The NHL six-game Sunday slate offers a number of sides in stellar matchups. Let’s dig through a couple of skaters who provide significant NHL DFS value and consider some important notes ownershipwise.
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NHL DFS Picks, Top Stacks, Lineup Optimizer Plays
GoaliesÂ
Charlie Lindgren (Capitals vs. Jets) $7,300 DraftKings | $ 7,000 FanDuel
The Washington Capitals have trended back to respectability over the past two weeks, which has lead to some excellent results for underrated backup goalie Charlie Lindgren, who at 5-2-1 with a .907 save percentage has been better all season than most would credit.
Lindgren has won three straight with a .953 save percentage and today projects to be a far more reasonable spot for that to continue than his salary and ownership rates suggest.
The Capitals are priced as +120 to win this game by oddsmakers and project to be the more valuable side at that number. Lindgren simply does not deserve to be priced as the second lowest salary on this slate, and because ownership rates are going at just 8-9%, he realistically could be a significant piece of a heavy cash in GPP formats.
Carter Hart (Flyers vs. Coyotes) $7,900 DraftKings | $ 7,100 FanDuel*
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart priced at just $7,100 on FanDuel on this slate is simply ridiculous considering he is entering a matchup with the Arizona Coyotes in a game with the lowest betting total on the slate and pick ’em prices.
The Coyotes are 28th in goals per game in the NHL this season, playing out of a considerably softer Western Conference and Central Division. There is not a lot of notable finishing talent on the Coyotes, and the Flyers are as likely to win a low-scoring game as any team on this slate.
The estimation would have been, as the lowest salaried goalie on this slate, Hart’s ownership rates would be 30%+, yet they project to be around 8%.
The Flyers still deserve to be valued as a side over the Coyotes, and their performance in an overtime loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday was actually more impressive than the Coyotes’ shocking win over the Boston Bruins, but most people will not view it in such a way based upon results. It seems that Arizona shocking Boston in a game it very well deserved to lose seems to be keeping DFS owners off of this scent.
Forwards
Arthur Kaliyev, Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala Stack (Kings vs. Blue Jackets) $16,100 DraftKings | $19,200 FanDuel
The Los Angeles Kings continue to score at an elite rate of late and quietly enter the second best matchup for scorers leaguewide in excellent offensive form.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have allowed 4.04 goals per game this season, and that number balloons all the way up to 4.82 with Elvis Merzlikins in goal. Merzlikins has been confirmed for this contest, which makes it a smash spot for Kings skaters.
Arthur Kaliyev has quietly produced offense at an elite rate this season, and his goals per 60 minutes of 1.57 is second on the team and top 30 in the NHL entering Sunday.
Kaliyev was moved to Los Angeles’ top forward line alongside Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar three games ago against the Ottawa Senators, and has surprisingly not yet scored a goal despite the line controlling play at an excellent rate and averaging 3.5 shots on goal over that span.
This seems to be keeping Kaliyev’s ownership (8.6% DK, 12.5% FD) and salary at extremely valuable places despite this tremendous matchup.
Kopitar and Fiala are an obvious stack alongside Kaliyev, and there’s a good chance winning lineups today include the Kings’ top trio.
In 10 minutes of play together at 5-on-5 on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, the line controlled play to a 62.1% expected goals share while looking notably dangerous to the eye, and this unit will be a complete handful for Columbus, which offers nothing in the way of a shutdown defense pair.
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Defensemen
Zach Whitecloud (Bruins vs. Golden Knights) $ 2,900 DraftKings | $4,000 FanDuel
With Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo sidelined, Zach Whitecloud is taking on a significantly larger role than for much of the season and has averaged over 20 minutes of time on ice over the past four games. If spending a ton of salary building the rest of your roster, he is a solid high-floor option to round it out for cheap.
Against Boston, Whitecloud is not likely to produce much offense, but his floor should be extremely steady at this price on the top defense pair.
An average of more than 5+ shots and blocks combined is likely, and Whitecloud will be due for some secondary assists as well.
