Fridays are usually a slow day for NHL DFS, as teams are normally traveling with a full day of hockey to be played on Saturday. There is a six-game slate for tonight, but there are some players with injury news that needs monitoring. COVID protocol has been making a strong onset through the NHL in the past month or so. Keeping an eye on news is imperative to succeeding at NHL DFS. Following this Twitter beat writer lists is a huge advantage for getting last-minute news and scratches. This Picks and Stacks article will use Awesemo’s Premium NHL Tools to help dole out the NHL DFS advice to help with building lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. The Awesemo NHL fantasy projections and ownership projections are two of the best tools to utilize when constructing stacks and making the optimal NHL DFS picks. Let’s go position by position and pinpoint some of the top plays and stacks for Friday, Feb. 25.
NHL DFS Picks, Top Stacks & Lineup Optimizer Plays
Center
Jack Eichel (VGK at ARI): DraftKings – $7,000 | FanDuel – $5,800
Eichel’s price on FanDuel is especially intriguing. He started out slowly, which was expected, as he has not played a real game in a year. After starting his year against two very good teams, Eichel’s ice time has steadily increased and he seems to be settling in nicely with his new team. Eichel has been a volume shooter for most of his career, and gamers witnessed it in action on Sunday against the Sharks. Eichel rifled off five shots on goal and managed to light the lamp and chip in an assist. He is starting to gel with linemates Max Pacioretty and Chandler Stephenson, which will likely be Mark Stone when his back is healthy enough. The Golden Knights get one of the best matchups on the slate against the Coyotes, who have been a turnstile defensively. Over the last 10 games Arizona ranks 31st in expected goals against, 31st in Corsi, dead last in shots against, 30th in shots against and 30th in high-danger scoring chances against. Vegas has struggled to get their offense going over the last 10, but they have also had a tough schedule. A date with the Coyotes will likely right the ship. Eichel and his linemates also fully correlate on the top power play, while Arizona’s penalty kill has been absolutely awful. The Coyotes are fifth in the league in times shorthanded, and they have the second-worst penalty kill in the game.
Jack Hughes (NJ vs. PIT): DraftKings – $6,000 | FanDuel – $8,000
Hughes and the Devils showed up big yesterday. They had the smallest team total on the slate and made for an amazing contrarian play, smashing the Penguins 6-1 on a night with a lot of chalk busting. Hughes has a $700 price bump on DraftKings tonight, but the price is absolutely warranted and possibly still too low. They are playing the second of a back-to-back, but they get a somewhat decent matchup against a Blackhawks team that has struggled themselves. Over the last 10 games, Hughes has averaged 15 DraftKings points a night while averaging just under four shots a game and over 1 real point per game. He chipped in three assists yesterday, with two of them coming on the power play. Chicago has struggled to find continuity with their lines, so they are always shifting players around. The Devils will likely be a very low-owned team tonight, and getting some exposure to them could be a nice contrarian option.
Winger
Mikko Rantanen (COL vs. WPG): DraftKings – $7,500 | FanDuel – $9,200
Keep an eye on Colorado news closer to lock or possibly even morning skate. The status of Nathan MacKinnon could change the Avalanche’s top-line configuration, price and ownership. Rantanen has 5 points in the last three games and took over the center duties while MacKinnon has been dealing with a lower-body injury. He is averaging four shots a night and will get the preferred matchup against the Jets top line with last change. The Mark Scheifele line has been the weaker defensive line of the top six, allowing 2.96 expected goals, 32 shots and over 14 high-danger chances. With MacKinnon off the ice, Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog have been very good: 3 expected goals, 61.68% Corsi, creating 35.44 shots and just under 15 high-danger chances. Winnipeg has also struggled over the past month killing penalties, with a 76% kill rate. This game should have a great amount of pace with plenty of chances on both sides.
Andrei Svechnikov (CAR vs. CBJ): DraftKings – $6,800 | FanDuel – $8,100
Svechnikov has benefited greatly by moving to the top line alongside elite playmakers like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. He has 12 points in the last 10 games while averaging four shots a night. Svechnikov is a volume shooter, and playing alongside Aho gives him a big bump because of his elite facilitating and playmaking abilities. Even though Columbus’s offense has been better, their defense is still awful. The Jackets are 26th in expected goals against, 30th in shots against, 26th in scoring chances against and 22nd in high-danger chances allowed at five-on-five. Svechnikov and the top line will likely see the Jackets top line, which is a plus matchup, especially with defenseless Patrik Laine on the ice.
