The seven-game Tuesday slate is loaded with matchups that should be fun to watch and create plenty of scoring for NHL DFS contests. With some marquee stars and some scrappy scrubs on the board, we have plenty of players to consider as we make NHL DFS picks for this one. Our goal here is to parse through some of the noise and identify some of the leading plays for you as you put together your DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy hockey lineups. Using Awesemo’s premium proprietary player projections and the top stacks tool, we will highlight several players and situations that will be advantageous and help your team rocket up the leaderboard.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial lineup information in the 20 to 30 minutes leading up to every game’s lock. With the COVID-19 pandemic still looming, teams have taxi squads and are ready to fill positions daily as they scratch players. Our Slack chat is hands down one of the best places to get news and line change notifications.
NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | Feb. 9
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Leon Draisaitl ($8,200 DraftKings / $8,200 FanDuel), A/A Grades
The only center on the board with straight “A” rankings in Awesemo’s NHL DFS Rankings today, Draisaitl looks like a fantastic option on both sites once again. The center of Edmonton’s dynamic second line, Draisaitl is a known commodity for daily fantasy hockey, but he comes at a solid discount from his all-world teammate and the team’s top line-center, Connor McDavid. For $800 less, rostering Draisaitl either on his own or as a stack with his linemates is a solid pivot from the top.
Draisaitl is off to a 25-point start to his season over the team’s first 14 games, scoring 8 goals and adding 17 assists. The point total is second only to McDavid in the NHL, 4 points clear of Mitch Marner from Toronto in third. Draisaitl plays on the team’s top power play, where he has produced 4 of his goals and 5 of his assists on the season, and he adds 2.87 shots on goal per game to pad his numbers. All of this is in keeping with the pace that the star center created for himself over the past two seasons, first producing 105 points (50 goals, 55assists) in 82 games in 2018-19, followed by an NHL-leading, 110-point (43-67) effort in just 71 games last season. At the price, Draisaitl is undervalued on both sites. He and his line will be in public lineups tonight, but likely not to the degree that they should.
Elias Lindholm ($6,000 DraftKings / $6,100 FanDuel), B/B(A) Grades
Standing out as the most affordable among the top-ranked top-line centers on tonight’s slate, Lindholm looks like a strong option for NHL DFS contests on both sites. Lindholm’s Flames are mired in seventh place in the eight-team North, totaling 11 points with a 5-5-1 record over their first 11 contests. Their 32 goals are just 18th in the league, trailing a number of teams that have played fewer games. Still, his top line has created the lion’s share of the team’s offense so far this season, and they look like a quality option skating against a Jets team that ranks just 14th in the league in Corsi-for percentage. In 76:28 skating together this season, Lindholm’s line has a dead-even 50% Corsi-for percentage and a 71.43% goals-for advantage (5-2).
Lindholm himself has generated 12 points (3-9) in the team’s 11 games, with 1 goal and 5 assists coming on the power play. He takes 2.8 shots on goal per game to add to his daily fantasy hockey totals, though he does not make a habit of blocking shots frequently. Lindholm is coming off a 54-point season (29-25) in just 70 games last year, following a career-high 78 points (27-51) in 81 games the year before. For the investment, Lindholm and the rest of Calgary’s top line make a strong option that can be rostered along with some of the other top NHL DFS picks of the night.
Additional Center Values
Center is a position with peaks and valleys today. Top-end options include: McDavid, Aleksander Barkov, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture; Value options are: Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Radek Faksa and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Latest NHL DFS Content
- DraftKings Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: The Best NHL DFS Stacks Today | Jake Guentzel and the Hurricanes (April 25)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Money Making Matthew Tkachuk (April 23)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Jumping On Jack Eichel (April 22)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Stack Toronto’s Startes Today (April 20)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Nasty Nathan MacKinnon (April 18)
- Stokastic DFS on Youtube
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6,900 DraftKings / $7,200 FanDuel), A/B(A) Grades
Apologies for making today the Edmonton show, but if you’re paying up to roster McDavid, don’t forget to include his dynamite wingman, Nugent-Hopkins. He is off to a strong start to his 10th NHL season, with 11 points (5-6) in the team’s first 14 games. Three goals and 4 assists have come on the team’s power play.
Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid present a strong front as a duo or along with third banana Jesse Puljujarvi, who has 5 points of his own this year. As a duo, McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins have been on the ice together for 245:01 since the start of last season, carrying a 54.55% Corsi-for percentage, a 50% goals-for ratio (12-12) and 67 high-danger chances while yielding only 40. They have converted on 9 of those opportunities and allowed 6 goals, for a 60% ratio.
Nugent-Hopkins has been a reliable producer for the team, putting up a 61-point year (22-39) in 65 games last season and 69 points (28-41) in 81 games the year before. He has been shooting more frequently this season, putting 3.36 shots on goal per game, compared to 2.64 last year. That should ultimately lead to more production, but it certainly helps pad NHL DFS stats.
Patric Hornqvist ($6,100 DraftKings / $5,400 FanDuel) A/A Grades
Hornqvist is the top-rated forward on Awesemo’s board as the only option with straight “A” grades across sites. He skates on the team’s second line, alongside Alexander Wennberg and the team’s top scorer this year, Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers second line is a high-end choice among stacking options tonight.
