Monday nights are usually full slates for NHL DFS, and tonight is no different. We have eight games on the slate, with plenty of options to pick from. 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 and the top stacks tool, we will highlight several players and situations that will help your team rocket up the leaderboard.
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NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | Jan. 18
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Mark Scheifele ($6,300 DraftKings / $7,500 FanDuel), A/B Grades
Covid-19 symptoms have reportedly been running through the Jets locker room. Nikolaj Ehlers tested negative after the last game but couldn’t skate practice because of the NHL protocols. Patrik Laine left in the middle of practice with some sort of injury above his hip and didn’t come back, and Tucker Poolman has tested positive. We will have to keep an eye on the news for any changes, but as it stands, Scheifele will be pivoting the top line between Blake Wheeler and Andrew Copp. That could change as soon as morning skate comes around, though, so keep an eye on it. Scheifele and the big guns from the Jets all scored to open the season against the Flames in a 4-3 overtime win. Scheifele led the team with six shots on net and managed to score on a rebound. Tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs will be a fast-paced game with chances on both sides of the rink. Toronto has struggled on the blue line this year, but they have had somewhat limited scoring chances. There should be plenty of looks on the power play, as the Leafs have been short-handed the second most in this early season.
Auston Matthews ($8,300 DraftKings / $8,500 FanDuel), A/B Grades
Matthews is an elite-level sniper with hat-trick upside every time he steps onto the ice. He has opened the season with 16 shots on net over three games, averaging more than five shots per game. Like I previously mentioned, both sides of this game are appealing, with a shootout possibility. The Jets were notorious for taking penalties last year, and they gave up a ton of scoring chances. We will most likely see the Matthews line face off with the Jets’ second line of Paul Stastny, Kyle Connor and possibly Patrik Laine (if he plays). Laine is not a very defensive player, which is why he doesn’t kill any penalties, and an aging Stastny will have trouble containing the likes of Matthews and Mitch Marner. Finally, Depending on how ownership shakes out tonight, getting the right exposure to this game could be a key to tonight’s success.
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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Max Pacioretty ($7,500 DraftKings / $7,800 FanDuel), B/C Grades
Pacioretty has a goal in each game so far, and he’s hit the shot bonus in both games as well. He’s a rock-solid contributor on the offensive side, and he gets a matchup with the young core of the Coyotes tonight. Arizona has been known as a grind-down team that just doesn’t give up a lot of chances, but this is a new year. The coyotes have opened the season giving up just over 34 shots per game, and they have struggled on the penalty kill. The year is still early, so we can’t really use metrics as an end all be all, but the trends are pointing down.
Travis Konecny ($5,300 DraftKings / $7,200 FanDuel) A/A Grades
Fresh off a hat trick against the Penguins, Konecny looks primed for another good year. Recency bias could factor, but the matchup is the more enticing play for me. Sean Couturier will be out for a couple weeks, leaving Morgan Frost to pivot that line now. We can all but guarantee that Alain Vigneault will take advantage of last change and use the Jimmy Hayes line against the Jack Eichel/Taylor Hall line. That would leave Konecny to see the third and fourth lines to face off with. Konecny has a knack for scoring, and if he can consistently keep getting pucks to the net, good things will come.
Brendan Gallagher ($5,500 DraftKings / $7,200 FanDuel), A/B Grades
This is a DraftKings-only play as Gallagher’s price on FanDuel is a tall $7,200. The Canadiens’ top line is one of the best possession lines in hockey, with a large sample. The trio creates over 40 shots per 60 with 16 high-danger chances. They will likely match up with the elite Connor McDavid line, but they will get plenty of chances. The Oilers top line plays at a very fast pace and tends to give up turnovers. In a small sample, the Oilers top line is allowing over 35 shots per 60 and 12 high-danger chances. Like I mentioned earlier, we can’t trust metrics without a sample size, but the Habs top unit is a very good line. Gallagher is a shot-volume player that needs to be fed, and if he gets the puck in the offensive zone, he will let it fly.
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Alex Pietrangelo ($6,700 DraftKings / $6,400 FanDuel), B/A Grades
The Vegas blueline is starting to get priced accordingly, and it will be interesting to see how the sites deal with the prices. Pietrangelo is a great defenseman that chips in with shots and blocks, while guys like Shea Theodore are more about getting pucks to the net. The way I would look at the blue line for the Golden Knights would be to use Pietrangelo if you are playing the Vegas top line as a stack or want exposure to it. Then you should use Theodore as your one-off, or if you need to save money, you can look at Alec Martinez. All three will get time on the power play, but correlation is where I would turn to.
Matt Dumba ($4,900 DraftKings / $4,400 FanDuel), B/B Grades
Dumba continues to be a solid fantasy provider while playing 23 minutes a night. He’s had at least four shots on goal in each game this young season, tallying a point in each game as well. When you’re looking for a mid-range defender, guys like Dumba always show up because they are looking to put pucks on net. He gives you the upside you need to win GPP tournaments, and he has a tall ceiling. The Wild will take on the Ducks, who are still in the process of a rebuild and struggled to keep pucks out of their net last year.
Jakob Chychrun ($5,900 DraftKings / $3,900 FanDuel), B/B Grades
With Oliver Ekman-Larsson going down, the Coyotes are going to need Chychrun to step up. The five-year veteran has started the year out by contributing in all facets of the game. He’s played over 22 minutes a night while tallying three points and eight shots on net. He will likely see even more power-play time with Ekman-Larsson out and makes for a fine play tonight, even against a stingy Golden Knights.
Top Fantasy Hockey Stacks
Vegas 1: Max Pacioretty – Chandler Stephenson – Mark Stone
Montreal 1: Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Toronto 1: Joe Thornton – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Fantasy Hockey Value Stacks
Philadelphia 1: Oskar Lindblom – Morgan Frost – Travis Konecny
Calgary 2: Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Josh Leivo
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