NHL DFS Picks: Today's Best DraftKings & FanDuel Studs & Stacks

With an eight-game slate and some big prize pools to chase on the last day of the NBA All-Star break, tonight’s slate of NHL DFS action could be an excellent one. Our goal here is to parse through some of the noise and identify the leading NHL DFS picks 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.

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NHL Power Plays: NHL DFS Picks | March 9

NHL DFS Picks: Centers

Aleksander Barkov ($7,300 DraftKings/$7,300 FanDuel), A/B(A) Grades

Currently in a four-way tie for 12th place in points, Barkov is enjoying a strong start to his season. He has been a prime player for several years now, putting up 78 points in 2017-18, cresting to a career high with 96 points (35, goals, 61 assists) in 82 games the following season. He put up 62 points (20-42) in 66 games in last year’s wonky season but is back on pace to exceed that mark this season. Barkov gets his production through scoring and facilitation. He is a willing shooter and not afraid of blocking the occasional shot, helping pad his NHL DFS production. Barkov averages 3.54 shots on goal per game, adding 0.75 blocked shots per contest.

Barkov is expected to skate alongside frequent linemate Carter Verhaeghe and taxi-squad man Mason Marchment, who is a new addition to the line. Across 301:16 skating with Verhaeghe this season, the line has a dominant 60.07% Corsi-for mark at even strength, an expected goals for ratio of 66.7% and 70 high-danger chances. They have yielding just 33 such chances, scoring 10 times in high-danger situations and only allowing 6 goals. The top end of Florida’s attack is a solid unit. Rostering the key duo or including the cheap Marchment for the full-line stack would be a sharp play. Barkov can also be rostered as a one-off, slotting in as one of the least expensive top-end centers on both sites.

John Tavares ($6,300 DraftKings/$7,200 FanDuel), A/B(A) Grades

With several big-name centers at high prices, it makes sense to focus away from the glaringly obvious names like Auston Matthews, Patrice Bergeron and Brayden Point.

Tavares has long been a star-caliber NHL center. He has 22 points in the team’s 26 games so far, scoring 8 times and helping on 14 more. He slots in as the team’s second-line center but joins the top power-play unit, where he has produced 5 of his goals and 4 assists this season. Tavares put up 60 points (26-34) in 63 games last season and an 88-point (47-41) career high in 82 games the year before, his first season in Toronto. The production is there, and the price is down. Tavares blasts 2.8 shots on goal per game, though he does not typically throw his body in front of many shots from the opposition, limiting the fantasy point padding.

Tavares should skate with William Nylander and Alexander Kerfoot, a line that has 255:25 together dating to the start of last season. In that time, they have a 54.23% Corsi-for mark, demonstrating a strong ability to control the puck and get shots off. The line has a 12-10 advantage in goal scoring at even strength and a 54.55% goals-for ratio that expands to 56.91% when we consider expected goals for. They are excellent creating chances, logging 52 high-danger opportunities to just 31 yielded, converting 8 times and limiting the opposition to 5 goals in the situation. At a relative discount for their talent, TOR2 and Tavares as a standalone are both strong options for the night. Rostering Tavares in a Maple Leafs power-play stack is also a sharp approach to a different construction with what should be a popular team.

Additional Center Values

There are stars and scrubs galore on today’s slate. Top-end options include Auston Matthews, Patrice Bergeron and Brayden Point. Value options are Radek Faksa, Lars Eller, Brock Nelson, Yanni Gourde, Evgeny Kuznetsov (DraftKings) and Jack Hughes (FanDuel).

Latest NHL DFS Content

NHL DFS Picks: Wingers

Patrick Kane ($8,700 DraftKings/$8,500 FanDuel), A/C(A) Grades

Currently the NHL’s No. 2 point-getter, Kane is having a monster start to his 14th NHL season. Kane has 11 goals and 27 assists so far, totaling 38 points in just 26 games. He plays on a Blackhawks team mired in the middle, currently sitting fourth in the NHL’s Central division but just 5 points behind the leading Lightning. They should be able to pick up 2 points against the lowly Stars tonight, and Kane seems in a prime spot for production. The Stars are ninth in the league in penalty minutes for the season while maintaining just the 16th-ranked penalty killing unit at 76%. Kane should have plenty of opportunity to score on the power play tonight; he has 2 goals and 10 assists with the man advantage his season.

