We get one last slate of NHL DFS before a lot of players move their money over to MLB. With only four games on the slate, here are a few guys that we’re spotlighting for cash-games and/or GPPs. Awesemo will give his take first, and then I (Tommienation1) will follow up with some analysis.
Top-Tier
Auston Matthews ($7,200 DK, $7,600 FD)
“Matthews’ team has an implied total of 3.3 goals tonight, and it’s tough to imagine him being left out of the scoring tonight with a solid matchup against the Panthers at home.”
Since returning from injury, Matthews has picked up where he left off, posting 20 shot attempts and 16 scoring chances in three games. He should get the banged-up Vincent Trocheck and his linemates at even-strength, which allows over 30 Scoring Chances per 60 minutes on the road this year. Matthews’ “A” points grade in Awesemo’s rankings is well-deserved, as he is one of the best players on the slate and he also has one of the best matchups on the night.
James Neal ($5,400 DK, $7,000 FD)
“Neal should see favorable matchups all game, and as one of the highest volume shooters on the slate, he provides a solid floor and a lot of GPP upside tonight.”
Neal is amongst the tops on the slate for individual Corsi For per 60 minutes (iCF/60) in March at over 21. He should see time against the Dvorak and Domi line which, as a duo, has been brutal defensively all year, allowing 13.7 High-Danger Chances Against per 60 minutes. It’s a great matchup all around for Neal, and while his price discrepancy makes him more appealing on DK, he’s in play in all formats and all sites tonight.
Values
Tyson Jost ($3,400 DK, $4,200 FD)
“Jost is too cheap for the matchup against the Flyers, where he will avoid their top line and get power-play time with the stacked top unit.”
While I’m not as interested in Jost’s talent as a player, he is in a very good situation tonight as Awesemo mentioned. First of all, he’s very cheap (on DK especially), which is why he gets an “A” DK value. Second, he should avoid the Couturier line at even-strength, which is always a plus for a players’ value. And third, he plays on the top power-play unit, and we know the Flyers have struggled on the penalty-kill all season, so he has a good chance to get on the scoresheet at even-strength and/or 5-on-4 tonight.
Jacob Chychrun ($3,600 DK/ $3,600 FD)
“Chychrun has been playing some solid minutes over his last few games, and even though his team has a low implied total, he has a decent floor assuming he gets 20+ minutes and power-play time.”
Chychrun comes up as a “B” FanDuel value in Awesemo’s player rankings, and I like him a little bit on both sites. He has 28 shot attempts over his last five games while averaging almost 22 minutes of ice time over those games. He’s playing on the second pairing with Goligoski (who also provides some nice value at $3,700 on both sites) and getting top power-play time with Clayton Keller and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. If you’re playing Arizona top line skaters in a GPP, Chychrun is a nice add-on for cheap.