We opened the March schedule with some great offensive explosions, and we have a repeat of a couple games from Monday. Three of the six games have at least a 6 total. One of the big keys for tonight’s slate will be news on Auston Matthews. He sat out in the Saturday and Monday matchup against the Oilers. He should be returning tonight, but we need to keep an eye out for news. Tune into our Hit the Ice show on YouTube to get morning skate news for NHL DFS picks for fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial fantasy hockey lineup information in the 20 to 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 3
NHL DFS Picks: Forwards
Connor McDavid ($8,00 DraftKings / $8,900 FanDuel), A/C/A Grades
McDavid has gone two games pointless against the Maple Leafs. He did manage to fire off 6 shots on net and hit a post on Monday night. Auston Matthews will likely be back tonight, which will change the Leafs lines back up and create different matchups. McDavid is still leading the league in points and is averaging over 4 shots a game. Over the last 10 games, the Leafs have the worst Corsi in the league, are allowing the sixth-most shots per 60 and are giving up the third-most scoring chances. I think both sides of this game are firmly in play tonight, with a game stack possible.
Nathan MacKinnon ($8,500 DraftKings / $8,400 FanDuel), A/A/A Grades
MacKinnon ended his three-game goal drought against the Coyotes on Saturday. He is averaging 4 shots per game and can fill the net up in a hurry, especially against a team like San Jose. The Sharks have better metrics over the last 10 games, but they are still giving up the second-most goals in the league. They are also giving up the fourth-most shots, and their penalty kill has been pretty brutal. The Avalanche continued to change lines up in the middle of the game, so it’s possible to find some lower ownership if you don’t go with a full-line stack, but add a piece like Brandon Saad or Andre Burakovsky. MacKinnon has 13 registered shots on goal in the last two games, and he’s averaging over 17 DraftKings points against the Sharks this year. Getting some exposure to Colorado’s elite snipers is always a great thing.
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
David Pastrnak ($8,800 DraftKings / $8,500 FanDuel), A/B/A Grades
Pastrnak is the most expensive winger on the slate, but for the right reasons. He is averaging just shy of 4 shots per game, but he also has multi-point efforts in four of the last six games. Pastrnak has loved playing the Capitals this year, with 3 points and 12 shots on goal in two games. We will likely see the Bruins top line face off with the Alex Ovechkin line for the majority of the night, which is an easier matchup than the Niklas Backstrom line. The Caps have been a decent possession team, but the Bruins top line isn’t just any ordinary line. They can fill the net up in a hurry, and they should have good leverage with their high price and expected ownership.
Jordan Kyrou ($4,800 DraftKings / $4,300 FanDuel), E/D/B Grades
Kyrou makes for a decent value play tonight against the rebuilding Ducks. These two teams are another rematch from Monday night, where we saw plenty of goals. Kyrou managed to light the lamp on his lone shot. Anaheim has been struggling a ton during this rebuild, they have now lost seven in a row. Kyrou will be playing alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Zach Sanford. The trio has been great since being assembled, and it will be interesting to see how ownership goes tonight. On Monday we saw the Blues control possession and Corsi while the Ducks managed to find plenty of chances to put pucks on net, and it turned out to be a mini track meet, 5-4. Kyrou and the top line saw a 35% ice share with the Ryan Getzlaf line, who is the better matchup of the top six, and I think he’s in play again tonight. Kyrou has 7 points in his last 10 games, but the positive thing is his shot volume. He has had at least 3 shots on net over the last three games.
Timo Meier ($4,400 DraftKings / $5,600 FanDuel), C/A/A Grades
Hot streaks are a real thing in the NHL; when a player finds a groove, you have to ride them. Meier has tallied 3 points in two games straight, including Monday’s matchup against the Avalanche. He is known for being a shot volume monster, and when he can get pucks to the net, he will take advantage. Over the last 10 games, Meier is averaging 3.5 shots per game. With the amount of pace this game will have, there will be chances for him to find twine.
Other value wingers in play include: Jonathan Marchessault, Rickard Rakell, Trevor Zegras, Zach Sanford.
Latest NHL DFS Content
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Drew Doughty ($4,800 DraftKings / $6,000 FanDuel), D/B/C Grades
Doughty’s price has gone down a considerable amount to a manageable $4,800 on DraftKings. He is averaging over 26 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis, and he’s quarterbacking the top power-play unit. Doughty is not an offensive powerhouse, but he does give a couple shots and a couple blocks on average. He has tallied 10 points in the past 10 games, and at his salary those are fine numbers.
Samuel Girard ($4,100 DraftKings / $5,100 FanDuel), D/A/B Grades
With Cale Makar out, Girard took over the coveted power-play quarterback spot and managed to find twine Monday night. He got a $700 price bump, but I still don’t think that’s enough for the position he’s in and the exposure he gets to the Avalanche elite top line and power play. The Sharks have a poor penalty kill at just a 76.8% kill rate, and they are allowing the third-most shots against per game. Girard makes a ton of sense, even with the price bump.
Matt Grzelcyk ($3,800 DraftKings / $4,100 FanDuel), E/B/B Grades
If you’re looking for a punt defenseman, Grzelcyk might be your guy. He will return tonight after a stint on the IR and will play on the top power-play unit, getting you exposure to the Bruins top line at a cheap price. At his price tag, he doesn’t need to do much to pay that tag off. A couple shots or blocks will get you there, but you’re hoping for some action on the power play to shoot the value through the roof.
Top Stacks
Colorado 1: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen
Boston 1: Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Edmonton 1: James Neal – Connor McDavid – Jesse Puljujarvi
Value Stacks
St Louis 1: Jordan Kyrou – Ryan O’Reilly – Zach Sanford
Anaheim 3: Trevor Zegras – Isac Lundestrom – Rickard Rakell
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