🏒 Power Plays: NHL DFS Picks for DraftKings + FanDuel | Auston Matthews 3/14/21

Sunday in the NHL brings us a five-game slate to prepare for. With so many games to sift through, it’s important to make sure your research is on point and you’re targeting the best NHL DFS picks for you DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. To help guide you along the way, we’ve outlined some of the top plays at each position, as well as some of the top stacks to look toward based off Alex “Awesemo” Baker’s expert tools.

Let’s get into the picks for Sunday, March 14.

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NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Stacks | March 14

NHL DFS Picks: Center

Dylan Larkin (DET vs. CAR)

DraftKings – $5,400

FanDuel – $5,400

One thing to do here is to just give Larkin a shot. He is essentially trying to shoot his way out of a slump. He has nearly 4 shots a game in his last 11 contests. While goals and assists have been far less consistent for him, the scoring chances have steadily increased throughout the season. He has goals in consecutive games for what feels like the first time all season. Detroit and Larkin play better at home; he has 5 goals and 10 points in 14 games in Detroit.

This is a game and a slate where looking more into the contrarian picks may pay off a bit more. Keep in mind, a few teams are on the back end of back-to-backs too. With Vincent Trocheck out for Carolina, does Jordan Staal take that step forward Sunday evening? He is around the same price point as Larkin. One can piggyback Filip Zadina on to their lineups at just $3,900 on DraftKings. Also, Zadina carries a three-game point streak into this contest.

Auston Matthews (TOR at OTT)

DraftKings – $9,300

FanDuel – $9,100

Matthews gets what we call a “Golden Unicorn” matchup against the Senators. Ottawa gives up the most DFS points to centers by a solid margin (even more on DraftKings). Matthews has 6 goals, 10 points, 30 shots on net and 19 scoring chances. Plus, Matthews is averaging the DraftKings shot bonus every time out. Three of his 6 goals and 1 assist came on the man advantage.

Ottawa allows a league-worst 4.03 goals per game. They are the only team to yield more than 4 goals per game, and though that number is a hair lower at home, they still rank 27th in shots on goal. Furthermore, they are 29th in unblocked shot attempts and 25th on the penalty kill. Combine that with the fact that Ottawa takes the fifth-most minors in the league, and there is a recipe for much Toronto success offensively.

If one wants to climb down for value, there are centers like Jason Spezza ($3,200 on DraftKings). Spezza provides salary relief and power-play prowess. He does qualify as a wing on DraftKings, so keep that in mind. Travis Zajac at just $2,500 on DraftKings has 5 assists in his last three games, but that is a total punt play. For the upper echelon, Nathan MacKinnon ranks right behind Matthews on Sunday and created a ton of problems for the Los Angeles defense in their last meeting.

NHL DFS Picks: Winger

Mikko Rantanen (COL vs LAK)

DraftKings – $7,700

FanDuel – $8,100

One of my favorite reasons to roster Rantanen is his shot from the wing creates rebounds off of goalies so often. Besides that, he is still cranking around 3.5 shots per game. Also, Rantanen has 6 goals and 14 points in his last 10 games (a few were without MacKinnon). The DraftKings shot bonus could be in play again on Sunday, as he hit it on Friday.

The chance volume is over 3 a night as well, which makes him an instant threat to create his own offense and feed off of MacKinnon, whether on the top line or top power-play unit. Both center and winger draw a ton of penalties, which could set up even more opportunities tonight. If Los Angeles’ goaltending does not hold up, it could be a long night for the Kings and a good one for the Colorado top trio.

Mitch Marner utilized in the right spot in one’s lineup is not a bad idea either. Marner is right around the price of Rantanen on Sunday, and his production is as well.


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Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI vs NJ)

DraftKings – $3,100

FanDuel – $3,800

It is always worrisome when recommending young wingers who do not see much ice time. Wahlstrom averages just over 11 minutes a night, but his impact is quick and decisive. He had 4 shots and a goal versus New Jersey on Saturday, and he will have no fatigue as he played so little. That serves him well, as Barry Trotz has utilized him well and puts him in good situations. Wahlstrom attacks opposing defenses out wide so well but surprisingly can get in front of the net quickly and with physicality.

