NHL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, SuperDraft (1/26): Value Plays, Goalies, Stacks

3 years ago by Jorge Pucks

Welcome, RotoBallers. Hockey season is back and I am thrilled to be covering this sport over at RotoBaller! As always, I will do my best to give you the stats and info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on DraftKings, FanDuel, and SuperDraft.

If you are new to playing NHL DFS, there are several things to know that will help you get caught up to speed. The first thing to know is that stacking lines is important and correlating your plays can pay off. In hockey, if someone scores a goal, there's a good chance that some on his team will receive an assist on that goal, so you want to build lineups around players skating together. The second thing is to make sure you look at the two sites and see the different ways to obtain points. On DraftKings, you get bonus points for 5+ shots or 3+ blocked shots so someone like Alex Ovechkin who is a volume shooter tends to be a better play there just because he can rack up additional points based on his style of play.

Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings, Fanduel, and SuperDraft for Tuesday, January 26th, 2020 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! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @jorgepucks as I am happy to engage with readers and try to answer your questions. Good luck RotoBallers!

NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 1/26

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins (-162) - 6.5U
~~Tampa Bay Lightning (-117) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-105) - 6.5U~~ PPD
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators (-186) - 6.5U
New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres (-122) - 6.5U
Philadelphia Flyers (-148) vs. New Jersey Devils - 5.5O
New York Islanders (-150) vs. Washington Capitals (-110)- 5.5U
Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (-141) - 5.5O
Los Angeles Kings vs. Minnesota Wild (-167) -
Edmonton Oilers (-114) vs. Winnipeg Jets (-107) - 6.5U
Detroit Red Wings vs. Dallas Stars (-240) - 5.5U
St. Louis Blues vs. Vegas Golden Knights (-148) - 6.5U
Toronto Maple Leafs (-110) vs. Calgary Flames (-110) - 6.5U
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche (-220) - 6.5U
Anaheim Ducks vs. Arizona Coyotes (-143) - 5.5U

NHL DFS Goalie Analysis Matrix

Team	Rank GA	Rank SA	Rank GF	Rank SF	Total
Pittsburgh	11	26	22	12	17.5
Boston	1	24	23	10	14.75
Tampa Bay	7	20	31	19	12.75
Carolina	11	29	21	3	22.5
Chicago	16	1	14	13	9.5
Nashville	19	15	16	5	15.25
NY Rangers	23	2	27	19	16.5
Buffalo	22	19	11	30	21.75
Philadelphia	7	31	25	16	16.5
New Jersey	28	6	7	21	18.75
NY Islanders	9	17	10	28	16.75
Washington	18	23	30	11	19.75
Florida	28	10	26	7	12.5
Columbus	3	25	4	8	15.25
Los Angeles	14	26	2	4	21.25
Minnesota	23	21	20	25	12.5
Edmonton	15	12	17	28	14.75
Winnipeg	10	7	15	17	15.5
Detroit	31	5	1	31	16.25
Dallas	2	14	6	23	12
St. Louis	5	28	17	21	13.25
Vegas	13	29	19	1	20
Toronto	26	13	29	6	16.5
Calgary	16	8	12	15	14.75
San Jose	27	22	4	26	21.5
Colorado	6	15	28	9	12.75
Anaheim	25	11	3	27	14.75
Arizona	3	8	9	14	10.25

The matrix above takes the averages of four categories and creates a rating scale to help you decide which goalies to use, which goalies to target against, and conversely which teams could be viable from a stacking standpoint. It looks at four categories: Goals Allowed (GA), Shots Allowed (SA), Goals For (GF), Shots For (SF). The higher the overall rating in the last column indicates that it is a more dangerous matchup for that team's goalie while it might be beneficial to stack against him. I match and sync this every day to the actual opponents that they are facing every slate so this is always slate specific.

NHL DFS Power Play Matrix

Matchup	PP%	Opp PK%
Pittsburgh	16	3
Boston	2	8
Tampa Bay	5	4
Carolina	8	13
Chicago	28	27
Nashville	24	8
NY Rangers	7	29
Buffalo	20	23
Philadelphia	14	7
New Jersey	21	11
NY Islanders	24	6
Washington	17	15
Florida	10	12
Columbus	27	20
Los Angeles	26	25
Minnesota	10	23
Edmonton	1	22
Winnipeg	15	2
Detroit	29	17
Dallas	13	30
St. Louis	3	26
Vegas	9	18
Toronto	6	8
Calgary	12	21
San Jose	23	13
Colorado	19	1
Anaheim	31	5
Arizona	18	24

The Power Play matrix is to help locate matchups that can be exploited should there be an odd-man advantage during the game. Just like the goalie matrix above, the teams are matched up based on their own power play percentage rank and their opponent's penalty kill percentage. When looking at this matrix, you will want to look for teams that succeed in the power play rank while their opponent has a poor penalty kill rank.

