Saturday night in NHL DFS was a wild one as a shorter-than-usual slate produced more unexpected results. Toronto routed the Canucks, but Vancouver only managed a single goal. The small slate yields some odd Sunday matchups, including a FanDuel only play or two.
Please note that both FanDuel starts at Noon EST with all five NHL games. DraftKings main slate starts at 3:00 PM ET. That does not include the Philadelphia – Washington game. Thanks for your patience.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial lineup information in the 20-30 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 teams 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. 7
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Vincent Trocheck ($4,800 FanDuel / $6,400 DraftKings)
The center position can be a difficult in NHL DFS on Sundays. In a risky move, Trocheck is a great choice especially on FanDuel ($300 per point on FanDuel). That number carries at $400 per point on DraftKings. This still is not terrible. The biggest part of Trocheck’s offensive game is his ability to hit the net (3 shots a night on net).
Trocheck features some danger, as no one quite knows how he will fare versus Columbus. Shots should be there because Columbus has been routinely yielding 30-35 shots a night. Columbus does not take a lot of minors, but they have a 20th-ranked penalty kill at just above 78%, and they give up 3 goals a game on over 33 shots per 60. Again, this means the center for Carolina should see several secondary scoring chances.
The other key will be who is on his wings. Keep an eye on Trocheck’s linemates to see who slots in. Trocheck sees 19-plus minutes of ice time a night, and Columbus has several issues with depth. Look out for injuries in this one.
Aleksander Barkov ($7,400 FanDuel / $7,600 DraftKings)
If we are looking to risk it again, Barkov is a great option from the top tier. He scored a goal, assisted on another and fired 6 more shots on net. Barkov also had 4 scoring chances and 2 high-danger opportunities. After the first 10 minutes, the Barkov line dominated. Teams seem to have fewer ways to defend against Barkov, or even slow him down.
It has been a great No. 1 power-play unit. Florida defensively is still mostly poor like they were last season. The playoffs showed their weaknesses. Barkov is the type of player that can exploit the issues of Detroit. Furthermore, the center has 3 points in two meetings versus the Red Wings, and Detroit employs a sub-65% penalty kill on the road. They keep giving up 4 goal a game away from home as well. Detroit is vulnerable in all phases and can give up goals in bunches at any time.
Again, this season series has the feeling of how this has gone for the last several seasons. Long stretches of Florida dominance with its top line could result in a surprise play. Joe Pavelski looks like another center to consider from Dallas in the upper tier. However, keep an eye on the status of Sean Couturier. He practiced on Saturday with the top power-play unit.
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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Max Pacioretty ($8,100 FanDuel / $7,500 DraftKings)
This pick may carry little risk, even with a top-three price tag. On the other hand, Pacioretty runs on an engine that makes him difficult to stop. It does not hurt that Pacioretty has a lineman like Mark Stone. That makes life easier no question for one of the best duos in the league.
Pacioretty keeps finding ways to score. Among wingers on the slate, he enjoys a plus matchup in all phases. Despite the long layoff, Vegas did not lot in the least bit rusty. Pacioretty scored, which paved the way to an early 5-0 lead. The Kings just do not have answers to keep Pacioretty from having 5-shot potential. The winger dished out 3 assists the other night against Los Angeles. Playmaking chances have been plentiful as well.
Pacioretty faces a young Kings team with an old base that just cannot keep up with the pace of the Stone-Pacioretty duo. There is little reason to doubt that Pacioretty will have 4 scoring chances, 5 shots and a goal or assist at a minimum. Los Angeles just cannot find the right combination unless the Vegas duo slows themselves down.
The Kings yield 3.4 goals per game with a number closer to 4 a night away from home. That ranks 25th in the league. Vegas expects to score 3 goals with ease, as they scored 5 times on Friday night.
Oliver Bjorkstrand ($5,100 FanDuel / $4,700 DraftKings)
You may be noticing that this is an area where we take a little bit of a risk. However, one would be surprised that Bjorkstrand now has 10 points in 12 games on the season. In a bizarre way, the winger becomes more and more of a net front presence. Few expected that. Bjorkstrand has become the offensive face of this franchise. The shot volume is not always the greatest with the winger. Conversely, that is something which will still take time.
The winger faces a Carolina team that is deficient on the road at times. Carolina features a team that can have costly errors on the defensive end, especially in net on the road. Columbus is the type of team with Patrik Laine in the lineup that creates some matchup problems.
Coach John Tortorella enjoys his ability to set up other players as well. The only question is Tortorella’s patience with the rest of his team. One big risk is again that shot volume. Bjorkstrand has not tallied 4-plus shots more than once in the early going.
One can climb up to the studs, and on the DraftKings-only slate one has to look at Florida players like Patric Hornqvist, who excels on the man advantage. Detroit is the worst in the league on the penalty kill over the past three seasons (just above 70%). Also, see who plays for Carolina with all the injuries on wing with Sebastian Aho. That will be key. Some may counter with Denis Gurianov from Dallas.
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Shea Theodore ($6,400 FanDuel / $7,300 DraftKings)
This slate has several projected high-owned defensemen, including Theodore. With Alex Pietrangelo out due to COVID concerns, that gives the green light to Theodore. This means he will be the alpha defender in all phases — especially including the man advantage. He has at least 3 shots in each of his last four games and 4 points in that span.
There is little in the way of debate here, as value plays could be a theme from the blue line on Sunday night. Shayne Gostisbehere is one player to look at, along with Nicolas Hague, Theodore’s teammate. Hague is young, but he has the ability to make an impact offensively. That is more up to the coaching staff than anything else.
Rostering a mid-tier defensemen (that is not flashy) with a value defender may be a way to get a bit different and still have all of the upside. Looking to the early Philadelphia – Washington game again could be vital. While some may zero in on John Carlson, and rightfully so, maybe Philippe Myers is a value choice if healthy on Sunday afternoon.
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