL DFS. Between the Benches will be your go-to place for Friday night NHL Slates. Tonight’s 10/13 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!

10/13 NHL Stack Report

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

— The Devils’ top line is a clear favorite of mine in this slate. They are clear favorites and are a high-scoring team going up against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Unfortunately, for the Coyotes, their blue line looks just as disappointing as it did last year, with JJ Moser and Matt Dumba leading off as the top pairing. Even though the Devils played last night, I can see them ripping through the Coyotes in this spot. Both last night’s game and tonight’s game are taking place in New Jersey, and I was happy with the Devils’ ability to bounce back after going down early and giving up a tying goal in the third period. Jack Hughes shined last night, and I think we will see a lot more of him this season, including in tonight’s game, where the Devils are coming in with the highest implied total of the slate by far, at 4.1.

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

2. Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (Guentzel-Crosby-Rust)

— This game is the far closer of the two games on tonight’s slate. Both of these teams know each other very well, and their rivalry can be highlighted by the presence of each team’s star players: Crosby’s Penguins and Ovechkin’s Capitals. For years, both players played alongside each other and have each cemented great legacies in their own right, whether it be Sid’s three Stanley Cups (2009, 2016, 2017) or Ovi’s chase for Gretzky’s elusive NHL goal-scoring record, both back-to-back first-overall picks (2004 and 2005) have cemented a legacy that has guaranteed a place in the Hall of Fame for both superstars.

For this game, Pittsburgh is coming in with the more complete team. Washington is very much a one-man show, whereas the Penguins have a full team of support behind Crosby, with Pittsburgh’s second line being arguably almost as dangerous as the first line. I see Pittsburgh’s depth overwhelming Washington’s thin defence in what will be a close game. I don’t see either team winning by more than two goals, and I can see a lot of goals being scored on both sides of this game. One thing seems clear, in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game, Crosby’s line will get involved.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Kris Letang (Honorable Mention(s): Ryan Graves, Erik Karlsson)

Honorable Mention(s): Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (Smith-Malkin-Rakell)

10/13 NHL Goalie Tracker

Best (Goalies to Roster)

1. Akira Schmid
2. Tristan Jarry
   Honorable Mention(s): Karel Vejmelka (DEEP GPP OPTION)

Worst (Goalies to Target)

1. N/A (All goalies are playable today)
Honorable Mention(s): N/A

10/13 NHL Wild Card Targets

Luke Hughes
– The youngest of the three Hughes brothers is playing in his first full season this year. After impressing fans in the playoffs last year with two points over three games, Hughes is ready to make a big splash in his rookie year. Alongside his brother Jack, he will play on the Devils second power-play unit and are set to face off against a Coyotes team who were among the worst in goals allowed per game in 2022-23 at 3.6 GA/G, along with the sixth-worst PK rate in the league at 74.6% of penalties killed. Without any significant offseason improvements, the Coyotes are destined to return to the bottom of the league again this season. As a rookie, Hughes will provide good value in this spot.

Honorable Mention(s): Tom Wilson, Logan Cooley

Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)

Center – Jack Hughes

Winger – Tyler Toffoli

Defenseman – Ryan Graves

Goalie – Akria Schmid

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Welcome to another Friday edition of the WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article! Unfortunately, this will be the last article of the 2022-23 NHL Regular season. It has been a pleasure writing about this whirlwind of a season, and I’m amped up for the playoffs! We do have one final small slate this season, and it’s a small two-gamer. Tonight’s 4/14 NHL slate begins at 7:30 pm ET. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!

4/14 NHL Stack Report

1. Colorado Avalanche 1 (Rodrigues-MacKinnon-Rantanen)

— There aren’t a lot of surprises in this slate. This game is as straightforward as it gets. Colorado finished second in the Central Division this season. They ended the season with an 8-1-1 record over their last ten games, and despite the late push, Nashville won’t qualify for the playoffs, regardless of how tonight’s game goes. I am sure they are dejected, given how close it got, but the story of this game will most likely be the tune-up game before the playoffs for the Avalanche rather than the condolence party for the Preds. With that being said, Colorado’s top line has been simply unstoppable as of late, and I expect them to carry that momentum through tonight’s game and into the playoffs. Between Rantanen and MacKinnon alone, they have 22 points over their last five games, and each has seen around 22 minutes of ice time per game over that stretch. Simply unreal, and their linemate Rodrigues also has three points over his last five. All three of Colorado’s top liners see power play time, with MacKinnon and Rantanen on the top line and Rodrigues on the second line. I think it is safe to say that given that this is the last game before the playoffs if there is nobody resting, I don’t expect Colorado to take their foot off the gas. Also, it looks like Cale Makar will be ready in time for the playoffs, but for today’s game, Devon Toews will see the lion’s share of on-ice opportunities.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Devon Toews

