Tonight is pretty much a mirror matchup of Monday’s NHL DFS slate, with five teams facing off for the second time in two days. The Kings – Blues game was canceled, so we need to keep an eye on the news for that game again. For now, I’m assuming it’s a go. Let’s dive into some of the best NHL DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight.
In this Power Plays article, the goal is to highlight several NHL DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy hockey tournaments. Using Awesemo’s premium proprietary player projections and the top stacks tool, we will highlight several players and situations that will help your team rocket up the leaderboard.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial fantasy hockey 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 fantasy hockey news and line change notifications.
NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | March 17
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Connor McDavid ($9,200 DraftKings/$9,100 FanDuel), A/B/A Grades
McDavid is the No. 1 pay-up option at the center position tonight. He fired 3 shots on Monday against Calgary and picked up an assist. He also had 5 scoring chances and hit a crossbar. McDavid performed well but did not score a goal. In the previous five meetings, McDavid has 11 points, 17 shots on net and is averaging 22.3 DraftKings points per game against the Flames. The only real question for tonight is, how will the ownership shake out between McDavid and the other popular spots? Be sure to check out Awesemo’s Ownership Projections leading up to puck drop.
Claude Giroux ($4,800 DraftKings/$6,700 FanDuel), D/C/D Grades
Giroux has had a quietly decent year so far. He is not having a great year, but he does have 21 points in 24 games. He has found a nice groove on the third line playing against the depths of opposing teams. Giroux has 4 points in the last four games and his shot volume has been steady, averaging 3 shots per game over the last six.
If you’re fading Edmonton, going to the Flames’ second-line pivot Sean Monahan could pay dividends. We will likely see the Mikael Backlund line hard-match the McDavid line, which means the Monahan line will see the depth lines. The Oilers lack any type of depth outside of their top line. Monday night’s game was a track meet, and there will be goals tonight as well.
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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Max Pacioretty ($8,100 DraftKings/$8,000 FanDuel), A/B/A Grades
All eyes and ownership will be on the Golden Knights tonight. Pacioretty lit the lamp and chipped in a helper but only managed to fire off a rare 2 shots on goal. He has been averaging over 4.5 shots on goal over the last 10 games, and that top line has been elite. San Jose is in the bottom five of every advanced metric we like to look at for NHL DFS.
On Monday night we surprisingly saw the Jonathan Marchessault line match up with the Logan Couture line for 72% of the five-on-five share. The Couture line has been the best defensive forward line for the Sharks, but they were run over by Marchessault and company. If you’re looking to get a little different, going to the Vegas second line could save you a little popularity.
Brady Tkachuk ($7,300 DraftKings/$6,500 FanDuel), A/B/A Grades
Tkachuk has been a one-man firing squad. Over the last 10 games, he is averaging 4.3 shots on net per game. He has fired off 6 shots in each of his last two games while hitting the shot bonus in five of the last 10. Vancouver is 30th in expected goals against at five-on-five in their last 10 games, and they are also giving up the most shots against and scoring chances. There is a strong case to be made for the Senators top line tonight if you’re looking to get different.
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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen (Mid-Range Options)
Jacob Trouba ($4,300 DraftKings/$3,900 FanDuel), C/A/A Grades
The Rangers are going through COVID-19 issues, which means other guys will get more opportunity. Trouba saw a big bump in minutes on Monday, played 27 minutes and quarterbacked the top power-play unit. He didn’t have a big night, but he did fire off 3 shots on net. The Flyers’ penalty kill has been brutal, with just a 74% kill rate. Given the top power-play exposure, Trouba could be a solid mid-range option.
Josh Morrissey ($4,000 DraftKings/$4,800 FanDuel), D/B/B Grades
Morrissey has been riding a heater the past four games. He has been playing big minutes and has hit the shot bonus twice in the last three games. Morrisey is another power-play quarterback going against a bad penalty kill. The Canadiens are averaging almost 6 minutes a game short-handed, and they have the third-worst expected goals against in the league on the penalty kill. Morrissey makes a ton of sense tonight, and he’s a great add-on for a Jets stack if you choose to go that route.
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Vegas 1: Max Pacioretty – Cody Glass – Mark Stone
The Vegas top line has been nothing short of elite. With Chandler Stephenson out, Cody Glass will pivot the top line. VGK1’s numbers take a hit without Stephenson, but they are still very good. Last game we saw the Marchessault line match up with the Logan Couture line for most of the game, and that means that the Vegas top line will get the pick of the litter for the Sharks depth. San Jose ranks in the bottom 10 of every defensive metric, and they are spending a ton of time on the penalty kill. Glass will move to the second power-play unit, but Pacioretty and Stone fully correlate.
Winnipeg PP: Paul Stastny – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler – Josh Morrissey
The Canadiens have been a very good puck-possession team this year, but the Jets top line has a ton of firepower to compete with them. Winnipeg’s top line since moving Paul Stastny up has been great. In a smallish sample, the trio has a 52% Corsi-for while creating 36 shots, 30 scoring chances, 16 high-danger chances and 3.43 expected goals per 60. The Jets did not hard match last game and I don’t expect them to tonight, so they will likely find some positive situations to get their offense rolling. The main attraction for me is that the Canadiens are taking a ton of penalties and can’t kill them off. Over the last 10 games, Montreal is spending 6 minutes a game short-handed, and they have the third-worst expected goals against in the league on the penalty kill. Carey Price has been a shell of his former self, and if he goes tonight, I think the Jets can put a nice number at home with the last change.
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Looking for more DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy hockey and NHL DFS picks content? We have loads of fantasy hockey articles, data, DraftKings and FanDuel cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo NHL home page. Just click HERE.
