RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Saturday, February 18 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

Another split slate Saturday with three games in the afternoon and eight on the main slate, in which we will turn our attention to for this article. The Florida Panthers are the only team tonight who is playing on a back to back and they are also playing a third game in four nights. The Arizona Coyotes are the first team playing their fourth game of the week.

Let's dive in and take a look at a few top value plays.

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NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Saturday, February 18

For those that are new to this, each day we'll be providing you with a few of our top DFS lineup picks for daily league cash games on FanDuel and DraftKings. We will also provide you with one of our favorite teams to stack for GPPs. You can grab the rest of our Premium DFS lineup picks and stacks through the NHL Cheat Sheet and DFS Premium Pass below.

 

Vincent Trocheck (C, FLA)

DraftKings - $6,100, FanDuel - $6,200

After coming out of the All-Star break a bit sluggish, Trocheck has caught fire once again. He has tallied a point in four straight games for the Panthers, recording four shots in three of games. He skates on the second line and also gets right around three minutes of powerplay ice time per game. With the Panthers playing back to back and a third game in four nights, he should be used in tournament formats only.

 

Kyle Palmieri (W, NJ)

DraftKings - $4,700, FanDuel - $5,700

Palmieri is a bit better bargain on DraftKings tonight, costing under 10% of your salary cap. For most of the season, he has been a GPP only play with below average shot volume but can be considered in all formats tonight on home ice. He has been hot lately with five goals in his last 10 games including two points on powerplay and a short-handed goal. The best part is the uptick in shot volume as he has tallied 30 shots in those 10 games.

 

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (D, SJ)

DraftKings - $4,100, FanDuel - $4,600

The Sharks are in a great spot tonight against the Coyotes who are the only team lower in the standings than the Avalanche. While Brent Burns makes an excellent high-end GPP play, it is just too hard to fit him in a cash lineup and feel comfortable about it. Pivot to Vlasic in cash games who skates on the second pairing and also gets over two powerplay minutes per game. He has recorded a point in two straight games and has provided a consistent floor(for the price) with 18 shots and 18 blocks the last 10 games.

 

Stacking Option

Tampa Bay Lightning - Brayden Point, Jonathan Drouin, Alex Killorn

The Lightning have not been the same offensive force without the services of Steven Stamkos but will get a nice boost tonight and make a great stacking option in tournaments. The matchup vs. the Stars 29th ranked defense will draw a lot of eyes tonight so pivot to the second line who will much lower owned and also proved some multi-point upside. The three of them also split up on the powerplay so you get exposure to Kucherov as well.

 

NHL & DFS Premium Subscription

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Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool

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Premium NHL DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet

Want to know what the Premium NHL DFS Cheat Sheets looks like? Below is a sample. We go above and beyond standard daily fantasy hockey analysis.

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Bonus: General NHL DFS Strategy Notes

For cash games, look at players who can contribute to your score even when they are not providing offense. Some examples are guys who take a ton of shots and defensemen who block a lot of shots. Also, look for guys who get power play time. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury, or just get a promotion and more ice time. It is also recommended to spread out your exposure to three or four different lines, and not put all your eggs in one basket.

For large field tournaments (GPPs), find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. If you want to stack the most upside in your forwards, a common strategy is to punt the defense position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone - try and look for a defenseman who will get power play time, or a playing time boost due to an injury. For a contrarian approach, paying up at the defense position can be a great strategy - but it also comes with more risk. GPPs bring a great opportunity for goaltenders in the value price range - you can look for backups on good teams.