Hornqvist has 8 points (5-3) in the team’s nine games to start the year, quality production from a player who totaled just 32 points (17-15) in 52 games last season and 37 points (18-19) in 69 games the year before while playing in Pittsburgh. Part of the reason could be an uptick in shots on goal; Hornqvist has peppered opposing goaltenders with 3.66 shots per game to start his season. He has clicked with his new linemates in Florida. They have a 55.96% Corsi-for percentage in 64:35 skating together this year, suggesting they are strong controlling the puck and generating chances, though they have yielded more goals than they have scored. For the price, Hornqvist adds some safety and upside to the wing.
Alex Iafallo ($4,800 DraftKings / $4,600 FanDuel) C/A Grades
Dipping into the value end of the slate, Iafallo stands out as a quality option from the top line of the Kings. The team will be playing in one of the four games with a goal total of 6 or higher tonight, with their 49% win share representing the tightest line on the board. They should be engaged in a tough contest with the rival Sharks, and we should see lamps light frequently at both ends of the ice.
The 27-year-old has had a 6-point start to his fourth NHL season, scoring 2 goals and adding 4 assists across the team’s first 11 games. The pace is not exactly frenetic, but Iafallo is priced appropriately for the production and is more likely in consideration as an inexpensive part of a top line stack, than he is as a standalone option. He does add some fantasy-point padding with 2.8 shots on goal per game, and he produced 43 points (17-26) in 70 games last year.
With Iafallo playing alongside Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, the Los Angeles top line has significant experience playing together. Since the start of last season, they have been on the ice for a full 712:16 together, putting up a 52.8% Corsi-for percentage and a 55.77% goals-for ratio (29-23). They have yielded more high-danger chances than they have generated (104-118), but have converted for the same amount of goals they have yielded (16). There are better lines in hockey, but Los Angeles’ top unit is a solid value play on tonight’s NHL DFS slate, and Iafallo should be included when rostering the line.
Additional Wing Values
There are strong wing options up and down the board on both sites tonight. Just a few names that are in play everywhere include: Patrick Kane, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Max Pacioretty and Matthew Tkachuk. Value options include: Anthony Duclair, Jeff Carter, Evgenii Dadonov and Adam Henrique.
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Brent Burns ($6,500 DraftKings / $6,400 FanDuel) A/B(A) Grades
Perhaps the most obvious name in daily fantasy hockey over the past few seasons, Burns is an easy click on the blueline in any slate, assuming you can afford him. The high price tag is the only downside of rostering Burns, but on a night with significant value available, it seems likely that we can get to the superstar defenseman. It is also possible that he is underpriced even at the posted salaries; Awesemo’s value ratings are strong on both sites.
Burns is a known commodity to NHL DFS players. He has been the most productive defenseman in the league for several seasons. In 70 games last year, Burns posted 45 points (12-33), with 17 (5-12) of those coming on the power play. He added fantasy scoring by taking 3.21 shots on goal per game, blocking another 1.64 shots per game. A season prior, Burns put up 83 points (16-67) in 82 games, a career high for a player who had 60 or more points four years running coming into that season. For the money there is no better option on defense than Burns for your daily fantasy hockey lineups. In his monster 27:32 average ice time over the team’s first 10 games this season, Burns has 6 points (3-3) and has taken 3 shots per game, blocking 1.4. There are no signs of slowing down anytime soon from Burns, and he is among the top NHL DFS picks tonight.
Duncan Keith ($5,000 DraftKings / $4,900 FanDuel) C/B Grades
With a lot of forward options to pay up for, it might be difficult to roster two high-priced defensemen today. Depending on who you are stacking, it might be difficult to fit even one into your lineup, for that matter. Keith offers a modicum of salary relief on both sites and is the most affordable among the higher-ranked top-line defensemen who also see first unit power play time.
Keith has five points (0-5) over the team’s first 13 games, while taking 2.07 shots on goal per game and blocking 1.62. The 37-year-0ld has a strong track record for being among the league’s top-20 defensemen in shots blocked, averaging between 1.89 blocks per game the last three seasons. He has been stronger on offense in years past as well, though he only managed 27 points (3-24) in 61 games last season. The year before, Keith posted 40 points (6-34) in 82 games, though his career-high 69-point season (14-55) came all the way back in 2009-10. There is safety and a high floor for the money in rostering Keith tonight, with some room for upside should he produce on the team’s power play.
Additional Defenseman Values
There are numerous top defensemen who are coming in with strong value grades on both sites. The high end of the list includes Roman Josi, Mark Giordano and Victor Hedman. On the value end, we can look to Alec Martinez, MacKenzie Weegar and Esa Lindell.
Top Stacks
Edmonton 1: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Jesse Puljujarvi
Tampa Bay 1: Ondrej Palat – Brayden Point – Steven Stamkos
Vegas 1: Max Pacioretty – Chandler Stephenson – Mark Stone
Los Angeles 1: Alex Iafallo – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Value Stacks
San Jose 1: Evander Kane – Logan Couture – Kevin Labanc
Edmonton 2: Dominik Kahun – Leon Draisaitl – Kailer Yamamoto
Ottawa 1: Brady Tkachuk – Joshua Norris – Evgenii Dadonov
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more great Awesemo content.
Looking for more DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy hockey and NHL DFS picks content? We have loads of articles, data, DraftKings and FanDuel cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo NHL home page. Just click HERE.
