With the NBA All-Star break starting, NHL DFS will become a focal point for many gamers. The contests will get a little more enticing with larger prize pools, as more people look to try out a new DFS sport. There are only four games on tonight’s slate, which means ownership could get saturated, and building unique lineups becomes more important. Covid protocol has been making a strong onset through the NHL in the past week or so. Keeping an eye on news is imperative to succeeding at NHL DFS. Following my twitter beat writer lists is a huge advantage for getting last-minute news and scratches. This Power Play 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 us go position by position and pinpoint some of the top plays and stacks for Friday, Feb. 18.
NHL DFS Picks, Top Stacks & Lineup Optimizer Plays
Center
Roope Hintz (DAL @ CHI): DraftKings – $7,000 | FanDuel – $7,400
The Stars’ top line has been one of the best lines in the league. They will look to take advantage of the Blackhawks, who are playing on the hind end of a back to back. Hintz is a very good playmaker that is not afraid to shoot the puck when the opportunity presents itself. The young pivot has consistently increased his point production in every year so far. He is two points away from his last year points total, and has a good opportunity to surpass it tonight. The Blackhawks have been a team to pick on all year as they struggle to play through a rebuild. The Hawks are giving up 3.38 goals per game and allowing over 32 shots against, which both rank in the bottom ten of the league. Chicago also sports the league’s fifth-worst penalty kill, with a 74% kill rate. Hintz and the Stars’ top line fully correlate on the top power play unit and should get a plethora of opportunities to find the back of the net tonight. The only question is what will the ownership look like? If you are looking to go a contrarian route, the Stars’ second line with Tyler Seguin could be something to look at, or even as a one-off.
Roope Hintz is one of the top centers showing up in the Awesemo NHL lineup optimizer and fantasy hockey projections today. For all of our free NHL DFS picks tonight, check out the DraftKings fantasy hockey cheat sheet and FanDuel fantasy hockey cheat sheet.
Winger
Kirill Kaprisov (MIN vs FLA): DraftKings – $8,000 | FanDuel – $8,400
This game figures to have a good amount of scoring and getting exposure to Kaprisov is always a good thing. He has 14 points in the last ten games while averaging four shots on goal. Both teams have been very good possession-wise and there will be plenty of pace in this game. The Panthers have struggled over the last month in terms of metrics. They rank 25th in expected goals against per 60, 19th in shots against and 24th in high danger chances allowed. Kaprisov can create his own scoring chances and he will definitely find a few tonight.
Andrei Svechnikov (CAR vs NSH): DraftKings – $6,200 | FanDuel – $7,900
Svechnikov moving to the top line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen is a pretty large bump at home. Carolina is looking to go with more of a one-line powerhouse with last change, and they will look to take advantage of plus matchups. Svechnikov is an elite sniper that can light the lamp at any time. He has tallied 12 points over the last ten games while averaging four shots on goal. Nashville has been very good at limiting shots and scoring chances, but Svechnikov and his mates are considered matchup-proof tonight. Going back to last year, the trio creates 3.34 expected goals per 60, with a 54.4 Corsi%. They are creating 34 shots per 60 and almost 16 high danger chances at even strength. All three will fully correlate on the top power play unit, which is a weak spot for the Predators. Both Carolina and Nashville are spending the most time short-handed per game in the league.
Patrick Hornqvist (FLA @ MIN): DraftKings – $2,600 | FanDuel – $5,000
Hornqvist’s price continues to be pretty egregious on DraftKings. The veteran has averaged double-digit points over the last ten games and is playing on an elite second line alongside Sam Bennett and Jonathan Huberdeau. Hornqvist is averaging 3.5 shots on goal per game despite only playing about 14 minutes a night. Getting exposure to the Panthers’ second line is a good idea tonight, as they will likely get the better matchup compared to the top line. The Aleksander Barkov line will likely square off with the Joel Eriksson Ek line, leaving the less defensively stout lines for the Panthers’ second line.
Latest NHL DFS Content
Defensemen
Alex Pietrangelo (VGK vs LAK): DraftKings – $6,100 | FanDuel – $6,100
Roman Josi is Awesemo’s top projected defenseman tonight, but Pietrangelo is a very close second. Saving the $1,500 on DraftKings can also help you save salary to play your favorite stacks. Pietrangelo logs a ton of ice time and is one of the most consistent blueliners in the game. He is averaging over 24 minutes of ice time nightly, with a solid 5.5 shots/blocks average as well. The veteran also quarterbacks the top power play unit, with offense funneling through him. The Kings have been a solid possession team this year but their penalty kill metrics have fallen off over the last month. They are not taking a ton of penalties, but they do rank 30th in expected goals against and 28th in goals against on the penalty kill. If there is scoring from the special teams, you can be sure that Pietrangelo will be involved.
Calvin de Haan (CHI vs DAL): DraftKings – $3,900 | FanDuel – $4,500
De Haan is a solid value punt even on the hind end of a back-to-back. He is playing 20 minutes a night, a mortal lock for the block bonus. With the Hawks playing their second game in two nights, you can figure the Stars to take a couple more shots than usual, which means de Haan gets more block opportunity. He is an old-fashioned stay-at-home type of defenseman, which typically means that offensive will always come last. He will shoot the puck when the opportunity presents itself, but his main focus is blocking shots and limiting chances, something he does very well. At $3,900 he does not need to do much to pay his price tag off. Connor Murphy ($3,400) is also another decent value blueliner that will block shots and get pucks to the net, but the block bonus of De Haan is favored.
Top NHL DFS Stack
DAL 1: Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
The Dallas top line is Awesemo’s top leverage stack tonight. They are an expensive stack, so that will limit some of their ownership. Together the trio carries 2.98 expected goals per 60 with a 56% Corsi while creating over 35 shots for and 16 high danger chances. They have been one of the best lines in hockey and they have a very large sample size. All three fully correlate on the top power play as well. The Blackhawks started the year out with a great penalty kill, but with all the drama surrounding them and coaching changes, they have fallen off a cliff. The Hawks now have the league’s fifth-worst penalty kill and have given up the third-most goals against over the last month. Look for the Stars’ top line to take advantage of the Blackhawks on the hind end of a back-to-back.
*Additional Data from Natural Stat Trick
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