Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (12/20/22): Daily Fantasy Hockey

Brandon Wampler's top DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS value plays and research for December 20th, 2022 including DFS analysis for goalies, power plays and stacks.

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 MLB 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 Tuesday, 20th, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. 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 @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!

NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 12/20/22

Things are starting to normalize again and the NHL Roster Freeze is now in effect. Teams will not be able to make any moves until after the holiday freeze is over which could make things rather difficult for some. Tonight we will continue to sport the bigger slates with an 8-game slate as we approach the short Christmas break. There will be a few teams playing on a back-to-back: Columbus and St Louis. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Los Angeles with 4.1, Calgary with 3.8 and Seattle with 3.7 goals. I will do my best in guiding you through this eight-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.

DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk

Vegas Odds for the Day

NHL DFS Goalies

Jacob Markstrom- DK $8.4K || FD $7.5K

Opponent - San Jose Sharks

Markstrom has performed less than desirable this season along with the rest of the Flames. The netminder has lost 4 of his last 5 matches and he is 9-8-4 on the season. However, he did just bounce back in a big way, shutting down the Sharks at San Jose when they had Hertl in the lineup. Tonight, Hertl is out and it is a costly blow to the Sharks who already lack firepower. Tonight will be a pay-up night at the goalie position and Markstrom is in one of the better matchups.                   

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Hart (DK $8.3K || FD $7.6K), Hellebuyck (DK $8.1K || FD $8.7K)

Centers

Nazem Kadri-DK $7.2K || FD $7K

Opponent - San Jose Sharks

We will continue the Flames versus Sharks storyline with Kadri. This is yet another player who has seen a significant drop in production this season, after posting career highs across the board with the Avalanche. The difference was, Kadri had a plethora of talent around him to help carry him when he wasn’t producing, whereas with the Flames he is relied on to be the talent to carry everyone else. Despite the comparisons, Kadri has a good shot at creating a point-streak tonight – 2 assists in San Jose 2 nights ago –. With Tomas Hertl out of the lineup, Logan Couture is expected to take over top-line duties for the 2 games. This provides Kadri with a likely matchup with Nick Bonino. Bonino is not a center someone can rely on and he surely cannot match the aggression and style of Kadri. Add in that the Sharks are the fifth-worst team in the league in Goals Against Per 60 – 3.08 – and this is a premium matchup waiting to explode. In Kadri’s last five games, he has 1 goal, 3 assists, 22 shots and 3 blocked shots.                       

Morgan Frost- DK $3.8K || FD $4.1K

Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets

The Flyers continue to get hit by the anti-luck bug. Whether they lose players to incredibly long injuries or personal reasons or get stuck with John Tortorella as their coach, it is never an easy day as a Flyer. However, players like Frost are able to benefit from this, especially when they finally get some trust on their side again with the stingy head coach. Luck and coaching aside, Frost is one of the most talented players on the Flyers roster right now and he is getting another crack at the top-line, but this time with some teammates who share similar skill sets. In Frost’s last five games, he has 2 goals, 3 assists, 9 shots and 6 blocked shots. The points are starting to come, albeit the majority of them in bunches, but his peripheral stats – shots and blocked shots – are still not up to par. At the salary we are paying for him it is a great spot for the amount of ice time he should see and the Blue Jackets are playing the second-half of a back-to-back. The Blue Jackets are also the second-worst in Shots Against Per 60 – 34.12 –, the fifth-worst in Scoring Chances Against Per 60 – 31.29 – and the worst in Goals Against Per 60 – 3.51 – over the season.     

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Hughes (DK $8.1K || FD $9.6K), Dubois (DK $6.1K || FD $8.6K)

NHL DFS Wings

Dillon Dube- DK $3.8K || FD $5K

Opponent - San Jose Sharks

Dube is the main beneficiary of the lineup juggle, slotting in at the left-wing on the top-line for the Flames. In that span of 3 games since being promoted, he has 1 goal, 4 assists and 7 shots. Prior to the move, he had 12 total points on the season. This is a big bonus for him and the Flames to get some secondary scoring. Luckily, his salary has barely increased, providing us with a solid value play tonight against the hemorrhaging Sharks. As long as Dube remains on the top-line, he is always worth consideration.             

Trevor Moore- DK $4.8K || FD $5.9K

Opponent - Anaheim Ducks

Moore is going to be our risky play of the night. The winger has seen a massive uptick in production this season, however, he is on a 6-game point drought. During that span though, he has 19 shots and 4 blocked shots. He is at least averaging just under 4 shots per game and he gets a juicy matchup against the Ducks’ second-line tonight who doesn’t know what defense is. Moore has also gotten a new teammate in Kevin Fiala over the last few games who should help spark the winger’s point production.        

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Connor (DK $7.7K || FD $9.1K), van Riemsdyk (DK $4.1K || FD $6.4K)

Defense

Tony DeAngelo- DK $5K || FD $6K

Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets

After taking a personal leave of absence, DeAngelo returned in the 6-3 loss to the Rangers over the weekend where he took 2 shots and blocked one shot. It was not the greatest of performances for the defender, however, it is only a meer blemish when looking at his last five games. In that span, he has 1 goal, 3 assists, 12 shots and 4 blocked shots. Neither his point production nor his peripherals are where they need to be. However, he is one of the better producers for the Flyers and as aforementioned, the Blue Jackets are a poor defense and they are playing on the second-half of a back-to-back. For the salary, we are paying for and the role DeAngelo mans, this is a great value play at defense with the possibility of a ceiling performance.     

Drew Doughty- DK $4.7K || FD $5.7K

Opponent - Anaheim Ducks

Out of all of the players to not be producing this season, it comes as a surprise to see Doughty on the list. The veteran and Stanley Cup champion defenseman may have seen his best days as he continues to climb in age. Nevertheless, Doughty is still manning the top power-play for the Kings and he is being given every chance to succeed. We must take advantage of his drop in salary now against one of the worst defenses in the league, the Ducks. Over Doughty’s last five games, he has 2 assists, 11 shots and 11 blocked shots.     

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Perbix (DK $3.6K || FD $4K), Bjork (DK $3.5K || FD $5.2K)

NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks

• LA1
• ANA1
• PHI1
• CGY1

Brandon's Stack of the Day

• PHI: van Riemsdyk-Frost-Konecny

Chalk Stack

• CGY: Huberdeau-Kadri-Toffoli

Sneaky Stack

• LA: Arvidsson-Danault-Moore