NHL DFS Picks: Lightning Taking on Backup Goalie Is Unfair (February 21)

Today features the biggest DraftKings NHL DFS contests that we have ever seen. There is lots of money to be made at different entry points, so this is a wonderful slate to play NHL DFS. For pre-game skate and goalie news, check out Stokastic’s premium hockey Discord channel before lock. Here are some of the top plays for DraftKings based on Stokastic’s NHL DFS projections, NHL DFS ownership projections and Top Stacks Tool. Let’s dive into some top plays for Tuesday, Feb. 21.

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NHL DFS Picks & Top Stacks | February 21

Salaries come from DraftKings.

NHL DFS Picks: Top Stacks

Tampa Bay Lightning Line 1 ($20,400)

Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov make for an excellent stack to target today. These players have great five-on-five numbers, with an expected goals for per 60 of 3.76 on moneypuck.com. Additionally, all three guys play on the top power play unit, which makes them even more appealing. The Anaheim Ducks just gave up 50 shots yesterday to the Panthers, so Tampa Bay’s first line will be facing the Ducks with their backup goalie in net. This stack is expected to be very popular, but it is tough to fade them tonight in any format. The Top Stacks Tool gives them a 25% chance of being a top-2 stack tonight, which is a large number for a nine-game slate.

The New Jersey Devils Line 1 ($13,800)

Tomas Tatar, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer will be another excellent option. This line has carried strong play at five-on-five, accounting for 68% of the expected goals compared to their opponents in a short sample of 42 minutes. They are also expected to have low ownership, with around 4% on DraftKings. The fact that only Hischier is on the top power play should keep this three-man stack at low ownership. The Devils have a 4.0 implied Vegas total, making them a great secondary stack option.

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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen

Roman Josi ($8,600)

Josi has been the best defenseman in NHL DFS this season, with a lot of big performances. He plays top power play time for the Nashville Predators, who have a 3.6 implied total at home against the Canucks. If you have the salary for him, he’s the No. 1 option for defensemen and still has a 2.1-point-per-dollar value in Stokastic’s NHL DFS projections.

Evan Bouchard ($3,400)

Bouchard is the top value defenseman in the Stokastic NHL DFS projections. He played over 20 minutes in his last game, with 18-plus minutes in his last five games. He has 5.4 shot attempts over his last five games as well. His ice time is always in flux, but if he is getting anywhere around 18 minutes, he’s a solid play at home against the Flyers.

NHL DFS Picks: Goalie

Filip Gustavsson ($7,800)

Gustavsson is a home favorite that is expected to see a lot of volume, which is tough to find on DraftKings, even on bigger slates. Stokastic’s NHL DFS projections have him at over 28 saves and just 2.9 expected goals against, which are both solid numbers compared to the rest of the goalies available. The Kings don’t have a problem generating shot attempts, so going with goalies against them in GPP formats is usually a quality play for upside.

Author

Jake Hari

Jake Hari is the Director of NHL Content at Awesemo.com and contributes to the site's NHL and MLB coverage as a writer of the spotlight stacks articles and host of Strategy Videos and Livestreams. Jake has been dubbed "the Baseball Savant" thanks to his immense knowledge of MLB but he's achieved some of his best success as an innovator in the world of NHL DFS. You can contact Jake by emailing [email protected].