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 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 on Wednesday, May, 10th, 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], via Twitter @df_solutions, or in our premium Slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 5/10/23
The National Hockey League playoffs have yet to disappoint this season – depending on who your team is – as it flaunts its competitive parity with multiple upsets in the first round, notably Presidents’ Trophy winner Boston Bruins and reigning champions Colorado Avalanche.
During the playoffs, it is much more common to find low-scoring and heavy-hitting games. Keep in mind that teams who showcase a high aptitude to score goals will play much tighter and be a bit pickier with their shots. Tonight we have a 2-game slate as we head to the middle of Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs. I will do my best to guide you through this two-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.
Playoff Series Standings
Vegas Golden Knights 2 at Edmonton Oilers 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 0 at Florida Panthers 3
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky - DK $7.5K || FD $7.9K
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
The Panthers are on the verge of making history in the franchise, by sweeping their first-ever series if they manage to win Game 4 tonight. This would also be their sixth-ever playoff series win in their franchise history and one series closer to tying their best-ever playoff run – Stanley Cup Finals loss to Colorado Avalanche 1995-1996 –. All of this had been done with a brick wall in the net named Sergei Bobrovsky. He is looking like prime Bob right now with a 0.917 Save Percentage or better in each game this series. Furthermore, out of all goalies starting 5 or more games in the playoffs, Bobrovsky is the second-best in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 – 0.816 –. The Maple Leafs have multiple players injured and playing at home with the chance to write history as mentioned, is a big spot for Bobrovsky to shine.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Skinner (DK $8.2K || FD $8.1K)
Centers
Sam Bennett - DK $5.1K || FD $6.1K
Opponent - Florida Panthers
How does that saying go, ‘It’s like beating a dead horse’? Bennett continues to be mentioned and it is impossible to not mention the second line center. Despite his continued production, he has seen a decrease in salary on DraftKings, now $5.1K. In 3 games this series, he has 1 goal, 1 assist, 10 shots and 5 blocked shots. Those are stellar peripherals for a center who is relied on the majority of the time for his offense. Out of all lines in the playoffs with at least 16 TOI, Tkachuk-Bennett-Verhaeghe is the second-best line with a 79.3 Percent Expected Goals Percentage with Faksa-Glendening-Dellandrea of the Dallas Stars being the only other line that is better – thanks to their defensive efforts –. Florida has averaged 3 goals per game against the Maple Leafs this round and Joseph Woll who lost his last two starts in the regular season to a combined score of 5-10 is starting in place of Ilya Samsonov. This is the spot to attack.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): McDavid (DK $9.7K || FD $9.9K), Stephenson (DK $4.2K || FD $5.8K)
Wings
Leon Draisaitl - DK $8K || FD $9.4K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
The ‘German Giant’ is carrying the Oilers in every facet of their offense right now. In 3 games versus the Golden Knights, he has 6 goals, 12 shots and 2 blocked shots and dating back to the start of the postseason, in 9 games, he has 13 goals, 4 assists, 37 shots and 6 blocked shots. There is zero doubt that he will continue this production as long as Edmonton remains in the playoffs. As mentioned, after the first game of the winger joining linemate Connor McDavid, their chemistry is undeniable and they will need to refocus coming off an embarrassing 5-1 loss at home on Monday. It is imperative for Edmonton that they win this before heading back to Vegas for Game 5 and Draisiaitl is expected to be at the center of any offense for the Oilers.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Verhaeghe (DK $5.6K || FD $6.7K), Stone (DK $5.3K || FD $5.8K)
Defense
Evan Bouchard - DK $4.9K || FD $5.4K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
After seeing quite the uptick in salary, Bouchard has dropped a bit to $4.9K on DraftKings. Albeit it is a small decline, it is still worth mentioning as it will help him maintain value easier. The defenseman has been a completely different player since the end of the regular season and he has transcended his play in the postseason. In 3 games versus the Golden Knights, he has 1 goal, 3 assists, 6 shots and 2 blocked shots and in 9 games in the playoffs, he has 3 goals, 11 assists, 19 shots and 10 blocked shots. Bouchard has been a large part of the Oilers’ success this year in the playoffs and he will be relied upon in a big Game 4 at home.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Rielly (DK $5K || FD $5.9K), Martinez (DK $3.9K || FD $4.8K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- FLA1
- EDM1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- EDM: Draisaitl-McDavid-Bouchard
Chalk Stack
- FLA: Tkachuk-Bennett-Verhaeghe
Sneaky Stack
- TOR: Kerfoot-O’Reilly-Acciari
