DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS Power Plays, Saturday 4/13

This NHL Saturday features something special here. It is a true birthday narrative — as in my birthday. First off, let me remind you of the Votts media list and a few links to follow on this edition of NHL Power Plays. DFS players take notice of any and all changes.

When you are making your teams, one needs to make sure your goalie is confirmed and starting. Sites like Dailyfaceoff.com, Leftwinglock.com, and Goaliepost.com are great places for information. Another great source exists in the form of team beat writers. Jeff has created a list on Twitter @Votts_DFS for all of the NHL teams, and a separate list of all the beat writers for you to follow, it’s a great tool and a necessity. The advanced stats that I use and reference in this article come from Corsica.hockey and naturalstattrick.com.

If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me on our premium Slack chat, or you can contact me on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS.

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A Quick NHL Note Or Two…

The picks below cover the Saturday night slate. FanDuel is only a three-game slate not four like DraftKings.

Full NHL Schedule For Saturday, April 13, 2019

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Prices are in DraftKings format unless noted. FanDuel prices will be included as well.

NHL DFS GPP Plays For Saturday

High Priced Shots

John Tavares ($6,700) — Tavares is $8,300 on FanDuel but little of that matters now. Expecting a high-octane Game 2 where guys like Tavares, Bergeron, and Matthews are almost interchangeable is fine. Consider that on DraftKings, these three are priced close to each other. Tavares hit the net a half dozen times in Game one and seemed to find ways to get open in the slot. Boston must defend that better or Tavares will be able to set up shop early and often.

Saturday NHL Lock?

Mitch Marner ($6,300) — Marner becomes the answer to who is the one player Boston cannot defend. Overall, the winger now has 29 points in 20 meetings against the Bruins. This includes over a third of those points from special teams. The problem is Boston does not have a shutdown pairing that can slow down a player of Marner’s caliber when he is on his game. It is partially why Marner’s price has spiked to $8,400 on FanDuel. He generates tons of chances and maybe Toronto’s best player versus Boston.

John Carlson ($5,900) — Carlson garners value because he is everywhere offensively. Yes, his defensive game leaves much risk but in DFS, few care about that. Game one saw the defenseman tally three assists, three shots, and two blocked shots. He created four scoring chances and led directly to the two Nicklas Backstrom goals. The first half of Game 1 was much like that as the Backstrom line and Carlson at times looked like they were playing catch on the ice. If Carolina does not stop that, Carlson will become even more chalky than he is now.

FanDuel Risky NHL Play (FanDuel Price in parentheses)

Alexander Radulov ($7,100) — Radulov’s price has steadied despite a six-game point streak. One of the strange things about Radulov is that this year, he finds ways to manufacture points even better than last season. Also, he averages three shots a game and over a block a game as well. It is that floor which catches many off guard. He has double-digit FanDuel points in five consecutive games. Radulov nabbed 20 FanDuel points in Game 1 by the way or $350 per point. That equals elite value.

Into The Middle

Mikael Backlund ($5,100) — Generally, Backlund gets underpriced often because he is on the second line but they forget he plays with Mathew Tkachuk. Also, Backlund can flat out dominate depth matchups as he did on Wednesday against Colorado. Backlund fired seven shots on net, scored, and had five scoring chances. That makes a sneaky and good mini stack especially because of the lower DraftKings pricing.

Mats Zuccarello ($5,200) — Zuccarello played less than 14 minutes but scored on his one shot. Expect a bigger role in Game 2. His speed seemed to dizzy the Nashville forwards and defensemen alike. There were few answers and thankfully Zuccarello did not play several more minutes. He might on Saturday. Jamie Benn becomes a cheaper mini-stack option on DraftKings because of again, that lower price. The FanDuel price at $6,400 is okay but a bit high. Benn would be the pivot if one feels Zuccarello may not generate a lot of shots. Or perhaps a Filip Forsberg/Victor Arvidsson combination.

DraftKings Friendly

Andrei Svechnikov ($4,200) — Goals are king in DFS GPP’s. However, shots on goal do not hurt either, especially with the potential for long overtime contests. Svechnikov is a young winger made for the second season. He has speed, a lethal shot, and no reservations about playing in the danger areas. Svechnikov lasered two third-period goals in Game 1 that still have people talking. He has a Joe Sakic like release with an Alexander Ovechkin like shot. This is a borderline value play because of the price but Carolina’s most dynamic forward right now may just be the rookie.

Throwing Some Darts

Karson Kuhlman ($3,100) — Kuhlman did not look out of place in Game one. He delivered several hits, scoring chances, and shots. The rookie winger nearly scored in the third period which would have rocketed him past his projection. Toronto’s defense or sometimes lack of may benefit Kuhlman especially if he continues to get some top-six minutes at even strength.

Roope Hintz ($3,200) — The center fired in six shots and a block then a post in Game 1. Nashville had few answers to slow him down honestly and he could get more chances in Game 2 if the Predators do not adjust. This comes down to Nashville clamping down on slot defense which featured quite a number of lapses.

Miro Heiskanen ($4,200) — Heiskanen should be up a notch or two here but he goes under the radar always. He was “Miro The Hero” in Game 1 as he lifted Dallas when they needed a spark. This young defenseman will only continue to improve and this first impression in a playoff game was a lasting one. His $4,600 FanDuel price even exudes a value play on Saturday night.

Grading The NHL Goalies

Looking towards the lesser goalies tonight might actually pay off in GPP’s. Do not stray too far from what works. Ben Bishop as a GPP play again is not a bad idea and Mike Smith is an adventure but a good one in net. When it comes to career numbers in the playoffs, Mike Smith has an astonishing save percentage (19 games played but still).

Again, confirmations are a different animal in the playoffs. Most “starters” will play barring something unforeseen. Even with Carolina, it appears Petr Mrazek will start again against Washington, for example. The question is if Nashville continues to sputter, when do we see Juuse Saros?

The slate offers up a few ways to get fancy. Value is surprisingly abundant even in net. Even Ben Bishop is unusually priced ($7,200 on DraftKings). Yes, it is Nashville but did anyone watch Game 1? Maybe they did not.

More picks and choices will be available on Slack and social media later. The key for Saturday is patience with the NHL Power Plays.