Kane skates alongside Alex DeBrincat and Pius Suter on the top line. The unit has a 215:42 history together, putting up a 51.54% Corsi-for percentage that rates them slightly above average. They shine in goals-for ratio, with a 13-8 advantage good for a 61.9% mark, though that drops precipitously to 51.78% when we consider expected goals for, suggesting they have been somewhat lucky. The line is also somewhat sloppy defensively, yielding 36 high-danger chances to opponents while creating just 30 of their own, though their luck has them ahead, converting 6 of their opportunities while yielding just 4 goals. Regardless, we are rostering Kane for the big upside and not worrying about his line’s tendency to yield chances.

Andrei Svechnikov ($6,000 DraftKings/$6,100 FanDuel) A/A Grades

Svechnikov is deserving of attention on tonight’s slate given his discounted prices on both sites. He has been productive since joining the Hurricanes two years ago. He played 82 games his rookie year, putting up 37 points (20 goals). He showed growth in the shortened second season, posting 61 points (24-37) and becoming a more willing passer. This season he is off to a roaring start, posting 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points in the team’s first 24 games. Svechnikov sees significant ice time at 17:34 per game and skates on the team’s top power-play unit. He has just 4 blocked shots on the year, so he isn’t going to produce diving in front of pucks, but he puts plenty on net with a 2.91 per-game average.

Svechnikov skates on the team’s third line, which could suppress his ownership in stacks, though we can get to him through the power play. Using the third line isn’t out of the question; they are inexpensive and rank inside the top 20 on Awesemo’s top stacks board, with a non-zero chance of being one of the top two units of the night. While Jesper Fast is a more recent addition to the unit, Svechnikov and center Jordan Staal have a 504:33 history dating to the start of last season. They have generated a 55.38% Corsi-for and a 52.27% goals-for ratio that jumps to 57.66% expected goals for, suggesting they have been a touch unlucky. Getting to shares of the line is a good idea. Getting to more shares of Svechnikov at these prices is a very good one.

Denis Gurianov ($4,400 DraftKings/$4,600 FanDuel) C/A Grades

Taking a dip into the value end, we bump into Gurianov, who has a discount salary on both sites. He is playing on the right side of his team’s top line alongside a pair of high-caliber veteran teammates in Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski. The Stars’ top line should be popular tonight given their discount when compared to other options from the top of the stacks board, but they are not prohibitively popular by any means. Getting to the relatively low prices opens numerous quality construction paths to lineups that project as strong probabilities to be the optimal build tonight.

Gurianov is in his fourth NHL season but just his second as a real regular. He skated in just one contest in 2016-17, followed by 21 the next season. Gurianov broke through last year, skating in 64 games in the shortened season. He scored 20 goals and added 9 helpers for 29 points. Seven of his goals and 5 of his assists came with the man advantage on the team’s second power-play unit, where he currently mans the point. Gurianov is off to an excellent start this year. He has potted 4 goals and 8 assists in the team’s first 20 games. He has been productive on the power play, putting up 3 of his goals and 3 assists with the extra man.

Getting to the top Dallas line will be advisable for this slate. The unit has 42:00 together so far, generating a 66.23% Corsi-for percentage in the small sample. They have a 0-1 goals deficit across that time, but they have gotten unlucky. Their expected goals-for mark is 62.22%, as opposed to their 0.0% actual. They have generated 14 high-danger chances while giving up just 7 the other direction, but they have yet to convert while yielding the 1 goal in that situation. If their luck flips, this line could be in position for a big night.

