NHL DFS Picks Today: Felix Sandstrom, Mark Scheifele (October 19)

With a couple of games on TNT and one filler, there is a small three-game slate on Wednesday night. However, there are still some great options to sift through for NHL DFS.

Let’s examine the best plays for Wednesday on the DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS today. Of course, be sure to check Stokastic’s NHL DFS rankings and NHL DFS projections.

NHL DFS Picks for DraftKings

Center

Mark Scheifele (WPG at COL): $6,200

While most DFS players are going to stack Colorado’s superstars, there is value in going the opposite direction and taking some of Winnipeg’s top guys. The Jets’ top line (Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers) is a strong stack as they produce almost all of the offense on this Winnipeg team.

More than anything else, this stack is a fade of the projected starting goaltender for the Avalanche, Alexandar Georgiev. Through his first two starts of the season, Georgiev possesses a .911 SV% and 2.51 GAA.

While those surface-level stats are solid, it is his underlying metrics that are cause for concern. At 5v5, Georgiev ranks just 27th among goaltenders in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60).

This metric is a continuation of a poor season last year in New York, where he posted a .898 SV% and 2.92 GAA over 33 appearances. Among goaltenders, he would have ranked in the bottom half of the league in 5v5 GSAx/60.

To start the year, Mark Scheifele has registered three goals, nine shots on goal (SOG), and three blocked shots through the first two games. Over his last four games against Colorado, Scheifele has posted four goals, four assists, and 14 SOG.

Centering both the first line and the first power play unit, Scheifele should have plenty of opportunities to continue his success against the Avs.

Alex Newhook (WPG at COL): $2,700

Perhaps the best value play on the board, Alex Newhook is a second-line center who also skates with the second power play on the best team in hockey. With that in mind, his price is just $200 higher than the minimum, which is mostly made up of guys who are not even playing.

The price is generous because he has failed to do anything with the increased playing time following the departure of Nazem Kadri over the off-season. However, this play is quantity over quality.

With the ice time he gets and the guys he skates with, Newhook could luck into some points without having to do anything special himself. That being said, he is capable of putting up points and this could be a great opportunity to buy low.

Last season, Newhook recorded two assists and three SOG through four games against Winnipeg, and that was in a bottom-six role. At a mere $2,700, his value is too much to pass up.

Latest NHL DFS Content

Winger

Kyle Connor (WPG at COL): $7,800

Continuing with the Winnipeg stack, winger Kyle Connor skates alongside Mark Scheifele on both the first line and first power play unit. Through the first two games of the season, Connor has logged a goal, an assist, seven SOG, and one blocked shot.

Typically one of the more overlooked wingers in the league, Connor put together a monster campaign last year with 47 goals and 46 assists through 79 games. Over his last five games against Colorado, Connor has collected five goals and 25 SOG.

Serving as the primary triggerman of both the first line and the first power play unit, Connor is always a big threat to find the back of the net regardless of the opponent while accumulating a decent amount of SOG in the process. Through the first two games of the season, he leads the Jets in expected goals with 1.7.

Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG at COL): $6,900

To finish off the Winnipeg stack, Nikolaj Ehlers should be in a great spot to continue his strong start to the season. Through the first two games, Ehlers has registered three assists, seven SOG, and one blocked shot.

Skating alongside Connor and Scheifele on both the first line and the first power play unit, these three feed off each other all game long. If one of these guys finds the back of the net, the odds are strong that the other two were involved as well, which could multiply DFS point totals at a quick pace.

Over his last four games against Colorado, Ehlers has logged four goals, three assists, and 18 SOG. This season, he is second on the team behind Kyle Connor in expected goals with 0.7.

Pavel Buchnevich (STL at SEA): $5,600

A St. Louis mini-stack should be a tremendous play against Seattle, who throw out a below-average defense in front of one of the worst starting goaltenders in hockey. Projected to take the crease for the Kraken is Philipp Grubauer, who is 0-1-1 with a .851 SV% and 4.26 GAA through three appearances this season.

This terrible start is a continuation of a brutal campaign last year. Ranking dead-last among starting goaltenders in 5v5 GSAx/60, Grubauer went 18-31-5 with a .889 SV% and 3.16 GAA.

The first St. Louis skater to target is winger Pavel Buchnevich. In the Blues’ season opener, Buchnevich finished with a goal, an assist, and four SOG.

Serving as a triggerman on both the first line and first power play unit, Buchnevich should get plenty of chances to have another strong outing. Across the three games against Seattle last season, Buchnevich logged two goals, one assist, and four SOG.

Sam Reinhart (FLA vs. PHI): $6,200

The last mini-stack to target is in the sunshine state as the Florida Panthers take on the Philadelphia Flyers. More than anything else, these two plays are a backing of Florida’s playstyle, which is run-and-gun as fast as possible while firing as many shots on net as they can.

This playstyle leads to a ton of DFS points for Panthers skaters as they can create points with just their SOG, let alone the fact that they can also put up a lot of goals. The first skater to target is winger Sam Reinhart.

It has been a slow start to the season in terms of point production as Reinhart has posted just one assist through three games. However, he is willing to fire the puck on net as he has logged 10 SOG, and those shots will start to find the back of the twine.

Over Reinhart’s last seven games against the Flyers, he has registered eight goals and 18 SOG. Skating with numerous superstars on both the first line and the first power play unit, Reinhart will get more than his fair share of chances in this game.

Defensemen

Torey Krug (STL at SEA): $4,900

To complete the St. Louis mini-stack, defenseman Torey Krug is a good player to target. Skating with Pavel Buchnevich on the first power play unit, DFS players can kill two birds with one stone if the Blues can muster a special teams goal.

Last season, St. Louis finished second in the league in PP% while Seattle finished 30th in PK%. This scenario played out in the first game of the season when Krug recorded a power play assist on Buchnevich’s goal in the first period.

Through his two games against the Kraken last season, Krug racked up two assists and three SOG.

Radko Gudas (FLA vs. PHI): $2,500

To complete the Florida mini-stack, defenseman Radko Gudas should be a tremendous value play at just $2,500. The Panthers are dealing with an injury problem at the right defenseman position with Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour both slated to miss some time.

Because of these injuries, Gudas is projected to skate with the first pairing and second power play unit, making him a must-play at $2,500. Through three games this season, Gudas has logged one assist, four SOG, and two blocked shots.

Those numbers were posted in a very sheltered role, and with the injuries to Ekblad and Montour, Gudas should see the ice for more than 20 minutes each game until they come back.

Goaltender

Felix Sandstrom (PHI at FLA): $7,000

One of the best methods in DFS, this is a play to create separation from others. The majority of the public will not play a goaltender against skaters they are also stacking, and there is a lot of potential value that people overlook in doing so.

In DFS, you need a goaltender who is going to face a ton of shots so he can accumulate points via saves. There is not a more lopsided shooting matchup on Wednesday’s slate than Florida and Philadelphia.

At $7,000, Felix Sandstrom should be a tremendous value play at a cheap price as most people will not want to start a goaltender against Flordia. The rookie goaltender was strong in his brief stint in the show last season as he produced a .910 SV%.

Philadelphia has gotten off to a tremendous start this season under new head coach John Tortorella, and this group enters this game confident and could even pull off the upset. If Sandstrom can grab a win while facing 30+ shots, then his value will far surpass the $7,000 price tag.

If Carter Hart gets the start instead of Sandstrom, there is still $200 left over in this lineup to make the swap.

Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!