Hockey fans have a solid nine-game NHL slate ahead of them tonight, which means lots of options for NHL DFS picks. This will try to narrow it down a bit with selections at each of the positions, as well as some tournament stacks. Subscribers should be sure to check in with our Discord periodically today, as there are sure to be line changes and injury information to come out. Let’s dive into the best NHL picks today for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy hockey lineups.
NHL DFS Picks Today, Top Stacks & Lineup Optimizer Plays
Center
Elias Lindholm (CGY vs. COL): DraftKings – $7,000 | FanDuel – $8,200
Colorado going into Calgary is a battle of what looks like the two best teams in the Western Conference. It is certainly a battle of two of the better offensive teams in the league, as both squads are top-10 by expected goals generated over the last six weeks. Two good teams here, yes, but also two very good offensive rosters. The top line for Colorado is giving up roughly 2.4 expected goals against this month, which is about league average. Not bad by any stretch, but certainly exploitable by Elias Lindholm and this Flames roster.
After some shuffling, the Flames reassembled their usual top line over the weekend. That top line including Lindholm has similar defensive numbers as Colorado, but superb offensive numbers, generating 3.6 expected goals and 5.2 actual goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. The power play has been even better, scoring a whopping 11 goals in just 29 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time this month.
The reality is that Calgary’s top line will not have much ownership here tonight because of the price and matchup, and that is what highlights Lindholm and his linemates. There are better cash game options at center, but the low ownership combined with their huge upside makes Lindholm and his linemates tournament targets.
Brayden Point (TBL vs. CAR): DraftKings – $5,900 | FanDuel – $7,800
On the topic of line changes, Tampa Bay has gone back to the stacked top line that includes Brayden Point alongside Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. In nearly 50 minutes together this year at 5-on-5, they have generated nearly 46 scoring chances per 60 minutes, and scored six goals in that span. They have been dynamic offensively, which is why Point is on this list.
Carolina is in town and they are on a road back-to-back tonight, putting them at a disadvantage. Additionally, the Carolina top six has not been particularly good defensively. The top line is allowing roughly 2.9 expected goals against per 60 minutes, which is a poor number, while the second line is sitting at 3.4. The penalty kill and the goaltending have still been very good, which has saved them from looking bad on many nights, but goaltending cannot save them every night. This is a great offensive line that needs to be shut down.
A big part of seeing Point on this list is his price, particularly on DraftKings. The Lightning have been on a bit of a slide and that has dropped their pricing to very reasonable levels. Point can be used as a one-off center but is best used along with his linemates in large-field tournaments.
Winger
Kirill Kaprizov (MIN vs. PHI): DraftKings – $7,700 | FanDuel – $9,600
It has been a sublime season for Kirill Kaprizov, with 36 goals and 81 points in 63 games so far. His 3.6 shots per game give him a nice floor to work with and he has seen a modest price drop. The reason for that price drop is likely the drop in ice time that he has seen lately. Kaprizov is down to playing 17:30 a night over his last 10 games as the team rests up for the postseason. The mix of upside combined with a price decrease, combined with a TOI decrease makes for an intriguing tournament option tonight.
That drop in TOI would be a problem if this were a more difficult matchup. In 14 games through the month of March, Philadelphia is 29th by expected goals allowed at 5-on-5 and is similarly in the bottom-10 of actual goals allowed. The penalty kill has been similarly bad, coming in 22nd by expected goals against and 27th by actual goals against. There have been injuries and trades, and this just was not a good team to begin with. Were it not for the matchup, Kaprizov’s price would be a deterrent.
As a shooter, Kaprizov is fine as an expensive one-off in tournaments tonight, or as part of a line stack.
Kaprizov looks solid tonight, and some of his teammates are also showing up well in the Awesemo NHL DFS projections. Our NHL optimizer has Joel Eriksson Ek as one of the top NHL DFS picks today. Check out the DraftKings NHL Cheat Sheet and FanDuel NHL Cheat Sheet for more free picks and fantasy hockey advice today.
Anthony Duclair (FLA vs. MTL): DraftKings – $4,200 | FanDuel – $6,000
The Florida Panthers have assembled a five-forward power play in the absence of Aaron Ekblad. That has kept Anthony Duclair on the top power play unit, which is important to note here tonight. Montreal is visiting Florida and the road team has been very poor on the penalty kill basically all season long. For the month of March, they are allowing the second-most expected goals against on the penalty kill and the 10th most actual goals against, in a span of 13 games. They are also among the most penalized teams, which plays into the strengths of this Panthers’ offense.
Duclair’s issue is ice time, as he is skating under 15 minutes a night spanning Florida’s last 10 games. This team is so good offensively he has still managed five goals and 27 shots in those 10 games. His even-strength line is still very good and the power play is similarly excellent. Combine that with the matchup, and Duclair’s ice time is palatable at his price.
