Saturday night in NHL DFS was a crazy one as the large slate produced many unexpected results. There are a few back ends of back-to-backs this afternoon, so keep that in mind too. Let us see what may unfold tonight.
Please note that both FanDuel and DraftKings has a five-game main slate starting at 3:00 pm ET. Thanks for your patience.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial 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 news and line change notifications.
NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | Feb. 28
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Sean Couturier ($7,100 FanDuel / $6,100 DraftKings)
Couturier is our top pick because of the goal potential. He has 4 goals and 10 points in seven games for the Flyers. Furthermore, the center had 5 shots on net on Saturday, which triggered the shots bonus on DraftKings. Him shooting more indicates better health, which makes one wonder what was lingering at the start of the season. Either way, Couturier enjoys a great matchup against a Sabres team that has lost its way. Buffalo also has no Linus Ullmark or Jack Eichel.
Keep playing Couturier, and do not overlook other centers in this tier like a Kevin Hayes or Jack Hughes. Nicklas Backstrom offers some power-play value from Washington. For a further down Philadelphia option, consider Scott Laughton, who is around value minimum on Sunday.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($4,600 FanDuel / $5,200 DraftKings)
If we are looking to take risks, Pageau proves worth a shot on Sunday. When one looks at the Islanders’ splits, one will see that glaring home number which sticks out. He scored 6 goals in eight games there and faces one of the more porous team defenses in the NHL. Yes, Pageau has just 1 goal so far in five meetings against Pittsburgh. However, he has generated nearly 3 scoring chances a game against Pittsburgh.
Again, looking toward Pius Suter or one of the young Chicago centers might be a good choice too, along with maybe Dylan Larkin if one wants to get extremely risky.
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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Patrice Kane ($8,700 FanDuel / $8,600 DraftKings)
It is too hard not to keep firing shots at this. Kane will produce at a great amount DFS-wise, but his line can yield points also. The winger has been Connor McDavid-like at home, with 17 points in nine games. That includes 5 power-play points. His shot average dips a tiny bit at home, but scoring chances inch slightly upward. Before we forget, Detroit has one of the worst penalty kills in the league and Chicago has one of the better power plays.
While Alex DeBrincat might not be quite as good of an option as normal, he is still a viable play even alternative if one cannot spend up to Kane. It grants a DFS player full correlation to Kane at least. The idea among upper-tier players could be to look at Alex Ovechkin or even Filip Forsberg once again on Sunday.
Pavel Zacha ($4,000 FanDuel / $4,400 DraftKings)
Some value can be found once again with Zacha, as he is on a nice scoring streak for New Jersey. He has 11 points in his last nine games while generating two shots a game and 2.5 scoring chances per contest. Numbers are coming up and opportunities are getting better for the forward. He has shown his first sustained run, and it has been a long time coming. Zacha shows bits and flashes, but nothing like this.
The risk with Zacha is when does he go invisible again. It has been the constant fear since this streak started. Everyone assumes the worst with players like the forward. At least, his price on DFS sites is low. It has not risen like one would expect during such a point streak. Maybe they do share a bit of pessimism.
Other wingers to look at have to include Tom Wilson against that horrendous New Jersey penalty kill . You can also look to Dominik Kubalik for his ability to produce high-volume shooting against Detroit.
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Mattias Ekholm ($3,500 FanDuel / $3,300 DraftKings)
This slate has several projected high-owned defensemen, including Ekholm. Ekholm ownership elevates because Nashville and DFS owners alike are desperate for that hot player. The thought process is that the Nashville defender had been hurt throughout the start of the season. He looked healthy yesterday with 2 goals. Even if the second was a bit of a pinball wizard tally, that matters little. Ekholm firing shots on the goal is positive. A line of 4 shots and 2 goals is good any way one slices it. His price is still rock bottom because of coming back from injury. Take advantage of it while you can.
Columbus will give up lots of chances, and even Nashville should be able to fire around 35 shots on Sunday afternoon again. For some reason, the Blue Jackets play this sort of bend-not-break style. This allows more unblocked shot attempts from the point, which bodes well for Ekholm. Keep an eye to see if Ekholm ends up getting more power play time too.
For those looking elsewhere, John Carlson is going to be highly owned on Sunday because he just produces points against New Jersey. Ty Smith is worth rostering from New Jersey, and then it comes down to Kris Letang, who may be the hottest defenseman on the slate and has points in four straight games.
NHL DFS Picks: Goalies
For us, Carter Hart represents the best chance to win against the Sabres. Buffalo can look full of life suddenly, but with Eichel out again, this may be a good spot to get Hart a victory. Elsewhere, it is a game of mostly waiting for some other confirmations. However, Kevin Lankinen should start against Detroit. Check back before lock to make sure as always.
Therefore, if we rank the goalies so far:
- Hart
- Lankinen (projected)
- Alexander Georgiev
It is early, and as always, changes can happen.
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