It’s Friday, and that means some big NHL DFS contests on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo. This evening’s main slate has a lot of traps but some risky rewards, too. Let’s get into some top NHL DFS picks for Friday, Aug. 21, including Ryan O’Reilly, Carey Price, andElias Pettersson, along with some completely different ideas.
There are two games on this slate which locks at 7:00 p.m. ET. Also, please keep in mind Eastern Conference games are being played in Toronto and Western Conference games in Edmonton.
Here is tonight’s schedule. Once again, the home team just has the luxury of last line change
NHL Schedule for Friday, Aug. 21
| AWAY – Opening Line | O/U | HOME | TIME – EDT |
| Philadelphia  -135 | 5,0 | Montreal | 7:00 p.m. |
| St. Louis  -140 | 5.0 | Vancouver | 9:45 p.m. |
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Ryan O’Reilly — STL vs. VAN — ($5,900 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel)
This is going to be a different slate so taking risks is welcome here. O’Reilly can be a bit hit or miss but he has three goals and seven points in his last four games. He has been the focal point of the Blues’ offense. Vancouver has had a difficult time stopping him. He even has 3-plus shots in the last three contests and hit the shot bonus on DraftKings in Game 5. There is a reason why St. Louis won the Stanley Cup last season and a big part was the center.
Pivoting to some of the middle-six centers could be prudent but my advice is this. It will be interesting to see what players like Nick Suzuki and Kevin Hayesmay do.Â
Elias Pettersson — VAN vs. STL — ($7,000 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)
Pettersson is the highest priced center on the slate and for good reason. He has the most upside even if he does not shoot as much as some other top-flight pivots. He has seven points in five games against the Blues and has been a threat every time the center is on the ice. His chance rates are the best on this slate by far and his ability to generate only goes up even more on the man advantage. The St. Louis penalty kill has been vulnerable all series along — especially on high-to-low plays with the lively boards.
Some have asked about going too far down and the answer there is honestly, punt plays do not exist on this slate. There are only two games so looking for mid-tier options like the ones mentioned above are a more solid plan. Keep it simple until some of the line shifts are fully confirmed. There is time.
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Jakub Voracek — PHI vs. MTL — ($5,200 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel)
It is a huge risk to look at Voracek here (especially on FanDuel) but this may be worth that danger anyway. The Montreal penalty kill is in shambles and if Philadelphia is going to score a lot, the power play must be heavily involved. That means Voracek is vital to their success as he just seems to score on the man advantage like its berserker mode. He has five points in the previous three contests with 3+ shots in each of those games.
Keep an eye on this game. Scoring volatility could go bonkers here or fall flat. The first ten minutes should give one an idea how this may go. See if Joel Farabee plays as he could be a way down value option on Friday.
Sammy Blais — STL vs. VAN — ($2,700 DraftKings, $3,700 FanDuel)
Lost in the crazy is the fact that Blais has points in three of the last four. That means he hits value by default at that point. This comes down to ice time. If he plays 13 minutes or so, Blais should be able to generate some chances given his ability to throw his weight around along with above average hands. The St. Louis winger has a better shot than given credit for and even saw a shift or two on the top line the other night and he did not look out of place.
To save a few more bucks, look at value options like Robert Thomas, Joel Armia, or even Jake Virtanen. Among the higher priced wingers there are the usual suspects like JT Miller, Travis Konecny, and even David Perron.
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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Quinn Hughes — VAN vs. STL — ($5,300 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel)
This is a play to keep plugging in until he gets some points. Hughes has 13 shots on goal in his last three games including two 5 shot efforts. The chances have been there in abundance as he has led all defensemen in his series in scoring chances along with high-danger chances. Furthermore, the looks have been there. It comes down to the execution. Can Hughes find the range as they say? It is an intriguing gamble to roll the dice on here.
Also, consider Alexander Edler but make sure he plays first. It was hinted he might or might not be in the lineup after taking a number of stitches in Game 5.
Shayne Gostisbehere — PHI vs. MTL — ($3,600 DraftKings, $4,000 FanDuel)
This is an extreme risk play on Friday, as Gostisbehere can be extremely inconsistent. He has exceeded value in two of his last three starts and has developed a bit more of a floor against Montreal than usual. At his price, it may be worth to try and plug him in anyway. He had four shots and four blocks in the last game plus hit a post and a crossbar. If any of those shots went in, his price would be a good bit higher right now.
Also, consider  Chris Tanev from Vancouver or perhaps even Jeff Petry from Montreal. It is tough to trust the St. Louis defensemen right now but Alex Pietrangelo is the most reliable under normal circumstances. In an elimination game, does he continue to shoot the puck at will and rack up points? That’s a great question.
NHL DFS Picks: Stacks
PHI PP1 — Joel Farabee – Claude Giroux – Sean Couturier – Jakub Voracek
This is more expensive than any power play on the night. However, they are the chalk and in the best possible matchup. Montreal’s penalty kill numbers rank badly away from home (77% since Jan. 1). They rank near or at the bottom in every single penalty kill metric. There is a way to look at Philadelphia’s second unit but it is the first that monopolizes the ice time and scoring chances. Staying away from Giroux helps alleviate some of the price as well along with employing Farabee who is a nice punt here.
VAN 1 — Elias Pettersson – JT Miller – Brock Boeser
This is a solid trio that has generated chances well against the St. Louis top defensive pairing. At some point though, Boeser is going to have to shoot the puck more. He has had chances and that has led to some speculation he may be injured. The real speculation there has been on Miller who looks like he cannot take face-offs. Either way, this is the line that has to step up and perform (particularly Boeser who is highest risk with only a handful of shots over the past three games).
Looking for more NHL DFS picks content? We’ve got loads of articles, data, cheatsheets and more on the Awesemo NHL home page, just click HERE. Finally, goalies will be updated in Slack and on social media as confirmations will be tougher with the staggered schedule.