Florida is sure to be one of the higher-owned teams on the night — and those ownership rates can be checked in our Top Stacks tool, which is free for everyone to view today — but their power play allows for a wide variety of stacks. Duclair’s price and role have him as a one-off option or as part of a stack with his even strength or power play linemates in tournaments.
Anthony Beauvillier (NYI at CBJ): DraftKings – $3,400 | FanDuel – $4,400
The new-ish top line for the New York Islanders has been excellent since being assembled, at least offensively. They are generating 3.2 expected goals and 37 scoring chances every 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this month, converting for nearly five actual goals per 60. The defensive numbers are not good, as they are break-even by scoring chance differential, but they are trading a lot back and forth, and it is more about their offensive numbers than defensive ones for NHL DFS.
As far as the defensive game of Columbus is concerned, they have been nearly as bad as the aforementioned Flyers, at least at 5-on-5. That is what makes this such a good matchup for Anthony Beauvillier and his top line, as Columbus has a tough time on their own end. The winger does not get a lot of ice time, skating 16:35 a night over his last 10 games, which is why he is priced where he is. He also does not shoot a lot, but again, that is factored into his price.
One concern here is ownership because this is a cheap-ish player on a cheap-ish top line in a very good matchup. But that does not mean they are to be ignored, either. Beauvillier is fine as a one-off because it will not take much to hit value, though he can be used in a line stack for tournaments as well.
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Defense
Jacob Trouba (NYR at PIT): DraftKings – $5,000 | FanDuel – $5,400
There has been a price drop here and that is why Jacob Trouba is on this list. At least on DraftKings, he had been priced closer to $6,000, so the dip down to $5,000 makes him a lot easier to play. He is particularly valuable on DraftKings because of his peripherals. Trouba is averaging over two blocks and over 2.5 shots per game. He has lost a bit of ice time this month but he still has 20 shots and 20 blocks in his last 10 games. With a high-powered team like the Penguins in town, he will have opportunities to rack up those peripherals.
Of course, he can produce as well. He is on pace for a 40-point season and that is with minimal power play exposure. He is not an option in cash games but as a tournament one-off with very low ownership, Trouba deserves consideration.
Alexander Romanov (MTL at FLA): DraftKings – $3,000 | FanDuel – $4,300
An injury to Jeff Petry, plus a couple of deadline trades, has gutted the Montreal defense. As a result, Alexander Romanov has had to play a lot more minutes of late, skating 23:37 over his last five games. He has 12 shots and 16 blocks in those contests, which indicates that there is a peripheral floor to work with here. Those blocks, in particular, are important to note because the Florida Panthers are one of the highest-paced teams in the league, which should give Romanov lots of opportunities to block shots. He is perfectly acceptable as a cheap tournament option tonight.
Over on FanDuel where peripherals are not as valuable, keep an eye on the availability of Zach Werenski from Columbus. He missed practice on Monday and if he is out of the lineup, Adam Boqvist ($4,600) could see some prime offensive minutes.
Goalie
Juuse Saros (NSH vs. OTT): DraftKings – $8,300
Ottawa is going into Nashville, and the home team has not been very good defensively of late, ranking 25th by shot attempts allowed in the month of March. They have been worse than the aforementioned Blue Jackets in this regard. Ottawa has been a mid-pack team by shots generated, conversely, and that is what makes Juuse Saros a target here tonight. He sports a sterling .920 save percentage on the season and is top-10 in the league in high-danger save percentage over the last three years, one indicator of goalie talent. He is expensive, which means he needs to have a very good game to pay off, but he could see a reasonable amount of volume and he is an excellent net-minder.
Top NHL DFS Stacks Today
FLAPP: Barkov-Huberdeau-Duclair
As mentioned in the section on Duclair, the Montreal Canadiens are sporting one of the worst penalty kills in the league. The Florida top power play has generally been elite this year, scoring 13.7 goals per 60 minutes, a number that has been consistent basically all season long. It remains to be seen if they can maintain it without Ekblad, but the matchup tonight is a soft one for these elite offensive stars. Florida’s power play should be near the top of the priority list, even with high ownership tonight.
CBJ1: Voracek-Roslovic-Laine
The Islanders’ top line is not very good defensively and the same can be said for Columbus’s top line, but the addition of Jakub Voracek should help a bit. The Islanders, as a team, are giving up the fifth-most shot attempts per 60 minutes in the month of March, worse than Montreal or this Columbus team. This is a cheap top line in a good matchup – the Islanders will be without goalie Ilya Sorokin, too – and that is why they are on this list. They are a good secondary stack for this slate tonight.
Additional stats from Natural Stat Trick
*Additional stats from Natural Stat Trick
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