DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks (3/19/24): Today's Top NHL DFS Lineups

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 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 for Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. 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], via Twitter/X @df_solutions, or in our premium Slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!

NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 3/19/24

Hopefully, everyone had a safe and festive St. Patrick’s Day and that we have all recovered by now. The 2023-2024 season is now in the final stretch as teams battle for home-ice heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs!!! With multiple big trades this season and teams going all-in, the race for Lord Stanley is on!

Tonight we have a massive thirteen-game slate and one team playing on a back-to-back, the Buffalo Sabres. The currently live top-three highest implied team totals are: Edmonton with 4.4, Nashville with 4.1, and Colorado with 3.9. I will do my best to guide you through this thirteen-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the NHL news feeds for the latest player status and injury news.

DraftKings and FanDuel Goalies - NHL DFS Picks

Devon Levi - DK $7.2K || FD $7.5K

Opponent - Vancouver Canucks

There are a few goalie options tonight that are in prime positions, however, they all possess salaries north of $8K on DraftKings. This results in the saves floor being extremely important. Devon Levi is one of two goalies at the bottom of the salary range that offers this potential. In his last five starts, he has a 2-3 record with a 3.46 Goals Against Average and a 0.890 Save Percentage. In the last start for Levi, he won a 5-3 away game in Los Angeles, where he posted a 0.925 Save Percentage on 40 Shots Against. A similar outcome is possible in Vancouver.

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

Swayman (DK $8.3K || FD $9K)
Tarasov (DK $7.2K || FD $7.1K)

Want more NHL DFS tools and content? Our NHL Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Lineup Optimizer, and access to our VIP Discord Chatrooms. Doug Shain (@BanksterDFS) joins the NHL team in 2023 with his proven track record - join in on the winning!

Back to back @DraftKings Fantasy Hockey World Championship trips! Let’s get the main prize this year! Thank you to @banksterdfs for the amazing daily fantasy content! @NHL pic.twitter.com/dONSvJMtIR

— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023

DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NHL DFS Picks

Connor McDavid - DK $10K || FD $10.1K

Opponent - Montreal Canadiens

McDavid and company are in for a big performance tonight. In the last 10 away games, the Montreal Canadiens have been outscored 21 to 24. Furthermore, the visitors remain in the bottom 10 in both Scoring Changes Against Per 60 and High Danger Changes Against Per 60, but sit outside the bottom 10 in Goals Against Per 60. As preached a week ago, if teams can crack their goaltending early, it will be a long game for the Canadiens who continue to play lackluster defense. In McDavid’s last five outings, he has two goals, five assists, 15 shots, and eight blocked shots. The Captain is doing it all and he is expected to have at least two points and three shots tonight.

Evgeny Kuznetsov - DK $3.3K || FD $4.7K

Opponent - New York Islanders

Riding a three-game point streak, Kuznetsov looks to be finally settling in with his new team, the Carolina Hurricanes. The center in that stretch has two goals, two assists, and 10 shots. The most impressive part about this run is he has been seeing a handful of players rotate in and out of his line. Now, Andrei Svechnikov has joined his line with Jake Guentzel moving to the top line with Sebastian Aho. While this could mean fewer shots for Kuznetsov, his assist chances per game increase even more with Svechnikov on his line. The Islanders are playing better defense, but their goaltending remains an issue. Kuznetsov and company shouldn't have any issues breaking through on the scoreboard tonight.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

MacKinnon (DK $10.3K || FD $10.7K)
Danault (DK $4.6K || FD $6.1K)

DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - DK $5.7K || FD $7K

Opponent - Montreal Canadiens

Sliding back over to Edmonton, we have Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or RNH. The winger, center hybrid, has struggled for consistent production for some time now after having a wildly consistent and successful first half of the season. Since then he has not possessed the same confidence and stride as he had earlier on. In his most recent five appearances, he has three assists, 10 shots, and four blocked shots. Despite the inconsistencies in his game right now, he has a prime matchup at home against the aforementioned Canadiens. Furthermore, as long as he is under $6K on DraftKings and playing next to the previously mentioned Connor McDavid, RNH will remain a ‘steal’.

Anthony Duclair - DK $3.8K || FD $5.2K

Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights

Duclair could be one of the top moves of the trade deadline, considering the production and depth scoring he has already brought to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his three games in Tampa Bay, he has two goals, two assists, seven shots, and one blocked shot. Thanks to his instant impact with the Lightning, he has now been promoted to the first line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. This is a huge chance for both Duclair and the Lightning and for those playing Duclair tonight in DFS. For under $4K on DraftKings, getting top-line minutes and second-unit power-play time is ‘impossible’ to pass on. Especially considering how poor Vegas’s defense and goaltending has been. A shootout is on the cards tonight and Duclair will be a big part of it.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

Forsberg (DK $8.4K || FD $9.1K)
Fiala (DK $5.9K || FD $7.1K)

DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks

Brady Skjei - DK $4.8K || FD $5.4K

Opponent - New York Islanders

Defense is by far the most ‘challenging’ position to scout tonight with a plethora of options, ultimately coming down to three things: peripheral potential, matchup potential, and ceiling potential. With that, we have Brady Skjei as the first target. Skjei in his last five appearances has one assist, 11 shots, and eight blocked shots. The defenseman has hit another dry stretch of production after hitting form for a brief stint. However, the form indicates that he has the potential to offer point production on top of his peripherals and it is a matter of it clicking. Despite the previously mentioned Islanders playing better defense, they are still susceptible in many areas of the ice. If Skjei can set up Svechnikov or Kuznetsov, he could easily surpass value.

Ryan McDonagh - DK $3.9K || FD $4.5K

Opponent - San Jose Sharks

The second defenseman is Ryan McDonagh who everyone should be familiar with at this point. The two-way veteran defenseman is no stranger to this article and he finds himself here once more, in arguably the ‘best’ matchup of the night. However, there is one major difference for McDonagh compared to prior games. He is now playing on the top pairing with fellow blueliner Roman Josi, while still maintaining his role as the quarterback on the second power-play unit. San Jose has not changed and remains the league’s worst defense and now once again goaltending tandem. This sets up McDonagh for a potential ceiling game. In his most recent five outings, he has three assists, four shots, and eight blocked shots.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):