2. Buffalo Sabres 1 (Skinner-Middlestat-Tuch)

— Now, both teams in this game were eliminated from the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs but in very different fashion. Buffalo had a late wild card push and fell just three points shy of a playoff spot (one point if they win tonight… ouch) and finished the season on a 7-2-1 run. They finished the season tied for third in the league in goals per game this season. They struggled big defensively, and that proved to be their downfall. On the other side of the ice, we have the Columbus Blue Jackets, who failed across the board this season. They were tied for second worst in the league this season and finished off the year with a 2-6-2 record over their last ten games. The Jackets were a disaster on both ends of the ice finishing in the bottom three in the league in both goals per game and goals against per game. They have a lot of work to do this offseason, and it will include a high draft pick in next year’s NHL Entry Draft, but I don’t see a world where they pull off an impressive performance in tonight’s game. Buffalo’s top line has also been really on fire as of late, scoring five goals and 15 assists amongst the three of them over their last five games and considering they have a higher implied total than the Avalanche (4.0 implied goals vs 3.7 implied goals), I am confident that Buffalo will perform tonight and the top line will be the guys getting on the scoresheet.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Rasmus Dahlin

Honorable Mention(s): Buffalo Sabres 2 (Greenway-Thompson-Cozens)

4/14 NHL Goalie Tracker

Best (Goalies to Roster)

1. Devon Levi
2. Pavel Francouz
   Honorable Mention(s): Kevin Lankinen

Worst (Goalies to Target)

1. Jon Gillies
Honorable Mention(s): N/A

4/14 NHL Wild Card Targets

Cody Glass
– There aren’t too many great things to say about the Nashville Predators right now. Josi, Duchene and Forsberg are all going to be out tonight, and their top line consists of Cody Glass, Phil Tomasino and Zach Sanford. I do not expect them to win tonight by any means, but Cody Glass could prove to be an interesting option (Deep GPP) for tonight’s small slate. He went from barely making the roster out of camp to starting on the top line at the end of the season. This has been a good season for Cody personally, even if it wasn’t for his team. He has also put together some impressive performances lately. He notched an assist on the OT winner for the Preds last night over the Minnesota Wild and has four points over his last five games. Glass has also seen an average of over 17 minutes of ice time per game over that stretch of games and has even racked up five blocked shots as well. He will be centering Nashville’s top power play tonight, and I expect him to get some really good chances tonight, even if the Preds ultimately lose out on the two points.

Honorable Mention(s): Evan Rodrigues, Dylan Cozens, Johnny Gaudreau

Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)

Center – Casey Middlestat

Winger – Mikko Rantanen

Defenseman – Devon Toews

Goalie – Devon Levi

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Welcome to a special Saturday Night edition of the WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article! Teams have just a few games left, as many are left jockeying for a Wild Card position. Especially in the east, where there is a big Final push in the Wild Card race (all four teams competing for the two spots will be in action tonight)! Tonight’s 4/8 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!

4/8 NHL Stack Report

1. Seattle Kraken 1 (McCann-Beniers-Eberle)

— I truly cannot believe how good the Kraken have been compared to last season. They started hot and have ended hot enough to secure their first-ever playoff spot. Much of their success has been due in large part to the efforts of their top line, who have been ruthless over their latest winning streak. Each player on this line has at least three goals and three assists over their last five games. Truly an impressive feat, especially considering all three were shut out when they played against the Kings a few games back. Luckily for the Kraken, they’re not playing the Kings tonight. They’re playing the Chicago Blackhawks, a team whose only short-term future is the high draft pick they’ll be getting this offseason. The Blackhawks have been beyond bad on both sides of the puck, sitting in dead last for goals scored per game and 4th last for shots against per game (all their other stats are in the same neighbourhood). There is not much more that can be said about the positive prospects of this line tonight; they’re good players, they’ve been hot as of late, they’re affordable for DFS, and they’re up against a bad team. That checks all my boxes for a stellar line. Not to mention, all three top liners see power play time with McCann on the first unit and Eberle and Beniers on the second unit.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Vince Dunn

2. Florida Panthers 2 (Luostarainen-Lundell-Tkachuk)

— Florida is one of the four teams mentioned at the beginning of the article who are currently jockeying for a wild card spot in the east, and given their strength of schedule of their last three games of the season, I think they are going to have to fight hard to secure one of the two available spots. Even more so considering how their offence has been firing as of late. The teams leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk and his linemates have been insanely productive throughout the Panthers’ recent five-game winning streak. Amongst themselves, they have eight goals and eight assists over their recent win streak. Tonight, they’ll be up against a recently eliminated Washington Capitals, who are certainly the easiest of their final three games. It’s also worth noting that the Panthers have been an offensive juggernaut this season, sitting first in shots on goal per game and fourth in the league in goals per game. Even if the Panthers don’t pull two points out of this game, I expect the second line to do some real damage on the scoresheet.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Brandon Montour

