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The top daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on February 27, 2025. Brandon's NHL DFS goalies, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
Welcome, RotoBallers! My name is Brandon, and I'll be writing both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer. It is the return of the NHL season, which means it's time to sharpen our 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 for Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. EST. Be sure also to check out RotoBaller's 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], via X @df_solutions, or in our premium Slack chat. Best of luck!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 2/27/25
Tonight, we have a twelve-game slate and two teams playing on a back-to-back, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Tonight’s slate offers value across the board, offering creativity when building lineups.
The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are Vegas with 4.1, Carolina with 4, and Montreal with 3.6. I will do my best to guide you through this twelve-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the NHL news feeds for the latest player status and injury news.
DraftKings and FanDuel Goalies - NHL DFS Picks
Filip Gustavsson - DK $7.6K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Utah Hockey Club
The National Hockey League has entered its crucial stage of the season. Most teams have approximately 20 games left, and plenty are sitting on the playoff bubble or trying to get in. The Minnesota Wild is one of the playoff bubble teams. At the time of writing, Colorado is projected to win their game against New Jersey, putting further pressure on Minnesota. The Wild are also down key players and are turning to Filip Gustavsson to shoulder the brunt of the pressure.
The netminder has a 3-2-0 record in his last five starts with a 2.82 Goals Against Average and a 0.920 Save Percentage. Diving deeper into his most recent ten away starts, he has a 1.26 Goals Against Average, a 0.958 Save Percentage, and a 1.02 Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60. There are only three other goalies on the slate with a better Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 in their last ten respective split starts.
The Utah Hockey Club is currently the top value team when assessing Shots Per Goal Per 60 on the slate with 18 shots. At $7.6K on DraftKings, Gustavsson is expected to reach value.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):
- Vasilevskiy (DK $8.1K || FD $7.9K)
- Dostal (DK $7.3K || FD $7.2K)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NHL DFS Picks
Tomas Hertl - DK $6.2K || FD $6.6K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
Teammate and fellow center Jack Eichel (DK $8K || FD $8.5K) is also worth mentioning in this matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. However, Tomas Hertl has offered a better floor over the last five games. In Hertl’s most recent five outings, he has two goals, one assist, 13 shots, and three blocked shots. The second line center won’t get as good of a matchup as his teammate, however, he will still see time against Chicago’s top line and top pairing.
After conceding five goals in two of his last three starts, Petr Mrazek has been benched for Arvid Soderblom. If the former were to return to the crease, it would be the best scenario for Hertl and the Golden Knights. In Mrazek’s last five away starts, he has a 5.14 Goals Against Average, a 0.832 Save Percentage, and a -2.32 Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60. Easily the worst goalie on the slate. With plenty of ‘chalk’ spots and Eichel to garner a heavy share of ownership, Hertl is the optimal GPP play.
Owen Beck - DK $2.8K || FD N/A
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Through seven total NHL appearances this season, Owen Beck has yet to record a point. However, he has taken seven shots and blocked four shots in his last five games. The young center is projected to rake in the highest ownership on the slate due to his ‘affordable’ salary and premium matchup. In Beck’s last five games, he has seven shots and four blocked shots.
Projected San Jose Sharks starter Alexandar Georgiev is vying for the second-worst goalie on the slate. He has a 3.25 Goals Against Average, a 0.894 Save Percentage, and a -0.37 Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 throughout his last ten away starts. At $2.8K on DraftKings, Beck is expected to reach value within the first period of the game.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Larkin (DK $7.3K || FD $7.1K)
- D. Strome (DK $5.5K || FD $7.4K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks
Alex Ovechkin - DK $7.8K || FD $8.6K
Opponent - St. Louis Blues
Alex Ovechkin is tapping into a completely different level of effort right now. The veteran is now 12 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goal total. In Ovechkin’s most recent five games, he has five goals, three assists, 24 shots, and one blocked shot.
The Blues are proving they are not going away anytime soon with plenty of will left. Projected starter Jordan Binnington is also playing exceptionally well. Despite the visitors being in form, Ovechkin’s will and drive to reach Gretzky’s record are undeniable.
Patrik Laine - DK $5.1K || FD $5.9K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Hopping back over to Montreal, we have winger Patrik Laine. The once-superstar has yet to return to that status. However, he does have four points in his last two games. Currently, he has two goals, two assists, seven shots, and five blocked shots over his last five appearances.
As previously mentioned above, the San Jose Sharks remain a defensive liability game in and game out, and their goaltending is not making things any better. Despite Laine’s inefficiencies this season, he is projected to see high ownership tonight in a premium home matchup against a bottom-2 defense.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Dorofeyev (DK $5.9K || FD $6.4K)
- Kasper (DK $5K || FD $5.4K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks
Lane Hutson - DK $4.7K || FD $5.9K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
The final piece of the Canadiens' puzzle is rookie sensation Lane Hutson. The young blueliner has one goal, two assists, five shots, and nine blocks in his last five appearances. Unfortunately, for daily fantasy purposes and the DraftKings peripherals bonuses, he has yet to pad the stat sheet. Hutson, so far, has been a point-dependent defenseman.
Luckily, he is playing host to arguably the worst defense in the league. The San Jose Sharks, in their last 10 away games, remain a bottom-3 club in both Goals Against Per 60 and Expected Goals Against Per 60. As long as Hutson can produce some sort of peripherals, he is expected to reach value.
Brady Skjei - DK $4K || FD $4.8K
Opponent - Winnipeg Jets
With teammate and fellow defender Roman Josi day-to-day, Brady Skjei could return to the top pairing and top power-play unit for the Nashville Predators. In his first stint this season, Skjei performed underwhelmingly, to say the least. In the four-game absence of Josi, Skjei produced one goal, one assist, eight shots, and five blocked shots. In his last five games, he had a similar lineup with two goals, eight shots, and six blocked shots.
The Winnipeg Jets will make for the perfect opponent for Skjei to reach value, though. In their last three games, excluding splits, they have registered 96 shots, making the DraftKings Shots Blocked Bonus very achievable. If the two-way defenseman can start clicking early, he is expected to surpass value. As always, check for a confirmed ‘OUT’ status for Josi before triggering Skjei in your lineups.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Pietrangelo (DK $5.7K || FD $5.7K)
- Burns (DK $4.8K || FD $5.6K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- VGK1
- MTL1
- CAR1
- BUF1
- PHI1
- VAN1
NHL DFS Stacks of the Day
Brandon's Stack
- MTL: Newhook-Beck-Laine
Chalk Stack
- VGK: Barbashev-Eichel-Olofsson
Sneaky Stack
- PHI: Kuzmenko-Laughton-Konecny
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
