It’s Saturday, and that means some big NHL DFS contests on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo. This four-game slate (FanDuel only) has a lot of traps but some risky rewards too. Let’s get into some top NHL DFS picks for Saturday, 8/15/20, including Nathan MacKinnon, Andrei Svechnikov and Joonas Korpisalo along with some completely different ideas.
There are four games on this slate, which locks at 12:00 p.m. EST. Also, please keep in mind Eastern Conference games are being played in Toronto and Western Conference games in Edmonton.
Note: DraftKings’ slate starts at 3:00 pm ET with just three games — the Carolina-Boston game at Noon is not included.
NHL DFS Picks: Power Plays | Saturday, August 15th
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Pierre-Luc Dubois — CLB vs. TAM — ($5,000 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel)
It remains a low-risk play because Dubois is grossly underpriced on DraftKings and basically average priced on FanDuel ($6,100 per player approximate). The center produced multiple-point efforts in both games of the series so far as Tampa Bay has had trouble adjusting to Columbus’ ability to go from low to high once again. Also, the Columbus power play is more lethal with Dubois just driving Victor Hedman and the Tampa defense crazy.
Among the value centers, Dylan Strome and even Alexander Kerfoot are players to look at again because of matchups.
Nathan MacKinnon — COL vs. ARZ — ($8,500 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel)
MacKinnon scored early in the first period on Friday and remained a force throughout most of the game. He had four scoring chances in all and looked more like the center we are used to seeing. Expect that momentum to carry over into this afternoon. He is one of the biggest fitness nuts in the sport and does not tire easily. Arizona could have their hands full — especially Darcy Kuemper. So far, MacKinnon has a goal and two assists in this series. Could there be an offensive eruption today? It’s possible.
Some have asked about the early Boston and Carolina game and David Krejci keeps jumping out. Krejci just turns it up a notch in the postseason and it comes down to staying healthy. Do watch the status of David Pastrnak as that could slightly impact Krejci’s power-play time and Boston’s strategy. One could argue that Krejci’s power-play presence is sorely needed. Kirby Dach from Chicago could be worth a look as Chicago does have last line change this evening.
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Conor Garland — ARZ vs. COL — ($3,800 DraftKings, $3,900 FanDuel)
It is nice that Garland keeps on fighting despite some curious calls against the forward the last few games. He only has one goal in his last four games but is generating three scoring chances and nearly three shots a game. His speed has caused the Colorado defense some frustration and with some tired legs out there, Garland could thrive even more than usual today. If some feel the value risk is too averse, they can spend up for Clayton Keller, who has enjoyed a nice resurgence this postseason.
Keep an eye on this game. It should be surprising and yes Andre Burakovsky is in play once again as he is below $5,000 on both major platforms. His only risk is that low floor.
Blake Coleman — TAM vs. CLB — ($4,300 DraftKings, $3,500 FanDuel)
Lost in the shuffle that was Thursday night was the fact that Coleman and the Tampa Bay third line generates chances at a blinding rate against Columbus. They are the one line that never plays at the perimeter and the Blue Jackets cannot contain them. Their only problem is scoring. Coleman did have six shots on goal and four scoring chances. Someone is going to hit Tampa Bay three one of these nights and cash in like earlier in the week.
To save a few more bucks, look at choices like Liam Foudy and Alex Killorn from this game alone. For FanDuel purposes, see if David Pastrnak plays and then plug in an Anders Bjork perhaps or Ondrej Kase. The split options do make an impact and alter roster construction. Keep that in mind.
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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Vladislav Gavrikov — CLB vs. TAM — ($2,800 DraftKings, $3,600 FanDuel)
The Columbus second pairing is vulnerable but that means they could block a good number of shots as Tampa Bay focuses their attack on Gavrikov and David Savard. Savard is slightly higher priced and has a bit more offensive upside. However, Gavrikov has a pretty good shot of his own. He just has to utilize it more. The bare minimum price is hard to overlook as the Columbus defenseman frees up a lot of money to spend anywhere else.
Also, consider Duncan Keith with the last line change for Chicago, Torey Krug as a FanDuel only play along with Dougie Hamilton. Finally, one can take a flier on Nate Schmidt if desperate enough.
Cale Makar — COL vs. ARZ — ($6,000 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel)
This is a moderately risky play at a pretty high price. Makar is a solid value on FanDuel yet risky on DraftKings. The problem is who knows how Darcy Kuemper will fare. Consider how Cam Talbot bounced back last night against Dallas (with a shutout). These playoffs do offer unexpected twists that catch everyone off guard. Makar is still creating scoring chances at the least (both on the man advantage and at even strength).
Also, consider Shea Theodore among the high-priced options on this slate. At some point, he will start to produce for Vegas as his shot is too consistent to be this erratic for this long.
Stacks for DraftKings + FanDuel
TB3 — Blake Coleman – Yanni Gourde – Barclay Goodrow
This is still an inexpensive line given their production and Columbus has not been able to slow them down. They will not see much power play time in this series but their even-strength impacts have been more than measurable. Consider that Coleman had six shots on net with nine attempts in Game 2. They are a cheap option to use as a mini-stack with Gourde and Coleman even. Most know the higher-dollar stacks but the lower-dollar stacks is where the true money is.
CAR 2 — Andrei Svechnikov – Martin Necas – Vincent Trocheck
This is a solid trio that had a limited amount of shifts in Game 2 and yet made a big dent in Boston’s defense. It was Svechnikov and Necas who did most of the damage when they teamed up on a goal in the Game 2 win. Necas is just a better player when Svechnikov is on the ice with him. He needs a sniper to go with his playmaking abilities. Also, expect Svechnikov to float between the top two lines at times and garner power-play time. Trocheck is a wildcard here but he is hitting the net more often against Boston and can be a floor threat, too (four blocks in Game 1, five shots in Game 2). Again, this is a FanDuel only stack.
For another line to look at, take a peak at Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith from Vegas going against the Chicago defense once more.