Additional Wing Values

There are strong wing options up and down the board on both sites tonight. A few names that are in play everywhere include David Pastrnak, Patric Hornqvist, Steven Stamkos and Alex Ovechkin. Value options include Taylor Hall, Jamie Benn, Anthony Mantha and Kyle Palmieri.

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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen

I made a promise recently that I would choose neither Dougie Hamilton nor Roman Josi for this space the next time they appeared on a slate together. They remain the top two plays on the board on both sites on the blueline. If you can afford them, you should play them.

Victor Hedman ($7,000 DraftKings/$6,500 FanDuel) A/C(A) Grades

Leaping immediately to the next most obvious name on the list of defensemen, we land on Hedman. He has been excellent for the better part of a decade, and this pick will surprise no one outside of the FanDuel pricing office, where he gets no respect. The discounted salary on the blue site is glaring, Hedman is an easy click at that price. He should be included in plans on DraftKings as well but is far more appropriately valued by that site.

For the season Hedman has a whopping 24 points already, scoring 5 goals and assisting on 19. He put up 55 points (11-44) in 66 games last year and 54 (12-42) the year before, so the production is not surprising. Hedman sees monster ice time, averaging 25:45 on the team’s top pair and top power-play unit. He shines with the man advantage, scoring once but racking up 13 assists from the point on the team’s fifth-ranked power play (28.75%). Hedman adds 2.43 shots on goal and 1.56 blocked shots to his ledger per game. He is an excellent option to get away from the two most obvious plays of the night.

Rasmus Dahlin ($4,100 DraftKings/$4,400 FanDuel) D/B(A) Grades

There are abundant pay-down options among defensemen, assuming we decide to get low-end points from shots and blocks and worry less about point-based production. The best approach tends to be finding those defensemen who slot in for value and potential upside. On tonight’s slate, Dahlin qualifies for that group given the low salaries and the role he plays on his team.

The Sabres are one of the NHL’s worst teams, putting up just 15 points in their 23 games. They struggle to do anything well, scoring just 50 goals and yielding 74 on the season. Players like Dahlin suffer in plus/minus stats because of this. Currently Dahlin is a -21 for the year. He has managed 1 goal and 9 assists for 10 points in the 23 games while his team is regularly dominated by the opposition. Still, Dahlin sees 21:12 average ice time and skates on the team’s top power-play unit. The Sabres become a different team with the man advantage. For everything they do poorly, Buffalo is currently third in the league, converting on 29.69% of their power-play opportunities. Dahlin has contributed a goal and 7 of his 9 assists in this situation. The opposing Flyers have played uncharacteristically disciplined hockey this season, ranking third in the league with just 7.1 penalty minutes per game. However, that could be enough for the Sabres to squeak through and produce on the power play, lining up Dahlin for some opportunity as a value 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 Dougie Hamilton, Roman Josi, John Carlson and Kris Letang. On the value end, we can look to Miro Heiskanen, Seth Jones, Jaccob Slavin and Gustav Forsling.

Top Stacks

Washington 1: Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstom – T.J. Oshie

Toronto 1: Joe Thornton – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner

Chicago 1: Alex DeBrincat – Pius Suter – Patrick Kane

Value Stacks

Dallas 1: Jamie Benn – Joe Pavelski – Denis Gurianov

Tampa 2: Alex Killorn – Yanni Gourde – Steven Stamkos

Florida 1: Mason Marchment – Aleksander Barkov – Carter Verhaeghe

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Author

Terry McBride

Terry used to do other things, now he writes words on the internet. He hopes his more than 20 years’ experience in season-long and daily fantasy sports and his custom models for MLB, NBA, and NFL don't steer you too wrong when he writes columns and makes picks on Awesemo.com. A lifetime of experience keeping odd hours make Terry ideal to cover KBO baseball overnight until the world returns to normal. Most of those late night hours have been spent on the couch watching sports, T.V., and movies; just try to shut him up about any of the above. You can find his pop-culture ramblings and more on Sideaction.