RADIO
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 Thursday, 6th, 2023 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!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 4/6/23
The league is approaching the final stretch run as many teams fight for a date with Lord Stanley and we have already started to see some teams like the Boston Bruins playing their star players less, to rest them for playoffs. This will become a bigger trend as we close in on playoffs and it can impact fantasy in a big way. It is important to understand this when making roster decisions. Tonight we have a 14-game slate with no teams playing on a back-to-back. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: New Jersy with 4.9, Florida with 4.4 and Seattle with 4.4. I will do my best to guide you through this fourteen-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
Goalies
Juuse Saros-DK $7.1K || FD $7.8K
Opponent - Carolina Hurricanes
A normal 10+ game slate can be difficult at times to pick one goalie to focus on, however, a full 14-game slate is nearly impossible with so many options. Despite the large pool to select from, Saros instantly stands out due to his salary. His last five games have not been the strongest, winning just twice, however, he does have a 0.900 Save Percentage or better in three of those games. The Hurricanes are still struggling and they are barely outscoring their opponents over their last five games – 15 to 14 –. This should be a relatively high-event matchup and it is expected that Saros maintains value with his palpable salary.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Oettinger (DK $8.2K || FD $8.1K), Shesterkin (DK $7.9K || FD $8.4K)
Centers
Nathan MacKinnon-DK $9.6K || FD $10.4K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
There is not much of a difference between Tuesday’s article to tonight’s article for MacKinnon. He did not disappoint in the matchup at San Jose with 2 goals, 1 assist and 7 shots. Keep in mind that MacKinnon pulled this off with opposing goalie Kaapo Kahkonen playing out of his mind. If he has anything short of that tonight, the center could be in for an even bigger performance. Teammate Cale Makar is currently out and while he is out, the likes of MacKinnon, Rantanen and Nichushkin are set for a bump in production. In MacKinnon’s last five games, he has 5 goals, 2 assists, 26 shots and 4 blocked shots.
Jack Hughes- DK $8.5K || FD $9.5K
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
Hughes will undoubtedly be the most chalky center or the second-most chalky center on the slate tonight thanks to his favorable matchup at home against Columbus. Hughes has 5 assists, 15 shots and 6 blocked shots through his last five games. Columbus has conceded a slate-high 26 goals in their last five away games, setting up a potentially explosive night for New Jersey. Despite New Jersey breaking a 5-year playoff slump, they can still win the Metropolitan and until that is out of sight, it is expected that they will run their full squad at full throttle.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Miller (DK $6.6K || FD $7.6K), Johnston (DK $4K || FD $4.5K)
Wings
Evan Rodriguez- DK $4.7K || FD $5.5K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Rodriguez is back with Nathan MacKinnon on the top line and he scored once and took three shots in his first game back on Tuesday. With such a massive slate, finding ‘cheap’ players in good spots is even more crucial than before due to the number of different lineups that can ship a tournament. Once again, the Sharks are playing much better defensively over their last 10 games compared to their season averages, however, their goaltending continues to fail them – fifth-worst in Goals Against Per 60 –. With more pressure on MacKinnon and Rantanen to produce with a possibility of no Cale Makar again, Rodriguez will be sure to capitalize on his ice time with them.
Brock Boeser- DK $5.1K || FD $5.9K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
After just stating that it is even more imperative to find ‘gems’ on massive slates like this, we have Brock Boeser barely above $5K on DraftKings. The winger has 3 goals, 3 assists and 15 shots in his last five games. That is solid production at a very manageable salary and in a great matchup tonight at home against the Blackhawks. Chicago is doing everything wrong outside of goaltending. When comparing their last 10 games to their season averages, they are in the bottom five in Shots Against Per 60, Scoring Chances Against Per 60 and High Danger Chances Per 60. Furthermore, in their last five away games, they have been outscored 8 to 21. Combining their poor defense and their poor away form, Boeser is due for a big game tonight.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Bratt (DK $5.4K || FD $6.3K), Dadanov (DK $2.9K || FD $4.2K)
Defense
Samuel Girard- DK $4.1K || FD $4.8K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Teammate Cale Makar did not play in the close 4-3 win over San Jose on Tuesday and in place, Girard saw first-pairing minutes and continued to co-quarterback the second power-play. With the increase in ice time, Girard looked fantastic, playing with confidence and he had 3 blocked shots. Over his last five games, he has 1 goal, 1 assist, 6 shots and 9 blocked shots. In what will be another close matchup, this time in San Jose, Girard will be relied on once again if Makar is ultimately held out. With Colorado locking up playoffs on Tuesday night, it would not be a surprise for Makar to be rested for the majority of games remaining, making Girard a top option on defense for Colorado.
Erik Brannstrom- DK $2.7K || FD $3.9K
Opponent - Florida Panthers
Despite Brannstrom maintaining value on Tuesday with 3 blocked shots, his salary has gone down by $100 tonight in what is arguably an even better matchup. The Panthers are one of the top teams in the league in Shots For Per 60 and Brannstrom is a peripheral player before anything else, sacrificing himself in shooting lanes. In what will be a fast-paced, high-event meeting with the Panthers, Brannstrom is expected to continue to hit value. In his last five games, he has 2 assists, 5 shots and 8 blocked shots.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Carlson (DK 7.3K || FD $7.4K), Severson (DK $3.3K || FD $3.7K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- COL1
- NJ1
- WAS1
- DAL1
- VAN1
- SEA1
- FLA1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- NJ: Hischier-Hughes-Bratt
Chalk Stack
- COL: Rodriguez-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Sneaky Stack
- DAL: Domi-Johnson-Dadanov