Columbus made the Vegas bookmakers pay out some tall cash last night as they doubled up the Panthers 6-3. Jonas Johansson was the reason because three or four of the goals were routine saves that should have been made. The Panthers controlled possession after the first period and ended with 58%-42% Corsi lean. Florida also outshot them 28-23 and led 26-18 in scoring chances. Columbus is now 7-1 in the month of February, but Carolina is one of the best possession teams in the league. They are going to take advantage of the back-to-back situation in their own building.
Victor Arvidsson (LAK at ANA): DraftKings – $6,300 | FanDuel – $6,600
Arvidsson has been easily paying his price tag off on a nightly basis. He is averaging the shot on goal bonus over the last 10 and over 17 DraftKings points during that time. In a pretty good sample together, with Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore the trio has godly numbers: 4.13 expected goals, 62% Corsi, 45 shots per 60 and 18 high-danger chances. Those numbers are Nintendo cheat code numbers for a line, and with a sample of 235 minutes, it is not a fluke. They have a great thing going with extremely good chemistry and are in a good matchup tonight. Anaheim has a bright future with guys like Trevor Zegras, but they are still in the middle of a rebuild, and that means there are still plenty of inconsistencies. Over the last 10 games the Ducks have been a bottom-10 team in all the advanced metrics. Their penalty kill has also struggled; the Ducks rank last in expected goals against, 31st in goals against, and dead last in shots against on the penalty kill over the last 10. It is a very good power-play matchup for the Kings tonight.
Latest NHL DFS Content
Defensemen
Alex Pietrangelo (VGK at ARI): DraftKings – $6,100 | FanDuel – $6,200
Pietrangelo logs a ton of ice time for the Golden Knights, and he is one of the most consistent fantasy producers. He is averaging 5.5 shots/blocks per game and 11 DraftKings points over the last 10 while only tallying 2 points. Over the last month Arizona is giving up the second-most fantasy points to opposing defensemen. Arizona is also the worst team in the league in allowing shots and scoring chances. For a Vegas top-line stack, going to Shea Theodore is the more preferred play because of the power play-exposure, but Pietrangelo is the more consistent option.
Dougie Hamilton (NJ vs. PIT): DraftKings – $5,000 | FanDuel – $7,000
Hamilton did not have any issues with his return last night, as he rifled off five shots on goal en route to a 12-point fantasy night. He did not manage to get in on any of the scoring, but that will certainly come. Until his salary comes back towards the $7,000 range, he is a good play. He gets involved in every situation and quarterbacks the top power play. All offense gets funneled through him on the extra man advantage. The Blackhawks have the fifth-worst penalty kill over the last month and a half, and if they give New Jersey opportunities, Hamilton and the young snipers will make them pay.
Vladislav Gavrikov (CBJ at CAR): DraftKings – $2,900 | FanDuel – $4,300
Playing a punt defenseman like Gavrikov or even Andrew Peeke ($3,000/$4,200) can help get to the higher-priced lines. With Zach Werenski and Jake Bean sidelined, Gavrikov and Peeke are getting called to play major roles in the Jackets defense. Both are playing almost 24 minutes a night, while Gavrikov sees second-unit power-play time. Over the last five games, Gavrikov is averaging about four shots/blocks per game and Peeke is averaging six. Peeke is more of a shot blocker, which is good for a matchup against a team like the Hurricanes, who will likely be deploying a firing squad tonight. For power-play exposure, Gavrikov gets second-unit time, but look at the ownership and take the least owned.
Top NHL DFS Stacks Today
CAR 1: Teuvo Teravainen – Sebastian Aho – Andrei Svechnikov
STL 2: Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Vladimir Tarasenko
LA 2: Viktor Arvidsson – Phillip Danault – Trevor Moore
VGK 1: Max Pacioretty – Jack Eichel – Chandler Stephenson
COL 1: Andre Burakovsky – Mikko Rantanen – Gabriel Landeskog
*Additional Data from Natural Stat Trick
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