Honorable Mention(s): Toronto Maple Leafs 2 (Marner-Tavares-Nylander), Colorado Avalanche 1 (Rodrigues-MacKinnon-Rantanen), New York Rangers 2 (Panarin-Trocheck-Tarasenko)

4/8 NHL Goalie Tracker

Best (Goalies to Roster)

1. Filip Gustavsson
2. Ilya Samsonov
   Honorable Mention(s): Alex Lyon

Worst (Goalies to Target)

1. Alex Stalock
Honorable Mention(s): Carter Hart

4/8 NHL Wild Card Targets

Matt Boldy
– Boldy has been absolutely unstoppable as of late as the young forward sits third in his team in scoring, which was bolstered by his five goals, and two assists over his last five games. It will be interesting to see how the Wild’s lines shake up tonight, considering that the team’s leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov is set to return to the lineup tonight, but Boldy will be worth a look regardless, especially against the Blues, whose inconsistency struggles have seen them eliminated from playoff contention. One thing is for certain as the Wild prepare for the playoffs, I can see Boldy and Kaprizov finding an extra gear tonight.

Honorable Mention(s): Evan Rodrigues, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jack Hughes

Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)

Center – Matty Beniers

Winger – Vladimir Tarasenko

Defenseman – Justin Faulk (or Brandon Montour)

Goalie – Filip Gustafsson

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Welcome back to the Friday Night WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article! Teams are beginning to secure their spots while others are jockeying for a Wild Card position. I think we will see a photo-finish in the 2023 playoff race, and we some great NHL action coming your way tonight! Tonight’s 3/31 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!

3/31 NHL Stack Report

1. New York Rangers 1 (Panarin-Zibanejad-Tarasenko)

— Welcoming Devon Levi to the NHL tonight is the New York Rangers who have arguably one of the deepest rosters in the NHL with their top three lines all performing well as we head into teams final playoff pushes. Out of the three lines, the Rangers top line have been my favourite as of late. Zibanejad and Panarin in Particular have been racking up a lot of points as of late and the line averages anywhere from 18 to 19 minutes of ice time per night along with Power play time for every member of the top unit. With Panarin and Zibanejad on the top Power Play and Tarasenko on the second power play unit. Despite the high offensive output, Buffalo has regularly been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season as they sit tied for third worst in the league in goals against average and somehow they’re still fighting for a Wild Card spot! The Rangers on the other hand have secured a spot in the playoffs and are poised to exploit their opponents bad offence as they are coming in with one of the highest implied totals of the slate at 3.6 implied goals. What it also comes down to is form, The Rangers have won 7 of their last 9 games with high scores against most teams and the Sabres have lost 6 of their last 9 including an OT loss against the Rangers. On a final note, the Sabres have been terrible at home while the Rangers have an impressive record on the road. So, if anything this game taking place in Buffalo might actually play as an advantage to the Rangers.

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Adam Fox

2. Dallas Stars 1 (Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski)

— The Stars have been sneaky good this season. They’re second in the Central division, are tied for seventh in the league in goals per game and are just a game or two away from securing their playoff spot. Not to mention, their top line has absolutely been tearing it up. With each member of the top line having at least a point per game over their last five games. All while each sees around 20 minutes of ice time per game, along with time on the Stars top Power Play unit. This line has stayed the same for nearly the entire season and a half and the chemistry that these three have formed is remarkable. This line has been clicking and their production is off the chart. Lets not forget, they’re coming up against an Arizona team who give up an average of 3.44 goals against per game and have lost their last five games, I am heavily on the Stars in this one. These two teams also faced off at the beginning of the month in Dallas where the Stars secured a 4-2 comeback win!

Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Miro Heiskanen

Honorable Mention(s): New York Rangers 2 (Kane-Trochek-Kreider), Buffalo Sabres 2 (Peterka-Cozens-Quinn)

3/31 NHL Goalie Tracker

Best (Goalies to Roster)

1. Jake Oettinger
2. Connor Hellebuyck
   Honorable Mention(s): Devon Levi

Worst (Goalies to Target)

1. Marcus Hellberg
Honorable Mention(s): Karel Vejmelka

3/31 NHL Wild Card Targets

Brock Boeser
– Boeser has been an absolute monster as of late. Over his last three games he has six points (3 goals, 3 assists) and has averaged around 19 minutes of ice time over those three games. In what has been a pretty disappointing season, he has turned it on over the last week. Unfortunately for him, this latest push comes when the Canucks are on the outside looking for the playoff race. However, aside from the playoff race, he is a solid DFS option tonight, with a lot of upside, given how he’s performed throughout his career.

Honorable Mention(s): Nino Nieddereiter, David Perron, Filip Chytll

Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)

Center – Mika Zibanejad

Winger – Jason Robertson

Defenseman – Neal Pionk (Heiskanen is a good option but he’s been a little cold)

Goalie – Jake Oettinger (Levi is a good GPP option for DFS if you are fading the New York Rangers in one of your lines)

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