Saturdays are usually a full day of NHL DFS hockey. Today is no different with a four-game early slate that locks at 1 p.m. EST, and a seven-game main slate that locks at 7 p.m. EST. The main slate is the primary focus for today’s Power Plays article. In this Power Plays article, the goal is to highlight several NHL DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy hockey tournaments. Using Awesemo’s premium proprietary player projections (FREE TODAY) and the Top Stacks Tool, we will highlight several players and situations that will help your team rocket up the leaderboard.
If you’re looking for early slate news and notes, I’ll be in our premium Slack channel before lock and will break the slate down together with the community.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial fantasy hockey lineup information in the 20-30 minutes leading up to every game’s lock. With the COVID-19 pandemic still looming, teams have taxi squads and are ready to fill positions daily as teams scratch players. Our Slack chat is hands down one of the best places to get fantasy hockey news and line change notifications.
NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | March 27
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Connor McDavid (EDM @ TOR)
DraftKings – $9,000
FanDuel – $9,200
McDavid leads the league with 60 points on the year, and the next-closest player to him is his line mate Leon Draisaitl at 50. At that pace, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it’s safe to say he should carry that lead for the remainder of the season. He’s also tied with Auston Matthews with 21 goals on the season. McDavid has been a shot machine, averaging over four shots a game over the last 10. He’s riding a nine-game point streak with a ridiculous 20 points in that time. Dave Tippett reunited McDavid with Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi, and that trio has been phenomenal in a small sample. When McDavid plays with Draisaitl they have a ton of chemistry and they can fill the net up in a hurry. We will likely see the Matthews line match up with them for the majority of the night. The Matthews line has great possession numbers and this should be a great matchup to watch with a ton of pace.
Roope Hintz (DAL vs FLA)
DraftKings – $5,000
FanDuel – $5,500
Hintz has been dealing with an ongoing lower-body injury that has limited his play to what seems to be every other game. When he is playing, he has been very good. On the year, Hintz is averaging a point per game and he is also a great facilitator. Keep an eye on news for the Panthers tonight as they could possibly still be without Aleksander Barkov. Florida also took another hit last game as Patric Hornqvist took a blow from Chicago’s Nikita Zadorov, and he may be questionable as well. If the Panthers’ top two players don’t go, the Stars are going to be playing a lot of hockey in the offensive zone tonight.
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Kyle Connor (WPG @CGY)
DraftKings – $6,500
FanDuel – $6,700
The Jets managed to squeeze out a victory last night against the Flames, despite a 10% Corsi deficit. The shots were almost equal at 21-18 in the favor of the Jets. Both teams scored on the power play. Winnipeg won the battle in high-danger areas 9-6 and that was the difference maker.
Connor playing with Nikolaj Ehlers is like watching hockey in fast forward. The two wingers are extremely fast, and adding in a great facilitator like Pierre Luc-Dubois was a good addition. Connor has nine points in the last 10 games, and he’s averaging over three shots per game in that time. Last night, we saw the Mikael Backlund line match up with the Wheeler line for the majority of the night. That left the Connor line against the Johnny Gaudreau line and the depths. Winnipeg’s second line is too fast and can all create chances. If Calgary plans to keep the Backlund line on the Wheeler line, I’ll stick with my exposures to the Jets second line.
Victor Arvidsson (NSH @ CHI)
DraftKings – $9,000
FanDuel – $4,700
The Predators have been an inconsistent hockey team so far, but they are starting to right the ship. They have won five out of their last six games — all against good competition. Arvidsson has been a shot-volume player his whole career and when he can get pucks to the net consistently, he has good nights. He has only found the back of the net a handful of times this year, but with seven shots in the last two games, he should find twine soon. The Blackhawks are in the process of a rebuild and they have a lot of young promising talent. But young talent means mistakes and they have made a ton of them. Their goaltending from Kevin Lankinen has been their savior. At five on five, Chicago ranks in the bottom five of every metric we like to look at for NHL DFS purposes. They are 29th in Corsi, 31st in expected goals against/60, 30th in shots against/60, and 29th in scoring and high-danger chances against. The Panthers’ second line has been great since being assembled and they should get plenty of chances to find the back of the net tonight.
