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Brandon Wampler's top DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS value plays and research for December 17th, 2022 including DFS analysis for goalies, power plays and stacks.
Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Brandon and I write both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for Tennis and Soccer respectively. If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season which means it's time to sharpen our MLB skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel Saturday, 17th, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. Be sure to also check out our awesome NHL tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, Projections, and DFS Cheat Sheets!
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 12/17/22
The wild outcomes continue to flood each slate leading up to the holiday roster freeze. As we approach Christmas, teams will be upset and many will use their current success and failure as a measuring point for their next steps after the freeze is over. This includes roster moves up to the hour prior to puck drop if the player is close enough and it requires Daily Fantasy Players to be more mindful of last-minute news. Tonight we will be back with a large slate after last night’s three-game tease. There will be a few teams playing on a back-to-back: Arizona and Islanders. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Tampa Bay with 4.1, Buffalo 3.8 and New Jersey with 3.6 goals. I will do my best in guiding you through this ten-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk
NHL DFS Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy- DK $8.5K || FD $7.8K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
Vasilevskiy is the next ‘Puck Drop’ candidate for a potential high-ceiling game tonight. The Canadiens are coming off a 5-2 loss to Lukas Dostal and the Ducks. Dostal is statistically the worst goalie to play a game in the NHL this season, averaging 3+ goals conceded per game and the Canadiens struggled to score. Furthermore, they played poorly against one of the worst defensive lines in the league, Anaheim’s second-line. Vasilevskiy is coming off a solid outing where he won 6-2 versus Seattle and he has also won 4 of his last 5 appearances. This is a perfect matchup for Vasilevskiy to continue his resurgence in form against the cold Canadiens.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Shesterkin (DK $8.2K || FD $7.9K), Hellebuyck (DK $7.6K || FD $8.4K)
Centers
Tage Thompson-DK $8.6K || FD $10.3K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
Thompson is on pace for career records in about every statistical category possible. The center was reported to be on pace for 66 goals this season and he has another chance to move closer to that tally tonight against the Coyotes. Arizona is progressing as mentioned a week or two ago, but they are still struggling against high-powered offenses. Over Thompson’s last five games, he has 8 goals, 4 assists and 25 shots, averaging a shot bonus on DraftKings. For Thompson’s salary you will need him to hit the shot bonus and at least one point. This should be an easy meeting against the Coyotes who are in the bottom six in Shots Against Per 60, Scoring Chances Against Per 60 and Goals Against Per 60.
Jack Hughes- DK $8K || FD $9.7K
Opponent - Florida Panthers
Bobrovsky is the expected starter for the Panthers tonight at the time of writing and if his play against the Penguins is any indication, the Devils should have a field day against him. Bobrovsky struggled to locate the puck the majority of the game, but got lucky enough to keep the game close. The Devils are just as high-powered as the Penguins are, if not more. In Hughes’ last five games, he has 3 goals, 3 assists and 20 shots. Similar to Thompson, Hughes will need to pocket a few points and a shot bonus in order to maintain any sort of value. The Panthers are struggling to mitigate shots and scoring chances in the last few games, providing ample opportunity tonight for Hughes and the Devils to run up the score.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Scheifele (DK $6.4K || FD $7.6K), Cirelli (DK $5.2K || FD $7.1K)
NHL DFS Wings
Blake Wheeler- DK $5.4K || FD $6.3K
Opponent - Vancouver Canucks
There are not many quality options at the wing tonight in the middle salary tier. Wheeler though will suit the need, seeing time on the top-line and the top power-play unit for the Jets in a prime meeting against the Canucks. Over Wheeler’s last five games, he has 2 goals, 2 assists and 17 shots. Canucks netminder Spencer Martin is the expected second-worst goalie on the slate and it doesn’t help that the Canucks cannot play defense right now. Over the last 10 games, the Canucks are in the bottom five in both Scoring Chances Against Per 60 – 31.3 – and Goals Against Per 60 – 3.2 – and they are in the bottom 10 in Shots Against Per 60 – 31.17 –. There are not many options that are in better spots than this.
Casey Mittlestadt- DK $3.6K || FD $4.5K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
In order to fit the powerhouses of the slate, you need to punt at a position or two and Mittlestadt is the perfect candidate to do so. The then center and now wing has replaced teammate Jeff Skinner for the time being on the top line for the Sabres. In two appearances there, he has 1 assist and 3 shots. It is not the ideal output we would desire, but it is better than what he was providing as the third-line center – 16 points over 28 games –.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Zetterlund (DK $3.6K || FD $4.3K), Colton (DK $2.8K || FD $4.5K)
Defense
Kale Clague- DK $2.5K || FD $3.8K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
It is uncertain right now, but it looks as if Clague may be sliding into Owen Power’s spot on the second power-play unit for the Sabres tonight. Power got hurt during pregame warmups in the win over the Avalanche on Thursday and it remains to be known if he will suit up here. If not Clague will garner massive amounts of ownership, especially in the higher-stakes contests. The defenseman has gone through quite the NHL journey thus far, bouncing from team to team and in his first big role with the Sabres he posted 1 assist, 2 shots and 2 blocked shots. For the bottom of the bin salary, this is an extreme bargain play and something many will be after to pay up for the big guns.
Dmitry Orlov- DK $3.7K || FD $5.1K
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
Merry Christmas to the Capitals! Orlov has been an immense help for the Capitals in all facets of the game since his return from injury, amassing 1 goal, 2 assists, 13 shots and 4 blocked shots in 3 games. The meeting with the Maple Leafs will be intense and fast-paced, providing a plethora of opportunities for Orlov to reach value.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Hedman (DK $6K || FD $6.3K), Perbix (DK $3.8K || FD $4K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- BUF1
- TB1
- NJ1
- WPG1
- COL1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- WPG: Wheeler-Scheifele-Connor
Chalk Stack
- BUF: Mittelstadt-Thompson-Tuch
Sneaky Stack
- COL: Lehkonen-Compher-Nichushkin