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NHL DFS Core Plays

The Core plays below are the players that you should focus on incorporating into your cash game builds and tournament builds. When it comes to cash games, you want guys that offer high floors that rack up peripheral stats (shots, blocks, etc).

When it comes to tournaments, it is best to take a core play and see who their linemates are and build line stacks based on that. I will give 2-3 plays (varies on slate size) at each position at different pricing ranges so that you can have a variety of plays to choose from when building your cash builds.

NHL DFS Center Picks

Jack Eichel, NYR ($ 7,600 DK / $ 7,400 FD) - The ceiling is high for Eichel this season as he is skating with talented wingers like Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart. Eichel has seven assists on the season but has yet to record a single goal and with their next game coming at home against a Rangers team that plays with pace, Eichel has a solid chance at getting his first goal of the season in this matchup.
Joe Pavelski, DAL ($ 6,000 DK / $ 6,400 FD) - The price point and matchup is just too good to pass up on for Pavelski. Pavs has already recorded seven total points in his first two games of the season and draws a Red Wings team that is allowing over three goals a game and 31 shots per game to opponents.
Ryan Johansen, SJ ($ 4,000 DK / $5,300 FD)- Rostering Johansen over the past few years has been aggravating as his production has slowly tailed off but you know he is still capable of producing points in the right matchup. Johansen has registered two points in the first five games of the season and should be in a position to register a few more in a fast-paced game against Chicago.

Other centers to consider: McDavid, MacKinnon, Barzal, Monahan, Malkin, Couture, Duchene, Bjugstad, Texier,

NHL DFS Forward Picks

Mikko Rantanen, COL ($ 7,700 DK / $ 7,900 FD) - If you're looking for one of the safer wing plays on the slate, look no further than Rantanen. The Avs winger has scored double-digit DK points in every game this season and has registered a point in five out of six games this year. The Sharks have been very up and down on the defensive end and if you catch them on an off night, Rantanen and his linemates could have a big game.
Viktor Arvidsson, NSH ($ 5,400 DK / $ 5,800 FD) - Arvidsson is off to a solid start this year and seems to be more active on the offensive end this season than he was last season. Arvidsson has five points in five games played and is averaging close to four shots per game. The matchup against Chicago is a favorable one as the Blackhawks play with pace and are allowing close to four goals per game.
Patrick Hornqvist, FLA ($ 4,000 DK / $ 5,500 FD) - The pricing on DK for Hornqvist continues to be super low and regardless of the matchup, he should be in play until he reaches the 5k range. Hornqvist has notched two points in each game so far this season and will continue to skate on the second forward line as well as the top power play line.

Other wings to consider: Marchand, RNH, Tkachuk, Landeskog, Pacioretty, Forsberg, Stone, Gaudreau, Radulov, Bjorkstrand, Yamamoto, Atkinson, JVR, Kempe, Duclair, Kyrou, Granlund, Puljujarvi

NHL DFS Defenseman Picks

Adam Fox, NYR ($6,600 DK / $ 4,500 FD) - Fox is really impressing in the early portions of the season. He has recorded a point in four straight games and ever since he got bumped up to the top power-play unit, he is seeing over 25 minutes a game. Fox is racking up points, taking shots on goal, and blocking shots so he is finding ways to hit his fantasy value. He is a steal over on FD as he is priced in the mid 4k range while almost being 2k more on DK.
Ryan Ellis, NSH ($5,700 DK / $ 5,300 FD) - Ellis has been one of the best DFS cash game defensemen over the past several years, and getting him under 6k on DK is a steal. Ellis racks up the peripheral stats like no other and continues to see a good amount of ice time per game. Ellis is due to have a solid scoring game as he has only registered one point and is still searching for his first goal of the year.
Seth Jones, CLS ($ 4,300 DK / $ 5,500 FD)- This is one of the cheapest price points that we will ever see Jones on DK at so it seems pretty easy to know what to do with him. Jones is skating on the top line and top power-play line and is seeing over 24 minutes per game. Jones has yet to record a goal and with how bad the Panthers are at defending offensive defenseman, Jones should find the back of the net here sooner or later.

