NHL DFS Picks Sunday's DraftKings & FanDuel Top Stacks + Sleepers

Saturday night in NHL DFS was a wild one as several overs unexpectedly hit and Vincent Trocheck crashed the party against the Detroit Red Wings. Also, did anyone expect a 1-0 shutout in Montreal? That answer probably would have been a no. Tonight’s fantasy hockey main slate is an unusually high seven games on DraftKings and carries some good plays and value we can take advantage of. Using our Top Stacks Tool and daily fantasy projections, we’ll find the best NHL DFS picks to help you build winning lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Please note that FanDuel’s main slate is only five games so a pick or two may not have a FanDuel price because they exist only on the larger featured slate for DraftKings. 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.

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NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | Jan. 31

NHL DFS Picks: Centers

Joel Eriksson Ek ($4,700 FanDuel / $4,800 DraftKings)

The center position can be a difficult one to navigate for NHL DFS on many slates because it lacks depth but carries tons of talent. In a middle tier, we feature Eriksson Ek because of one crazy early trend this season so far. What is that? Colorado tends to not play well on the back end of back-to-backs. Minnesota may have taken a tough loss last night as Colorado scored five times in a 5-1 rout. However, Eriksson Ek did have four shots on net and three scoring chances. He even drew iron once.

Eriksson Ek features some risk, as no one knows how sustainable his hot start is. Is this the player he may become or will he regress back to what he once was? It’s a great question, but early indications seem to hint there is still upside. While everyone and the galaxy will own Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in some form, a player like Eriksson Ek has a use.

The other key will be who is on his wings. Marcus Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov are speedy enough to cause Colorado problems. Colorado expects Erik Johnson not to be in the lineup. That hinders the Avalanche’s ability to defend. Expect Eriksson Ek to have some opportunities he would not normally.

Mathew Barzal ($6,900 FanDuel / $6,700 DraftKings)

If we are looking to risk it again, Barzal would be a good option from the top tier. He dished out an assist on Saturday night and had four shots on net. Barzal also had four scoring chances and two high-danger opportunities. After the first 10 minutes, the Barzal line was dominant the rest of the game. Philadelphia remained on its heels for long stretches when Barzal was on the ice.

It has not been a great No. 1 power-play unit, but the Islanders are effective. Philadelphia, defensively, is not quite the same as last season. The playoffs showed their weaknesses. Barzal is the type of player that can exploit those problems. Furthermore, the center has four points in his latest three-game point scoring streak.

Fortunately, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle provide enough force to keep Barzal somewhat protected from a physical standpoint. Philadelphia yields three goals per game, with a 74.2% penalty kill and 33.4 shots per contest. That last number ranks third-worst in the NHL. Is New York going to shoot 7% forever? That answer is probably no.

Again, this miniseries had the feeling of last year’s playoff between the two teams. Long stretches of New York 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, that is a DraftKings-only play.

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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers

David Perron ($6,100 FanDuel / $5,400 DraftKings)

This pick may carry risk on the back end of a back-to-back. On the other hand, David Perron has become a staple in lineups because of his reasonable price and above average production. The winger tallied eight points so far this year with four goals. That is on 24 shots. This averages out to three shots a game, which is excellent. That floor helps his ownership and he even features 5-plus shot potential.

The winger keeps finding ways to score. Among wingers on the slate, Perron is still top-5 projected on both sites, yet is priced more around DFS average ($5,500 for DraftKings and $6,100 for FanDuel). To help him reach that projection is Ryan O’Reilly, who is one of the best possession and face-off players in the league.

Perron faces an Anaheim team that has been a defensive adventure to say the least in the early going. This is one game where stacks are possible despite the 6-1 rout on Saturday night. Who else is Anaheim going to start? Better yet, the Ducks cannot stop much of anyone. It is all about can the Anaheim goaltending turn away St. Louis?

The Ducks yield just 2.56 goals per game but allow 32 shots per game with many being higher-danger chances. That should permit Perron and that top unit to generate shots and chances at will. Anaheim’s lack of offense (1.67 goals per game) means Perron may not have to worry about that end of the ice.

Oliver Bjorkstrand ($5,100 FanDuel / $4,600 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 Oliver Bjorkstrand almost made Pierre Luc-Dubois expendable. In a bizarre way, that became true. Bjorkstrand has become the offensive face of this franchise. He has three goals and eight points in nine games. The shot volume is not always the greatest with the winger. Conversely, that is something which will still take time.

The winger faces a Chicago team that is deficient depth-wise on defense and just cannot handle speed of any kind. See teams like Florida and that stretch where the Blackhawks gave up five goals in four straight games. This was not a fluke and Bjorkstrand can find space. Furthermore, Chicago ranks in the bottom five when it comes to scoring chances allowed, shots yielded, etc.

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. Patrik Laine may finally play on Tuesday but that helps no one tonight. 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

Noah Dobson ($3,700 FanDuel / $4,600 DraftKings)

This slate has several projected high-owned defensemen, including Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers. Despite this, there are two defensemen in this game that may provide better value. Dobson has been excellent for the New York Islanders. His offensive prowess may not be consistent but he is capable of blocking shots in bunches. Dobson’s ability to rush the puck up the ice quickly helps set up chances.

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 (COVID recovery) is one to keep an eye on but his minutes may be tempered. Dobson will not be restricted as such.

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. Adam Larsson is an intriguing pick, especially on DraftKings. He has 33 blocks in the first 10 contests, which means the possibilities of block bonuses. Filip Hronek from Detroit is just $4,200 on DraftKings and could find chances against a Florida defense, which forgets to play defense just often enough. However, that is a DraftKings-only play.

Additional Defensive Values:

It’s with decent certainty that the status of Mathew Dumba is important to the slate. Currently, Dumba expects not to play from early indications. It may be best to stay away anyway. That is why we recommend looking around. Jonas Brodin will be one to watch against a Colorado defense that may be missing a few blue-liners. Looking at injuries is paramount now with COVID and so many other issues. The war of attrition continues meaning profit can be had by taking a peak at the latest news several times a day.

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