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 Tuesday, June, 13, 2023, at 8:00 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 6/13/23
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 Vegas has the chance to win their first-ever Stanley Cup and they have the chance to do so at home. 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 1 at Vegas Golden Knights 3
NHL DFS Core Plays- Showdown Edition For 6/13/2023
Captain
Sam Bennett - DK $12K || FD $10.5K
Some will wonder if another repeat performance will come from Bennett in a do-or-die scenario tonight, however, his 1 shot and 1 blocked shot will be more or less an outlier in his stretch of postseason appearances this season. The center is averaging just over 3 shots per game and if linemate Matthew Tkachuk is ruled out for tonight, Bennett will carry the bulk of the offense for the second line and be relied upon heavily. In the 4 games this series, he has 2 assists, 12 shots and 3 blocked shots.
Mark Stone - DK $12.3K || FD $12K
As a pure ownership play at captain, we will pivot to Mark Stone and away from Jonathan Marchessault. Both players are having tremendous runs in the playoffs with Marchessault leading the way in points for Vegas. However, everyone knows that he is doing well so we will leave him for the FLEX position instead and focus on Mark Stone who is flying under the radar. In four games in the Finals, he has 1 goal, 4 assists, 6 shots and 4 blocked shots. There are pros and cons to this stat line. Many are used to Stone firing 50 shots off a game, however, he has refined his game to provide a wider range of skills. This helps him provide more value when assessing peripherals – shots and blocked shots –. He is also not being as greedy anymore which has helped his point production. In a Game 5 in Vegas to potentially secure their first-ever Stanley Cup, expect Stone to go full out more so than he has.
Adin Hill - DK $15.6K || FD $K
Goalies are not the most ideal option when playing showdown slates and especially at CAPTAIN. However, it provides a huge edge if they manage to have a big game and Hill is no stranger to that. The netminder has held Florida to two goals in all but one game – the only loss he has –. Many believe that had teammate Laurent Brossoit not gotten injured, Vegas may not be where they are now and that goes to Hill’s credit. Throughout the playoffs with goalies playing at least eight games, Hill is the third-best in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 – 0.577 –. As mentioned above, Vegas has the chance to secure their first-ever Cup in their young life in the league and to do so at home. Florida player Matthew Tkachuk has the potential of sitting out tonight, eliminating a big offensive weapon. If Vegas wins tonight, it will be on the back of Hill.
Value Plays
Carter Verhaeghe - DK $7.8K || FD $11.5K
Another player that will need to step up if teammate Matthew Tkachuk is out is Carter Verhaeghe and he ultimately needs to step up in general. The winger has been quiet in the playoffs – outside of his bursts of production – and especially the Finals, despite averaging 3 shots per game. In his four games against Vegas, he has 1 goal, 1 assist, 13 shots and 1 blocked shot and throughout the playoffs, he has 7 goals, 10 assists and 56 shots in 20 games. If Tkachuk is ruled out, it will be up to Verhaeghe and Bennett to carry the second line and the bulk of the offensive production for Florida.
Sam Reinhart - DK $7.2K || FD $9.5K
Reinhart has made a return to the top line after the experiment of Verhaeghe-Barkov-Duclair failed miserably. In Reinhart’s first game back with Barkov, he had 1 shot and 3 blocked shots. The most notable part of this stat line is the 3 blocked shots. Reinhart is not known for being a grinder and a shot blocker, as he was drafted for his offensive skill set. If he continues this style of play, his ceiling and the line’s ceiling, in general, will be drastically limited. Florida does need a massive win in Vegas though and Reinhart will be given every chance to succeed. At this salary on the top line, it is hard to pass up.
Jonathan Marchessault - DK $9.6K || FD $13K
As mentioned in the Mark Stone highlight, Marchessault dropped down to the FLEX spot for ownership reasons and nothing else. The winger is flying in the playoffs and is one of the major reasons that Vegas is on the brink of winning their first-ever Cup and in ironic fashion, it is against the team that gave Vegas Marchessault in the Expansion Draft. In the 4 games in the Finals, he has 4 goals, 3 assists and 12 shots. Surprisingly, the line of Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault is only seeing a 55.2 Percent Expected Goals Percentage, most likely due to Barbashev being on the line. Despite it being lower than expected, it is still above 50 Percent and tonight it is expected that they will add to it.
Brandon's Stacks
- FLA PP1: Verhaeghe-Bennett-Barkov
- VGK PP1: Stone-Eichel-Marchessault
