RADIO
All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard.
We’ve got a 13-game slate on hand tonight, and as we usually do, that means we can limit our player pool and not have to get too cute given the plethora of options to choose from. Matchups are going to matter, and that will point us in the direction of some unexpected lines. Teams like Arizona, Montreal, and San Jose look great, while more popular teams like Edmonton and Toronto aren’t popping on the Heat Map. Looking at numbers, rather than names, will point you in the direction of potentially low-owned stacks that can be a huge benefit to you in tournaments.
DraftKings has its usual array of low-cost GPP options, including four tournaments with an entry fee of $20 or less and a first prize of $1,000 or more; highlighted by the $15-entry Kick Save with a top prize of $20,000. Meanwhile, FanDuel has a $4.44 entry tournament with a $3,000 first prize. There is money to be won tonight, so let’s get that cash!
This is going to be a fun slate with a ton of stacking options. I aim to help you narrow your plays to get the most bang for your DFS buck. Be sure to check out all of our NHL articles and NHL DFS tools, including our daily NHL Heat Map. NHL Premium members can find many members of the RotoBaller NHL team in Discord leading up to lock to answer all of your lineup questions.
Top Three Stacks of the Night
Winnipeg Jets (WPG1 - Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi, Josh Morrissey)
Are the Blackhawks the new San Jose Sharks? It sure seems that way, as we’ve been targeting Chicago every time they’ve been on the slate recently. Their defense has been atrocious, allowing over four even-strength goals and 15 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over their last road games. The Jets are one of the worst matchups for Chicago, as they’ve been white-hot at home, scoring 3.49 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their last 10 home games.
Over their last two games, the trio of Ehlers, Scheifele, and Vilardi have combined for four goals and four assists, and in two games against Chicago, they have one goal, two assists, and 12 shots on goal. Josh Morrissey adds in an assist and 11 SABS (shots and blocked shots) in his two games against the Blackhawks, and he is a must for a top-line Winnipeg stack. Keep an eye on our Discord, as Mark Scheifele is banged up and may not play. We will be sure to let you know who slots into this line if he is ruled out.
Vegas Golden Knights (VGK1 - Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, Alex Pietrangelo)
It’s not often that we recommend a team against the Boston Bruins, but the Knights are popping on the Heat Map tonight. Vegas has been a bit unlucky at home, scoring only 2.33 even-strength goals per 60 minutes in their last 10 games, but their expected goals are just a hair under three, meaning they are due for positive regression.
The Bruins have been the opposite, allowing only 2.2 even-strength goals per 60 minutes in their last 10 road games, but their expected goals allowed is approaching three, meaning they are due for negative regression. Part of the issue for Boston is that they have allowed 13.34 high-danger chances per 60 minutes in those last 10 road games. They’ve been bailed out by the goaltending duo of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, but if Swayman slips at all tonight, then he could get rolled.
The biggest liability for the Bruins defense is Charlie McAvoy, and he should be matched up against the top line for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Vegas offense isn’t consistent, but when they are playing their best, they have a GPP-winning upside, as Jack Eichel showed on Saturday when he had two goals and eight SABS against the Islanders. Add in Alex Pietrangelo and go with a four-man stack to differentiate your lineup a little bit.
Buffalo Sabres (BUF1 - Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin)
Don’t look now, but the Sabres are starting to look a lot like last year’s squad, which was an offensive juggernaut. The trio of Skinner, Tuch, and Thompson have combined for 32 goals and assists over their last 10 games. Thompson has double-digit fantasy points in six of his last eight games, Skinner in three of his last five, and Tuch in three straight games.
Overall, the Sabres have scored 2.91 even-strength goals per 60 minutes in their last 10 home games, and they’ve been a little unlucky with expected goals per 60 minutes of 3.09. Rasmus Dahlin has been hotter than anyone on the team, scoring 11 or more DraftKings points in 14 of his last 15 games.
He’s a great one-off if you can afford him, or as is, a perfect addition to build a four-man stack. Jeff Skinner is a little banged up and he may not play. If he’s replaced, it’ll make this stack cheaper. Make sure to check out Discord for any updates to the Sabres lineup.
The Senators defense has been awful, allowing 3.71 even-strength goals and 13.87 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over their last 10 road games. We’ve been picking on them over the last couple of weeks with a lot of success, and with a hot team like Buffalo, it makes sense to do it once again tonight.
Others in consideration: ARI1, NYI1, MTL1, CAR1, VAN1
Top Value Stack of the Night
Carolina Hurricanes (CAR3 - Jordan Staal, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Martinook)
What a great matchup for the Hurricanes. They have been great at home over their last 10 games, scoring 2.78 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, and yet advanced data suggests they’ve been unlucky. Their expected goals per 60 minutes is over three, meaning there’s room for growth. Meanwhile, the Ducks are allowing over three even-strength goals and 12.32 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over their last 10 road games.
Two of their three defensive pairings are worth attacking, and the line that will be on the ice the most with those two pairings is the third line for Carolina. That line can be hit or miss, but the one constant has been Seth Jarvis. He is a heavy volume option for a third-line forward, averaging four shots on goal per game over his last five games. You may feel more comfortable with the ‘Canes top line as your main stack, but as a secondary stack, the third line fits very nicely.
Others in consideration: BUF2, SEA2, SJ1, EDM3
Top Goalies to Target
Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)
REPEAT FROM TUESDAY: Connor Hellebuyck has been the best goalie in the NHL this year, full stop. He has been consistently excellent, allowing more than three goals in a game just once since October 17, a span of 27 games. With that said, he’s only been a midrange fantasy option due to the lack of shot volume that he faces. The Jets allow under 29 shots on goal per game, limiting Hellebuyck’s upside.
Still, with his low total of goals allowed, he has one of the safer floors in all of hockey, and in cash games, we are willing to sacrifice upside for safety. Over his last 10 home games, Hellebuyck has scored 17 or more DraftKings points nine times; that’s pretty safe! Goalie has been the hardest position to predict this year, so maybe it’s time to stop hunting value for our cash games and just play the best player.
He scored 30 DraftKings points on Tuesday and has an even better matchup tonight against a Chicago team that will be missing Connor Bedard. Lock and load in cash games.
Others in consideration (GPP): Thatcher Demko, Alex Lyon, Cam Talbot, Martin Jones, Karel Vejmelka, Jeremy Swayman
Others in consideration (Cash): Joey Daccord, Sergei Bobrovsky, Logan Thompson
