April 22, 2016

Barry Leonard's DFS advice for 4/22/16. Daily Fantasy Hockey Lineup Picks and sleepers for FanDuel & DraftKings NHL cash games and GPPs.

Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for April 22nd of the 2015/2016 NHL season. Each day we'll be providing you with a handful of forward, defensemen, and goaltender picks for DraftKings and FanDuel GPP and cash games.

Round 1 is underway, and Friday presents three opportunities for teams to clinch and move on to the next round. Washington leads Philadelphia 3-1, Dallas is up 3-1 on Minnesota and San Jose leads Los Angeles three games to one.

With three teams looking to clinch, Washington and Dallas at home, it should make for an interesting night.

I'm high on the Capitals tonight, as they always seem to perform well in front of the red-clad fans at Verizon Center.

Check out my DFS picks for Friday below.

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NHL DFS Picks for Friday, April 22nd

A couple strategy notes. For cash game construction look for players who can contribute to your score when they are not providing offense. Examples are guys who take a ton of shots, defensemen who block a lot of shots(DraftKings). Also, look for guys who get powerplay time and especially Top 6 forwards. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury or just get a promotion and more ice time.

For large field tournaments (GPP's) you want to find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. To stack the most upside in your forwards, a common strategy is to punt the defenseman position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone. Try and look for a D-man who will be playing more PP time or might get a boost in overall playing time due to an injury.

Let's take a look at some solid plays for today's action.

Braden Holtby- Goaltender, Capitals (DraftKings - $8,700  FanDuel - $10,200)

Holtby is the most expensive goalie in DFS hockey, but he's well worth the price tag. He was the best goalie in the NHL during the regular season and has continued his stellar play in the playoffs. Although he's coming off a Game 4 loss in Philly, he still makes an excellent play tonight. He's won three games and allowed just four goals in four starts this postseason. It'll cost you, but don't go cheap on a goalie tonight. There's a great chance Washington closes things out at home tonight and Holtby will be a big reason for that.

Brock Nelson - Center, Islanders (DraftKings - $4,100  FanDuel - $4,400)

Since you will want to find value tonight, Nelson should definitely be on your DFS radar. He's picked up an assist in back-to-back games and has three points in the four games against Florida thus far. He has also blocked six shots, which will help his numbers on DraftKings. Nelson likely won't be highly owned, but he's worth taking a chance on.

Charlie Coyle - Center, Wild  (DraftKings - $4,700 FanDuel - $3,900)

If you are looking to deploy some of the big guns tonight you are going to have to find some hidden value. Minnesota center Charlie Coyle presents the perfect opportunity. He'll likely carry a low ownership number and already has a very affordable price. He was very successful during the regular season, putting up a career-high 42 points. Coyle picked up a goal in Wednesday's game against Dallas and had an assist in the game prior to that. He makes for a very sneaky play this evening and could even provide a bonus on FanDuel with four penalty minutes thus far.

Patrick Eaves - Winger, Stars (DraftKings - $4,00 FanDuel - $4,200)

The veteran winger started the series with the Wild hot, scoring a goal and picking up an assist in the first game. However, he struggled in the middle two games, but picked up a goal Wednesday. He's taken five shots in two of the four games, making him a good DFS play with limited choices tonight. There's a good chance his ownership number will be decent, that, paired with a great price, makes him a sleeper candidate for tonight.

T.J. Oshie - Winger, Capitals (DraftKings - $5,500 FanDuel - $6,200)

Oshie picked up his first goal of the playoffs in Game 4 and continued his hot streak. He entered the contest with three points in his prior three games and now brings a three-game point streak into tonight. The Capitals have talent all over the ice, several wingers typically make for strong plays in DFS. Oshie tended to get overlooked with the Capitals this season, but I'm sticking with him tonight.

Jamie Benn- Winger, Stars (DraftKings - $8,300 FanDuel - $8,700)

Choosing Benn will obviously give you a big hit to your salary cap, but his production through four playoff games this year is undeniable. Starting with his one-goal, two-assist performance in Game 1, he's recorded points in every game thus far. He scored a goal in Game 2 and dished out helpers in Games 3 and 4. Benn set a new career high with 89 points during the regular season and has continued his stellar play in the postseason. He's a solid play on either DFS site, particularly on FanDuel with his positive plus/minus.

Joe Pavelski  - Winger, Sharks (DraftKings - $7,900 FanDuel - $8,100)

If you don't want to pay the big bucks for the likes of Alexander Ovechkin or Jamie Benn tonight, but are still looking for a top winger, then feel free to take Joe Pavelski. He's been just about as hot as anyone, racking up four goals and an assist thus far in the playoffs. The 31-year-old has feasted on the Kings this season, putting up 10 points in five regular season games against them. He'll shoot the puck at a good clip, and three of his goals this postseason have come on the man advantage. You can't go wrong with Pavelski on either DraftKings or FanDuel.

Brent Burns - Defenseman, Sharks  (DraftKings - $8,700 FanDuel - $7,700)

Burns has carried a price tag higher than most forwards for most of the season, and nothing has changed in the postseason. He's capable of putting up numbers that rival some top offensive players. He's been red-hot during the playoffs, racking up two goals, three assists and 18 shots. It is tough spending so much cap space on a blueliner, but taking Burns typically pays off.

Nick Leddy - Defenseman, Islanders   (DraftKings - $4,600 FanDuel - $4,200)

As explained above, you'll want to take a couple of the high priced guys tonight. In order to do that you'll have to go cheap at some other positions. Leddy is a good choice for that. Although he's been held points the last two games, he picked up an assists in each of the first two games against Florida.  He gets good ice time and should have some opportunities to find the score sheet.

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