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Chris Wassel's top DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS value plays and research for November 20th, including DFS analysis for goalies, power plays, and stacks.
The NHL season approaches the end of week number six! Some hockey trends have established themselves but many are still to come. 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 Saturday, November 20th, 2021 at 7:00 PM. 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] or via Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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We feature a nine game slate, headlined by Boston, Carolina, Philadelphia, New York Islanders, Toronto, and yes Edmonton versus Chicago. The lock is at 7:00 which means obviously the afternoon games get their own separate DFS slate.
There is some news worth mentioning. Watch out for injuries and sadly much illness (not all COVID-related). Finally, goaltending confirmations and further injury news will be scrutinized heavily on social media. Oh, and yes the New York Islanders play a home game for the first time this season.
The goal will be to keep things as simple as possible. Our focus will be as much on interactions on social media and in chatrooms. This is because news and numbers have become that fluid now. Everything changes at a breakneck pace.
NHL DFS Goalies
Juuse Saros - DK $7.7K || FD $7.2K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
The question is do you love an almost free square? Absolutely. Juuse Saros is going up against a wounded Montreal Canadiens team that has had trouble scoring goals. Montreal was trounced on Thursday night at home by a score of 6-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Montreal yields the most DFS points to opposition goaltenders in the league. The Nashville Predators goaltender has given up nine goals over the past five appearances (3-1-1 record). Saros has been pretty good on the road and Montreal has been far worse. It will be interesting to see how Juuse Saros performs.
Alex Nedeljkovic - DK $8.0K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
The Detroit Red Wings "1A" goaltender is projected to start on Saturday night with an attractive salary on DraftKings given Arizona allows the fifth-most DFS points to goaltenders.. His salary on FanDuel is still very reasonable. Throw out the first game against Tampa earlier in the season and Alex Nedeljkovic has given up three or fewer goals in all but one appearance since. Arizona is starting to score more goals with their top-six so this does involve some risk. However, the Detroit goaltender has been solid in net for the most part. It would be wise to at least roster the goaltender on FanDuel.
Jack Campbell - DK $8.3K || FD $8.7K
Opponent - Pittsburgh Penguins
The risk of playing Jack Campbell against Sidney Crosby on Saturday is interesting, Campbell has been excellent in net for the T0ronto Maple Leafs all season, it looks like Campbell could hav another high-output night in net. Toronto's top goalie is 10-3-1 on the season. There are some other intriguing options but a lot of pundits are rightfully zeroed in on Jack Campbell. With all the quality starts, Campbell is a vital play on Saturday and could either sink or buoy quite a few entries.
Please watch for late-breaking goaltender confirmations during the early evening. This will allow you to be ready to make pivots as needed.
NHL DFS Centers
Leon Draisaitl - DK $9.2K || FD $9.9K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
The idea is crazy but think about this. There is a full moon and it will be in full effect on Saturday. Now, Draisaitl is priced higher than Connor McDavid on FanDuel. For what it is worth, Draisaitl does have more DFS points per game overall. It is like goals are king or something. The German pivot has 17 goals in 16 games which feels even more impressive than Auston Matthews' 18 goals in 19 games run to start last season. For those wondering, the Chicago Blackhawks allow 35 shots per 60 on the road. As for Chicago's penalty kill prowess, that may not matter. Edmonton's power-play can be like a cheat code. It is all how one stacks Draisaitl and Edmonton players even on a nine-game main slate.
Boone Jenner - DK $5.7K || FD $4.6K -- W on FD
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
DraftKings and FanDuel finally have another one of those positional disagreements as Boone Jenner is listed as a center on DraftKings and winger on FanDuel. Variety is the spice of life as they say. His lower salary benefits many on FanDuel but his potential to hit the shot bonus helps on DraftKings. Also, Vegas allows the most DFS points to centers on the slate and in the league. The Golden Knights tend to leave the middle wide open too often. It will not help that now Shea Theodore (head) is out for Saturday's game. There should be plenty of chances for Columbus to get up the ice and into prime scoring areas.
