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 Thursday, April 20 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.
After a night where we saw the first team(Calgary Flames) eliminated, the playoffs continue on Thursday with two more teams looking to close out their series. The Penguins return home with a 3-1 series lead vs. the Blue Jackets and the Predators will look to pull out the brooms vs. the Blackhawks in the Music City.
There are four games altogether on tonight's slate which could be one of the last four-game slates of the playoffs. Let's dive in and take a look at a few top plays.
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NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Thursday, April 20
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.
Ryan Johansen (C, NSH)
DraftKings - $5,800, FanDuel - $6,400
He won't break the bank on either site tonight and has been the top point getter for the Preds so far in the playoffs. Through three games, he has tallied a goal and four assists while averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game. He definitely doesn't have a high floor with just two shots on goal but skates on an elite line with Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson.
Jake Guentzel (W, PIT)
DraftKings - $6,400, FanDuel - $6,800
Guentzel is another tremendous pivot off the high priced players tonight. After being held off the scoresheet in game one, he has exploded for four goals and has added an assist. Unlike Johansen, Guentzel provides a very high floor as he has also recorded 15 shots in the series and has blocked at least one shot in every game.
Nick Holden (D, NYR)
DraftKings - $3,200, FanDuel - $3,500
From a PTS/$ perspective, Holden is the top defenseman tonight and it's not really close. He was a healthy scratch in game three but in the three games, he has played he is averaging 9.6 FanDuel and 2.8 DraftKings points per game. He isn't doing it with flash, either, as he has only recorded one point but has eight shots and five blocks.
Stacking Option
Nashville Predators - Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg
Even after their opening two wins in Chicago the Predators only had one player(Johansen) inside the Top 20 in ownership in game three on home ice. take advantage as the Preds look to end the series in a sweep tonight and shock the hockey world. Johansen and Forsberg have combined for nine points and while Arvidsson has only picked up two points, he has a ton of upside.
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Premium NHL DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet
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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.