Other defensemen to consider: Theodore, Burns, Josi, Chychrun, Toews, Heiskanen, Werenski, Yandlem Morrissey, Spurgeon, Ekholm, Larsson, Schultz, DeMelo

NHL DFS Goalie Picks

Anton Khudobin, DAL ($ 8,500 DK / $ 8,100 FD) - Khudobin and the Stars are off to a hot start as they have won their first two games with Khudobin stopping 49 of 51 shots in their games against Nashville. Khudobin is carrying a 1.00 goals allowed average and a .961 save percentage and looks to carry this momentum against a Red Wings team who is scoring two goals per game and are taking 26.2 shots per game.
Pekka Rinne, NSH ($ 8,100 DK / $ 7,200 FD) - Pekka Rinne has gotten off to a sluggish start to the season as he is 0-1 with a .378 goals allowed average and an .839 save percentage. Rinne lost to a good Canes team and saw some time against a Stars team that looks to be red hot out of the gate so this matchup against Chicago could be what he needs to get back on track. The Blackhawks are averaging 3.2 goals per game and are taking 31.5 shots per game but their numbers could be a tad inflated as they have faced Detroit twice and Florida once (does not have quite the talent that Nashville has). While this isn't the safest spot, it could be one to pair Rinne with a Nashville line and hope that he can have a dominant performance while their lines produce to get him the win. Also, make sure to see if it is either him or Saros in net as we still don't have official confirmation on which goalie it could be.
Darcy Kuemper, ZONA ($ 8,000 DK / $ 7,700 FD) - While Kuemper hasn't gotten off to a great start, he has faced Vegas in four straight outings and the Golden Knights are one of the best teams in the league so you'll have to take his start with a grain of salt. He is 1-3-1 with a 2.79 goals allowed average and a .906 save percentage which is solid considering his opponent. The Ducks struggle on the offensive end as they are only producing 1.8 goals per game this year and have yet to record a power-play goal so the upside lies in Kuemper and this Zona defense in keeping the Ducks to under two goals.

Other goalies to consider: Markstrom, Gibson, Quick

Note: If you do roster a goalie listed above, it is sometimes best to make a hedge lineup in tournaments and take the opposing offense against them incase he gives up a few goals while that opposing team carries lower ownership.

Favorite NHL DFS Line Stacks

DAL 2
- Kero/ Pavelski/ Radulov (Heiskanen, D-men add on)
  - The Stars second line has been on fire and is still a reasonably priced stack for also being in a great matchup against Detroit. Since the start of the 2019-2020 season, the Pavelski and Radulov combination has produced an xGF/60 of 2.68, while generating 30 scoring chances per 60 minutes, and 13 high danger chances per 60 minutes. This combo makes for a great mini stack since they skate on both the second line while also skating together on the second Stars line.
BUF 1
- Hall / Eichel/ Reinhart (Dahlin, D-men add on)
  - This line has close to a full 60 minutes of ice time together and has had some really solid moments throughout their first several games. Together, they have produced an xGF/60 of 2.75, 29 scoring chances per 60, and eight high danger opportunities per 60 minutes. The Rangers, as a team, have an xGA/60 of 2.17, 23 scoring chances allowed per 60, and nine high danger opportunities per 60. If the top Buffalo line can get themselves into the right matchup, they could have several scoring opportunities.
COL 1
- Landeskog/ MacKinnon/ Rantanen (Makar, D-men add on)
  - The top line for the Avs is one of the best scoring lines in the league and with this slate being massive, there's a good chance that the ownership will be spread out throughout the slate which means lower ownership for this Avs line. The Sharks have been inconsistent on the defensive end to start this season and are allowing 3.5 goals per game, 28.89 scoring chances against per 60, and 11.83 high-danger opportunities per 60. The Avs to match their lines and the MacKinnon line should take the top Sharks line which is not the best defensively. The Couture line has a xGA/60 of 2.35 while allowing 26.44 scoring chances allowed and 11.33 high danger chances allowed per 60 minutes of ice time. The top Avs line will be an expensive stack to fit but luckily with so many games on the slate, you might be able to find some value that allows you to fit them into some tournament builds.