Welcome to today’s NHL DFS Picks article. We will be using data from the Stokastic NHL Top Stacks Tool, Ownership Projections, and Player Point Projections to highlight some of the best plays for tonight’s slate.
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Let’s dive in.
Best NHL DFS Picks (February 18)
Top Stacks
San Jose Sharks Line 1 (Timo Meier – Tomas Hertl – Nick Bonino, $17,200 on DraftKings)
The Sharks have a favorable home matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, with a high 3.4 implied goal total. San Jose’s top line has been generating a lot of scoring chances and has great expected goal numbers. Stokastic NHL Top Stacks tool has SJ1 as the 3rd-best chance (16.2%) of being a Top-2 stack. Although they may be popular, they are one of the top options on the slate. A full top power play stack with Alex Barabanov or Logan Couture (leaving off Nick Bonino, who doesn’t play on the top power play) could be a viable option as well. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Kevin Labanc, who may be on the Sharks top line over Bonino. Keep an eye on our Discord for lineup updates throughout the night.
Calgary Flames Line 3 (Andrew Mangiapagne – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman, $13,700 on DraftKings)
The Flames’ third line has been playing like one of the best lines in the league, with a 70.6% expected goal share and generating 4.36 expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5v5, according to moneypuck.com. They will be facing a Rangers team on the second game of a road back-to-back, likely with a backup goalie in net. At about 5% ownership on the Stokastic NHL ownership projections, they are one of the my favorite cheap options on the night, especially if you want to get an elite line in the rest of your lineup slots.
Defensemen
Shea Theodore ($6,500)
Theodore has been playing well, with back-to-back games with points. He plays 22+ minutes per night, is averaging six shot attempts over his last five games, and runs the top power play unit for the Golden Knights. There is great correlation with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, who play on the top power play together. Theodore could benefit from a high-event game against the Lightning, who have a strong (but leaky defensively) top-6.
Juuso Valimaki ($3,400)
Valimaki is expected to be popular, coming in around 10% ownership on the Stokastic NHL ownership projections. He is filling in for Jakob Chychrun on the Coyotes’ top power play unit and playing over 23 minutes per night regularly. Valimaki provides salary relief and a solid floor with upside.
Goalie
Karel Vejmelka ($7,000 on DraftKings)
Vejmelka is projected for just over 30 saves, the most of any goalie on the main slate according to Stokastic NHL projections. Volume is king for GPP-winning performances on DraftKings, and Vejmelka has been seeing a lot of it. The Kings are one of the best teams in the league at generating shots, making Vejmelka a viable contrarian one-off option at a cheap price.
In summary, the San Jose Sharks Line 1 and Calgary Flames Line 3 are two top stacks to consider. Shea Theodore and Juuso Valimaki are two defensemen providing salary relief with upside. Karel Vejmelka is a contrarian goalie option with a high projected save volume. Best of luck in your contests!