Nick Suzuki - DK $5.3K || FD $6.9K
Opponent - Nashville Predators
Centers tend to do pretty well in this spot lately. Someone in DFS figured out Nick Suzuki is still pretty good (14 points in 19 games). Now, here is the obvious risk. He is pointless in four straight games and without a shot in two. Using psychology, that sucker is going to come out pissed. Yes, one is not going to get sugar-coated commentary here...EVER! Nashville has a tendency to have trouble with speed. Suzuki can be unsafe at any speed, can create tons of chances, and now has zero to lose given the gongshow that Montreal has become. It is oddly a perfect opportunity, especially at his DraftKings price.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Matthews (DK $8.8K || FD $9.6K), Crosby (DK $7.5K || FD $7.5K). Hertl (DK $4.7K || FD $6.1K -- Couture only $5,3K on FD), Hayes (DK $4.0K || FD $4,1K). The key is to watch pricing discrepancies now and Kevin Hayes is questionable. If he cannot go, look toward Brandon Hagel and Jamie Benn especially with DraftKings pricing.
NHL DFS Wings
Matt Duchene- DK $5.9K || FD $5.8K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
There are so many ideas here and the only thing worse than the Montreal Canadiens off the ice is on the ice. It is a total train wreck and here comes a red hot Matt Duchene into town. What year is this anyway? Duchene is averaging three shots a game and more than three scoring chances per game too. Also, he has 12 points in his last ten games, a bunch of goals, and whoa three power-play points too. Nashville has a power play? Sort of. Roman Josi helps there and honestly, Montreal's special teams are in the bottom third like they normally are in the regular season. If this was a shorter slate, one would have fun game stacking this tilt.
Timo Meier - DK $6.2K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Washington Capitals
This is one that could be a real helper to DFS lineups. Now, this is because, at some point, people will fully catch on to the fact that Timo Meier is back to his junior Ovechkin shooting levels. It is a nice way of saying that the winger is finally healthy both mentally and physically. Meier is averaging nearly 4.5 shots per game on the season and has only played 11 games. It is safe to say Meier is quite fresh and the Capitals' defense on the final leg of a California trip could be a little vulnerable. This is a unique nine-game slate because two of the most prolific DFS wingers are up against each other (Alex Ovechkin - 1st). Meier creates on a chance level that has been second to none all season. Watch some late games and be pleasantly surprised.
Alex DeBrincat - DK $7.0K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Edmonton Oilers
There are lots of possibilities and even Brad Marchand or one of the Philadelphia wingers could worm their way in. However, DeBrincat has nine lives playing with Patrick Kane. Also, inevitably there will be quite a few instances where the McDavid line meets the Kane line. This typically results in extreme chaos. DeBrincat, for those scoring at home, has seven goals in nine games and expects to be a constant threat on Saturday night. Edmonton just lost Darnell Nurse for about 2-3 weeks. Strike while a team is vulnerable. Edmonton is vulnerable. Also, the Oilers barely scored in two games against Winnipeg. Look out and damn the torpedoes!
Lucas Raymond - DK $5.3K || FD $5.4K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
This is one of the more tucked in plays on the slate Saturday night. The Arizona Coyotes have had a tendency of giving up goals against the flow of play and all over the place. Lucas Raymond (still near DFS average salary) excels in this role and that is partly why a speedy winger like him has to be utilized somewhere in lineups. Cost relief is cost relief but more importantly, there is that shot release. Raymond changes angles like Joe Sakic and quickly. This nine-game slate is one to take some bigger shots than usual. Arizona has played better of late but speed kills honestly. They are still struggling. It is interesting because Tyler Bertuzzi and Dylan Larkin will help players like Raymond and even Moritz Seider one more time. Raymond has 18 points in 19 games by the way.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Bjorkstrand (DK $7.2K || FD $6.8K, Robertson (DK $4.6K || FD $5.6K), Kyrou (DK $5.4K || FD $6.3K), Guentzel (DK $6.6K || FD $7.2K), Giroux (DK $6.9K || FD $6.3K). Patrick Kane may have to be rostered in a few places along with Alex Ovechkin. Be selective in cash lineups with them. Also, Andrew Mangiapane plays the Islanders on Saturday. His greasy nature of play may cause problems against a New York team battling a little bit of the COVID.
