NHL DFS Picks & Stacks for DraftKings & FanDuel Lineups | Washington Capitals & Adam Fox 2/15/22

Tonight there are some teams returning to NHL action that have been off for nearly two weeks, like New York and Los Angeles. That is just a function of the make-up schedule, but it also makes for interesting matchups and NHL DFS picks for this evening. Be sure to utilize our NHL Player Rankings, which are free on the site today. Let’s go position by position and find some of the best DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy hockey picks for our NHL lineups today, Tuesday, Feb. 15.

NHL DFS Picks, Top Stacks & Lineup Optimizer Plays Today

Center

Steven Stamkos (TBL at NJD): DraftKings – $6,900 FanDuel – $8,300

The New Jersey Devils are hosting Tampa Bay tonight and that means that the top lines from each team are set to face off against each other in matchups. That will leave Steven Stamkos out against the Jack Hughes line from New Jersey. There is one thing to know about the Hughes line and it is that Jesper Bratt is injured for this game. When Hughes has been on the ice this year without Bratt, who has had an excellent season, the team goes from nearly 60% expected goal share to below 48%. It is just a cataclysmic drop-off without the team’s top winger skating with Hughes, which is why this is an interesting matchup.

Stamkos and the second line are not great defensively, so they will give up their chances. They also generate more expected goals and scoring chances than they give up, and are well above average by expected goals generated. This is not a strong defensive Devils team and they have had injury issues in the net that persist.

Being expensive and on the road, Stamkos is a pass in cash games. For tournaments, though, his line is in a fine matchup and the power play gets a boost with Nikita Kucherov healthy. Stamkos is worth consideration tonight.

Unfortunately, Stamkos is listed as a winger on FanDuel for some reason. For a reasonably priced center on FanDuel, Anze Kopitar from Los Angeles is not expensive and his team is in a good spot tonight.

Looking for some more help when building your NHL lineups? Check out all of our free NHL DFS picks in our daily Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheets for DraftKings and FanDuel. 

J-G Pageau (NYI at BUF): DraftKings – $2,600 FanDuel – $4,000

It has been a down season for J-G Pageau, with a three-year low in goals and assists per game. Much of the same could be said about many Islanders forwards, though, and there is reason to believe there are better games ahead, particularly tonight. Since the holiday break and COVID issues, his line is generating 2.9 expected goals per 60 minutes and scoring 2.8. They are controlling the expected goals and scoring chances when they are on the ice, which is very good news for a third line facing the Buffalo Sabres. This team’s depth struggles defensively, and that is where Pageau and linemates can take advantage.

Pageau is also getting top power-play minutes with the Islanders and Buffalo is among the most penalized teams in the league since the holidays. They are also giving up among the most goals per minute while short-handed in the league since the holidays.

Of course, a lot of this is about price. Pageau’s under-performance has depressed the cost and that is what makes him particularly appealing. His line is good and the opponent is not. That is worth consideration in all tournament formats. Just beware there are conflicting reports about his PP usage, but he was on the power play in their games on the weekend. Updates will be provided in our Discord.

Winger

Jake Guentzel (PIT vs. PHI): DraftKings – $7,100 FanDuel – $9,400

Jake Guentzel has had himself quite the season with 24 goals and 50 points in 43 games on the season. His line is scoring nearly four goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 over their last 200 minutes on the ice while controlling 57% of the scoring chances. This is an excellent winger skating on one of the top lines in the league, and they are at home to a very hobbled Philadelphia roster.

What separates Guentzel from his teammate Bryan Rust of late is shot quality. Guentzel is generating 11.7 scoring chances per 60 minutes for himself while Rust is at 7.9. They have similar shot-on-goal rates, but Guentzel is generating more expected goals and scoring chances. Of course, the entire line is fine to use here in tournaments tonight, this is just to illustrate the difference between the two wingers.

Guentzel will get a Flyers team that has been, at best, mid-pack defensively over their last 20% of the season, and that is not nearly good enough to contain Guentzel and this elite Penguins line. He is in consideration in all formats tonight, whether by himself or in a line stack. Just beware there may be some high ownership here due to all the reasons mentioned.

The NHL lineups optimizer was pumping up Guentzel in the projections, which has him looking like one of the best plays on the fantasy hockey slate today. Awesemo’s free NHL picks for tonight can all be found in the DraftKings Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet and FanDuel Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet for Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Matthew Tkachuk (CGY vs. CBJ): DraftKings – $6,000 FanDuel – $8,100

It is tough what to make of Matthew Tkachuk and his DraftKings price. He is not playing huge minutes, around 18 a night of late, but that is not far off from what his season’s mark is. He has also been incredibly productive with 15 points in 10 games and six in his last five. The shot rate is not high at 2.6 per game in those 10 contests, but this line is controlling over 60% of the expected goals and scoring chances over their last 200 minutes together. Their 3.7 expected goals per 60 minutes is elite. He is just a great player on a great line and that price seems odd considering the opponent.

Facing Columbus is also a big part of the appeal here, and that is what makes him playable on any site. The only team worse defensively than Columbus since the holiday break is Montreal, and that team could be historically bad. Tkachuk and his linemates are going to find themselves in good matchups tonight at all strengths.