Jason Robertson (DAL vs FLA)
DraftKings – $3,900
FanDuel – $4,300
Normally, writing up two plays from the same team in a Power Plays article doesn’t jive, but Robertson’s price is comical on DraftKings. He’s averaging 20 minutes of ice time over the last six games, while playing on the top line and the top power-play unit. The youngster has at least three shots on net in six of the last seven games, and he tallied four points in the last three. If the Panthers are going to be without their two best players Barkov and Hornqvist, we can expect the Stars to play a lot of hockey in the offensive zone tonight.
Latest NHL DFS Content
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Roman Josi (NSH @ CHI)
DraftKings – $6,300
FanDuel – $6,500
Josi came back from his two-week layoff picking up right where he left off. In The two games since returning, he’s notched three points and nine shots/ blocks. The Hawks are giving up the most shots against per game and they have the fifth-worst penalty kill in the league. That plays right into the hands of Josi tonight. He will go back to logging his full allotment of minutes and he will be back on the top power-play tonight.
Top Goalie
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB @ CAR)
DraftKings – $7,700
FanDuel – $8,700
DraftKings must have a grudge against Vasilevskiy here. I understand that Vasilevskiy is on the road here, but he’s the best goalie in the league and they priced him at $7,700? The Lightning have only allowed eight goals against the Hurricanes in five games this year. Carolina is averaging the fifth-most shots per game in the league, and over 31 shots on net per game against the Lightning. You can figure Vasilevskiy should have a floor of about 17 DraftKings points tonight. Vasilevskiy has a record of 21-4-1 with a 1.9 GA/A and a league leading .932 SV%.
[MARCHMADNESS]
Top Stacks
Edmonton 1: Leon Draisaitl – Connor McDavid – Jesse Puljujarvi
Edmonton’s top line could carry some leverage because of its price, and people will also go to the Leafs’ top line. When Draisaitl plays with McDavid they have a ton of chemistry. The duo carries almost a 60% CF rating, with an expected goals of 4.14 XGF/60. Adding in Jesse Puljujarvi they still create a ton of offense and this game will be fun to watch. There should be a ton of pace and chances on both sides. Toronto has been a great possession team and they limit chances, but the Oilers top line is matchup proof.
Dallas 1: Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
The Stars top line is a great mid ranged stack tonight, depending on the Barkov and Hornqvist news. The trios sample is too small to use, but Hintz with Robertson have complemented each other very nicely. They carry a 54% CF rating, with a 2.7 XG/60, while creating 31 scoring chances and 13 high-danger chances. Adding veteran presence with Joe Pavelski could bring this line up even more. If the Panthers are going to be without their top two players, this could be an offensive showing for the Stars tonight. Being without Barkov is a massive deal for the Panthers possession game and if you add in Hornqvist to the situation, it only gets worse. Even if they play, the Stars’ top line is in good consideration for me tonight.
Winnipeg 2: Nikolaj Ehlers – Pierre Luc-Dubois – Kyle Connor
The Jets’ second line might be one of the fastest lines in hockey. Winnipeg has added to its depth with Dubois and he will compliment that second line nicely. Calgary will use it best defensive line, the Mikael Backlund line against the Blake Wheeler line, leaving Winnipeg’s second line to the depths. It’s a positive matchup for the Jets second line and I’ll have plenty of exposure even on the hind end of the back to back tonight.
Nashville is also a preferred play tonight as the Hawks are always a target. Chicago has been brutal defensively all around this year, and its penalty kill is awful as well. Making a power-play stack could get you some separation from the field if you are looking to get different.
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