NHL DFS Lineups: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks (1/20/25)

Jon Irvin's NHL DFS picks for today's contests on FanDuel and DraftKings. Use Jon's picks to win money playing NHL DFS on 1/20/25.

Hey, RotoBallers! I want to introduce myself formally. My name is Jon Irvin. Some of you may know me from the Discord channels, and you know I love breaking down DFS slates, especially in MLB and NHL. I enjoy deep dumpster diving, so to speak, and look forward to helping find the low-owned, overlooked, and unwanted plays.

I predominantly play on DraftKings, so some of my picks are more tailored to their point/price system, but a good spot is a good spot regardless of platform. 

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Today's DFS content will be for the main slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel for Monday, January 20, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Today, we have a split slate for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so I will concentrate on the five-game slate starting at 7:30 p.m. EST.

DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS Picks: First Look Stats

After reading this, jump into the RotoBaller Discord NHL channel and chat about today's slate with all the other great minds. Don’t forget to check out our valuable NHL tools, including the NHL DFS Heat Map. I've begun to implement my personal trend chart. This looks at the average between the L25 and L10, weighing the L10 heavier to help find certain positive or negative trends. 

DraftKings and FanDuel Goalies - NHL DFS Picks

Value in net is key on DK with a three-point bonus at the 35-save mark. We can afford to give up an extra goal or two if our goalie can see a steady shot volume against him. Those extra few hundred can get us those top-line forwards.

Andrei Vasilevskiy - DK $7.5K || FD $7.7K

Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs

Tough call here tonight with a shaky Vasilevskiy, who seems to have turned his season around as of late. Tampa continues to give up a fair share of shots but limits both scoring and high-danger chances. Even though Toronto is a menacing offense, metrics show that some luck has been on its side during high-scoring affairs with low-scoring and high-danger chances as of late.

We're getting him at a nice discount for the quality of goalie he can be.

Others to consider: Alex Nedeljkovic (DK $7.1K || FD $7.4K)

DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NHL DFS Picks

Jordan Staal - DK $3.5K || FD $4.8K 

Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks

Through a half-season of line shuffling, few spots have been untouched for Carolina, but Jordan Staal centering the third line has been one spot we can count on. With Chicago having to concentrate more on stopping the Aho line, Staal, along with linemates Jordan Martinook and Seth Jarvis, should find themselves feasting on the Blackhawks' bottom six.

Unfortunately, Staal doesn't find time on either PP unit but mans the top PK unit.

Others to consider:  Adam Lowry (DK $3.1K || FD $5.4K )

DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks

Gabriel Vilardi - DK $5.1K || FD $6.9K 

Opponent - Utah Hockey Club

This isn't so much a value spot, more so the cheapest option on a powerhouse line that's fully correlated on the top PP unit. Vilardi continues to be a great value price nightly, as metrics show a slight drop in xGF, but even so, the numbers are still great.

Utah has been a decent five vs. five team defensively but finds itself short-handed the second most in the league with over 5:18 TOI nightly, which makes Vilardi an even better play.

Others to consider: Nick Paul (DK $4.1K || FD $5.9K)

DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks

When selecting defensemen, especially on DK, I tend to find players with a high chance at both blocks and shots and not concentrate so much on point dependency.

John Marino- DK $2.6K || FD $3.5K

Opponent - Winnipeg Jets

One of the biggest keys with value defenders is TOI, obviously the more the better. Another important factor is exposure to either power play and/or penalty kill units. Tonight's bargain bin blueliner checks all the boxes. Newly activated John Marino could carve himself a nice role tonight if Mikhail Sergachev ends up sitting, which is expected.

Marino logged 24 minutes of TOI last game and finds himself on the second PP unit and the top PK unit. Not known to be a high scorer, we're looking for an accumulation of shots and blocks with the hopes of an assist.

Others to consider: Adam Pelech (DK $3.2K || FD $4.4K)

My top-25 defensemen chart focuses more on shot and block peripherals to find a safer floor over the last month.

JIrv’s Discount Stacks and Sample Lineups

Top Stacks / Spend Ups

WPG 1 (Connor/Scheifele/Vilardi)

TBL 1 (Guentzel/Point/Kucherov)

Value Stacks

CAR 3 (Martinook/Staal/Jarvis)

WPG 2 (Ehlers/Lowry/Iafallo)

Don't be afraid to go off the beaten path and distinguish yourself from the masses, and as always, good luck, RotoBallers!

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