NHL DFS Defensemen
Zach Whitecloud - DK $4.4K || FD $3.5K
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
While the injuries and inconsistency are the order of the day, the biggest constant this season on defense has been change? That's right. Zach Whitecloud came back and no one noticed until it was too late. Well, Peter DeBoer keeps things way too close to the vest so sometimes one just has to read way too between the lines. Either way, Whitecloud came back with perfect timing, scored twice, and was quite the presence when Shea Theodore bumped his head. Theodore is out for Saturday at least. With Whitecloud likely to see 20+ minutes, he will see more offensive chances. With his potential for a nice defensive floor and a good matchup against a Columbus team that will cede shots, the salary is just right. So, this is a nice way of saying HIT THAT EASY BUTTON!
Martin Fehervary - DK $2.8K || FD $3.7K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
A week ago, people wondered who the heck is this player. Hey, Fehervary is a pretty good puck-moving defenseman who has gotten a few increased opportunities. This is one of those times where one takes another gamble with the near-minimum prices and go for the flood. That saved salary helps spend up elsewhere. Some will gravitate toward Mario Ferraro in this spot (up in the mid to high $4K range). It is not a bad idea either. However, Fehervary does have a decent floor, had four shots on goal against Los Angeles, and hit the post so hard my ears are still ringing from it. Do not worry, we will be nice to point out all the shiny, good, expensive defensemen in the others to consider bin.
Scott Perunovich - DK $3.1K || FD $3.5K
Opponent - Dallas Stars
Give me all the risks on Saturday evening. The full moon looms over the city of Dallas as St. Louis comes into town. AHL kingpin Scott Perunovich is now up with the big club (St. Louis). DFS does not notice these things but we do. Again, the focus tonight was to go with cheaper options on the defensive end to illustrate the value out there. It is in abundance. Perunovich has all the tools of being a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL but he is a little young around the edges. Dallas can be wildly inconsistent which means chances are to be had. Again, saving a boatload of $$$ in DFS on a night like this could be worth it. Perunovich has an assist in two games so far during this callup. He has impressed Craig Berube and the staff with his attention to detail and shot.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Bouchard (DK $5.4K || FD $4.3K), Josi (DK $7.9K || FD $7.0K), Heiskanen (DK $6.2K || FD $6.3K), Jones (DK $7.4K || FD $7.0K), Ferraro (DK $4.9K || FD $4,5K). Brent Burns is a reasonable $6,000 on FanDuel. Again watch out for pricing and yes COVID because more news will come out before lock (typically around 5:00 pm ET or so).
TOP Power Play Lines/Stacks for Saturday
- WPG 1
- DAL 1 (they have to score, right?)
- FLA 1 or TBL 1 (when the goals are bound to happen)
- TOR 1 (Get me the Nylander)
- NSH 1 or CAR 1
- VGK 1 (Always find a way to sneak players in against the Vancouver penalty kill).
Chris’s Line Stacks of the Day
EDM: Draisaitl-McDavid-Bouchard (Cross the streams)
CHI: Kane-DeBrincat-Jones
Full Moon Stack
VGK: Stone-Karlsson-Whitecloud
Less Obvious Stack
NSH: Duchene-Kunin-Granlund (maybe sneak Josi or Fabbro in on FD)
Sneaky Stack
SJS: Meier-Couture-Ferraro (if they stay together, if not mix in Burns)
Please keep in mind that there will be many shifts in lines with most teams especially early. Between COVID, some late injuries, and all sorts of load and travel management, it will be another chaotic Saturday evening. That is what makes it fun.
This one today is for the man that makes this all possible. Rest In Peace (11-20-04) Dad.
Oh and don't worry, we will have plenty more on Slack, social media, and yes MORE! Good luck out there.
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