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Tom Vecchio's top NHL DFS lineup picks on FanDuel, DraftKings for 4/13/18. Expert daily fantasy hockey advice, sleepers & player recommendations.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, and we have a four-game slate. With this smaller slate, you will likely have to eat a bit of chalk in some spots but should be looking to differentiate where you can.
Vegas lines are big when it comes to picking games to target, and that's a good place to start for goalies. When it comes to skaters, goal totals is another main place to start. Usually, 5.5 goals are average, so targets game at six, and can look for goalies in games with a total of five.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/14/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DFS_Tom. Let's get to it, shall we?
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DFS Forwards to Consider
Steven Stamkos - C, TAM vs NJ (DK - $7,100, FD - $8,400)
Stamkos is back from his injury and put up one assist in his first game against the Devils. The Lightning are up 1-0 in the series, and looking to hold onto their home ice advantage, which will mean production from their best players. He hasn't scored a goal since March 3rd, which is very worrying for a player at his price point, so he is more of a GPP option. You truly can't be spending that type of money on a player who isn't producing at an elite level. I will say that this is a chance for him to get things going in the right direction since the Devils aren't the best defensive team.
Rickard Rakell - W, ANH vs SJ (DK - $6,100, FD - $7,100)
Rakell and the Ducks took a tough loss at home in Game 1 and will look to bounce back in this game. Rakell had the most points in the regular season for the Ducks, so they will need him to get back at that level of production. He took over three shots per game in the regular season and is seeing time on the top power-play unit. The Sharks generally give up a good amount of shots, but not a ton of goals all the time, so I would use Rakell in a full stack to take advantage of his full upside.
DFS Defenders to Consider
Torey Krug - D, BOS vs TOR (DK - $5,700, FD - $6,200)
Krug is coming off a very strong Game 1, where he had two assists and took five shots. Great production out of the young player, who will be in the same spot to repeat that today. It's a bit of a change from the regular season, now that the matchups are going to be the same for multiple games in a row. Toronto gave up almost three goals per game in the regular season, along with giving up a ton of shots. Krug is on the first power-play unit, so nice point scoring potential for him.
P.K. Subban - D, NSH vs COL (DK - $5,300, FD - $5,300)
Subban had a very slow first game of the playoffs, where he only put up one blocked shot. That was the only fantasy production he had, which frankly is terrible. Throughout the regular season, he was far more consistent than that, so you want to bet on the fact he returns to that level of production. We don't need a ceiling game out of him, but a middle ground between that low production and his best.
DFS Goalies to Consider
John Gibson - G, ANH vs SJ (DK - $7,900, FD - $8,400)
Gibson had a rough start to the playoffs by allowing three goals in the Game 1 loss. He comes in today as a -150 favorite according to Vegas, so the odds are in his favor to even up this series. The one good thing that came from Game 1, was the fact he put up 31 saves. That is showing he has the upside to put up points, just need to cut down on the goals, and come away with the win. He should be good for all formats tonight.