One should still explore around value tiers on Saturday night. Wahlstrom may even see power-play time at some point on Sunday. New Jersey is one of the worst teams defensively in the league. If it were not for their goaltending, they would allow around 4 goals a night or more. Pavel Zacha from New Jersey is another possibility, but his shot volume and expected goals are hit and miss. Martin Necas against a softer Detroit defense could also benefit and has a reasonable FanDuel price at just $4,500.

[osBestBetsSingleGameOdds league=”nhl” date=”03/14/2021″ team=”islanders”]

NHL DFS Picks: Defense

Devon Toews (COL vs LAK)

DraftKings – $5,500

FanDuel – $4,700

With Cale Makar still injured, Toews takes much of the two-way responsibility from the blue line. The good is that he shoots and blocks shots at a rate of 2 apiece per night. He even has 5 assists in seven games during the month of March. Though goals are not his strong suit, Toews provides enough floor to insulate himself from too many awful DFS nights.

The good news on Sunday is there is lots to pick from. Just look at pricing first. For example, Dougie Hamilton is $7,100 on DraftKings but just $5,900 on FanDuel. The shots bonus is probably out of reach, but Hamilton has a good chance for at least a point, along with his good floor. One might look at Drew Doughty for blocked shots. An intriguing choice could be Jake Muzzin, who occasionally fills up categories very well for Toronto and is a little less than $5,000.

Nikita Zaitsev (OTT vs TOR)

DraftKings – $4,000

FanDuel – $3,700

Zaitsev is our all-or-nothing value pick defensively on Sunday. He has no goals but 11 assists on the year and blocks a number of shots. Toronto loves to shoot the puck, and Ottawa loves to yield shots. If the big Ottawa defenseman manages to get a few pucks on the goal, that’s a bonus. For DraftKings in particular, one needs just 3 blocks to hit the boost. That may not be too difficult Sunday night.

For another alternative, Filip Hronek has 4 assists in his last two games, and though he won’t score goals, he will at least get a shot or two on goal and block a shot. It’s not much of a floor, but it is something for less than $4,000. Remember, this is as much about finding value to spend it elsewhere.

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Top Goalies

Jonathan Bernier (DET vs CAR)

DraftKings – $6,900

FanDuel – $6,600

This is a good matchup for  Bernier at home. He stopped 40 of 44 shots in his last start to get the win against Tampa Bay. It will not be easy versus Carolina, but shot volume could be 35-plus for Bernier Sunday evening. It is all about trying to get bonuses and volume in any way. The low price helps as well.

It will be vital to check on confirmed goaltenders tonight. In the case Thomas Greiss starts, pivoting up to Ilya Sorokin (pending confirmation) may be worth it. Then there is Scott Wedgewood if there is an ultimate risk. The question is, can the Islanders generate the volume on the back end of a back-to-back to warrant the risk of a New Jersey goaltender at home (just two wins on the season)?

Top Stacks

TOR PP1: Matthews -Marner – Thornton – Rielly (Kicker)

Watch to see if Spezza on to the top power-play unit. If he does in warmups, then pivot in him for salary relief. That will allow one to plug in Matthews and Marner. Using Morgan Rielly as the defensive kicker could be an option if Joe Thornton stays on the top power play. Ottawa’s penalty kill is among the five worst in the league and again among the five worst in taking penalties. Their unblocked shot attempts allowed on the man disadvantage is the second worst on this slate. Only New Jersey is worse.

CAR 1: Necas – Aho – Niederreiter

There are probably two Carolina lines in play Sunday evening, but the top line has a hair more power-play correlation with Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter playing together. That is of course pending warmups. One can use Hamilton or even Brett Pesce as a defensive option. Better options may exist on the slate, but price per dollar is important here. Aside from Toronto, Carolina has the best chance to generate shots on the slate.


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