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 Thursday, May, 18th, 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 5/18/23
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 commence the start of the Conference Finals with a warm welcome to PNC Arena where the Carolina Hurricanes will play host to the Florida Panthers for Game 1 and 2. I will do my best to guide you through this showdown slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 8:00 p.m. EST.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk.
Playoff Series Standings
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes
NHL DFS Core Plays- Showdown Edition For 5/18/2023
Captain
Sam Bennett - DK $11.7K || FD $10.5K
Bennett has been a force for the Panthers in the playoffs and at the start of the postseason, this article listed him as an ‘x-factor’ for Florida and he has not disappointed thus far. In 11 games, he has 4 goals, 4 assists, 36 shots and 8 blocked shots. It certainly helps that he is centering one of the ‘elite’ wingers of the league, Matthew Tkachuk. Carolina’s second line has seen its ups and downs and they will struggle to keep Bennett and company grounded. This will be the spot to attack once more as we kick off the Eastern Conference Finals.
Matthew Tkachuk - DK $14.7K || FD $15.5K
As mentioned above, Tkachuk is considered one of the ‘elite’ wingers in the NHL and this season and more specifically this postseason he has shown why. In 12 games in the playoffs, he has 5 goals, 11 assists, 35 shots and 4 blocked shots. Throughout the playoffs and all offensive lines with at least 14 TOI, the Tkachuk-Bennet-Verhaeghe line is the second-best in Expected Goal Percentage – 80 Percent –. As mentioned, Carolina’s second line isn’t the best defensively and they will struggle to contain the dynamic second line of the Florida Panthers.
Brent Burns - DK $14.4K || FD $12K
Carolina for the most part has gotten production from all over their lineup in the playoffs. However, defender and veteran, Brent Burns has been the most consistent player. Through 11 games he has 2 goals, 6 assists, 41 shots and 14 blocked shots. His point production is nowhere near what it used to be, although he is making it up tenfold in peripherals. Burns has had his hand in the offense plenty this season and he will be one of the main catalysts for Carolina in this series. Throughout the playoffs in all defensive pairings with at least 14 TOI, the Slavin-Burns pairing is in the top 20 in Expected Goal Percentage – 59.4 Percent – and if you look at the remaining 4 teams in the playoffs, that pairing ranks third-best.
Value Plays
Jordan Staal - DK $4.4K || FD $7K
Staal has been and will always be the sneaky difference-maker for a team. In 11 games in the postseason, he has 2 goals, 6 assists, 17 shots and 10 blocked shots. The third line center plays a pivotal role in shutting down the top lines first and foremost with offense coming second. It will be interesting to see exactly who his wingers are heading into the Eastern Conference Finals since his line of Martinook-Staal-Fast was the eleventh-best in Expected Goals Percentage – 71.1 Percent – before Martinook and Fast were moved off his line. It can be expected that Staal should see a fair bit of Florida’s second line as well.
Anthony Duclair - DK $5.2K || FD $8.5K
Duclair has been inconsistent throughout his career, however, his time with the Panthers has been his most successful stint in the league. He is also coming into the Eastern Conference Finals on a high note with 1 goal, 3 assists, 8 shots and 2 blocked shots in 5 games during Round 2. Despite his strong skill set, Duclair does not shoot very often and instead looks for passing lanes, limiting his ceiling. The top line matchup for both teams will be intriguing as they can have massive nights or go very cold. Duclair is a top value play game in and game out. In 11 games in the playoffs, he has 2 goals, 4 assists, 19 shots and 8 blocked shots.
Teuvo Tervainen - DK $4.8K || FD $6K
Teravainen is the ultimate value play if he manages to suit up for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight. The winger suffered a broken hand in Game 2 of Round 1 and he has not played since. This year for Teravainen has been a surprisingly down year for the winger – 12 goals and 25 assists in 70 games – after 5 straight successful seasons where he managed close to a point-per-game pace – something he has yet to achieve –. If he does manage to play tonight, he will either slot in on the top line or the second line for the Hurricanes.
Brandon's Stacks
- FLA PP1: Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk
- CAR3: Teravainen-Staal-Necas
- CAR PP1: Burns-Aho-Jarvis
- FLA1: Verhaeghe-Barkov-Duclair