Given that his linemates skate with him at all strengths, it is tough to just use him by himself in tournaments. The price is right on DraftKings and he is one of the better fantasy hockey value picks at winger on DraftKings priced over $5,000.

Connor Brown (OTT vs. STL): DraftKings – $3,400 FanDuel – $5,300

Part of the appeal for Connor Brown tonight is just the sheer volume of minutes he plays. He plays the shutdown role at home and he plays both the power play/penalty kill. He is skating north of 20 minutes a night on the season and is over 22 minutes a game spanning five February games. The team has some injuries that have forced the top of the lineup to take on some more duties, and that hopefully means a continued TOI increase for Brown.

The top line for St. Louis has been struggling defensively this year. With Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly on the ice, the Blues are controlling just 44% of the expected goals and are allowing 3.4 goals per 60 minutes. This has been the case for many of the top-line combinations, as O’Reilly has struggled at times this year. That could mean a decent matchup for Brown, and a lot of minutes to boot.

Brown is not much of a shooter, even with all those minutes, so it can be tough to use him in cash games even at his price. With that said, he and his line warrant tournament consideration in tournaments because of a cheap price, lots of ice time and what could be a better matchup than it initially appears.


Latest NHL DFS Content


Defensemen

Adam Fox (NYR vs. BOS): DraftKings – $5,700 FanDuel – $7,000

Both the Rangers and Adam Fox are returning from extended absences. He had been injured and has not played since late January, while the Rangers have been off for 14 days due to the All-Star break and the weird make-up schedule. That is partly why his price is not dissimilar from Jacob Trouba’s despite Fox returning to the top power-play unit.

Boston is still enduring the injury to Patrice Bergeron and the suspension to Brad Marchand. That leaves Boston without their top line or their best penalty kill unit. The Rangers’ strength is the power play and Fox is back for this matchup. New York is top-5 in all offensive categories with the man advantage since Christmas. With Fox at a reasonable price against an injured team, he is worth strong consideration in tournaments.

Erik Cernak (TBL at NJD): DraftKings – $2,500 FanDuel – $3,900

This is a play that is specific for DraftKings. Erik Cernak is expected to return tonight from an extended absence and while he is not an elite offensive defenseman, he is priced low in a very good matchup. He should play in the neighborhood of 20 minutes and is good for nearly two shots on goal per game. Anyone needing a low-priced defenseman on DraftKings, look no further. He is also more than cheap enough to use on FanDuel, particularly compared to his teammates on the blue line.

Top NHL DFS Stacks

WSHPP: Backstrom-Ovechkin-Carlson

Quite simply, the Nashville Predators take far too many penalties, leading the league in time short-handed over their last 16 games. They are also in the bottom-10 by expected goals allowed, only being saved by very good goaltending. The Washington power play has struggled this year but it has been better with the return of Nicklas Backstrom and they should get a number of opportunities tonight. Their power play pieces are in consideration for tournaments tonight.

LAK2: Arvidsson-Danault-Moore

Quite simply, this has been one of the best lines in the league this season. They are scoring 3.9 goals per 60 minutes on the year, off the back of 4.3 expected goals generated per 60 minutes. While the Kings have been off for nearly two weeks, the Oilers are playing back-to-back nights and this is their fifth game in eight days. This Kings line has been dynamite all year and the hope is they can take advantage of a tired Oilers team tonight.

*Additional stats from Natural Stat Trick

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!

[NHLPAGE]

Michael has been writing about fantasy hockey for over a decade, and has been playing Daily Fantasy for just as long. He has contributed to both the Chicago Tribune and the Boston Herald, has worked for Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and is now in his fifth season with Stokastic. He lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and can be reached on Twitter @SlimCliffy.

Stokastic +

Premium Data and Tools
PREMIUM TOOLS
Lineup Generator
Stokastic Sims MLB
PREMIUM DATA
Projections
Top Stack %s
MLB Data Central
FREE DATA
SoRare MLB Rankings
DraftKings Night Owl
FANTASY CRUNCHER (ADD-ON)
MLB Lineup Study
COMMUNITY
MLB Discord Server
PREMIUM DATA
Projections
Ownership Projections
PREMIUM TOOLS
Fantasy Cruncher (ADD-ON)
NHL Lineup Study
COMMUNITY
NHL Discord Server
PREMIUM TOOLS
Lineup Generator
Stokastic Sims PGA
PREMIUM DATA
Ownership Projections
Top Golfers Tool
PGA Tournament Models
FANTASY CRUNCHER (ADD-ON)
PGA Lineup Study
COMMUNITY
PGA Discord Server
Ownership Projections
Top Drivers Tool
NASCAR Discord Server
NASCAR Fantasy Cruncher
USFL Projections
USFL Discord Server
Ownership Projections
Top Fighters Tool
MMA Discord Server
MMA Fantasy Cruncher
NFL Betting Tools
Stokastic Discord Server
Best Ball
Best Ball Rankings
Best Ball Stat Projections
Stokastic Discord Server
Season Long Fantasy (Coming Soon)

DFS Winners from the Stokastic Community

Subscribe to the Stokastic newsletter

DFS advice, exciting promos, and the best bets straight to your inbox

Stokastic.com - Daily Fantasy Sports and Sports Betting Data, Tools, & Analytics

Please play responsibly. Only customers 21 and over are permitted to play. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.