Today’s NHL DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel is back down to a normal size, with seven games on the schedule and plenty of nice spots to attack. Using Awesemo’s industry-leading projections, ownership projections and Top Stacks Tool, we’ll find the best plays to help you make the best NHL DFS picks and fantasy hockey lineups for Friday, April 9.
As always, be sure to check our Premium Slack for lineup and projection updates throughout the day.
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NHL DFS Picks & Top Stacks | DraftKings & FanDuel
NHL DFS Picks Center
William Karlsson (VGK vs. ARI)
DraftKings — $5,200
FanDuel — $5,400
Like many of his teammates, especially the centers for Vegas, Karlsson has lacked shot volume but has made up for it with shooting percentage — 13.5% for the season. Karlsson and his linemates have been one of the few constants on a Vegas team that has ran into the COVID-19 and injury bug. As an individual on the ice, Karlsson is still doing a great job possessing the puck and controlling the flow of the game, with a Corsi-for of 55.7%. In their most recent game, he was centering the Knights’ top power-play unit with both of his wingers at his sides. The Coyotes have been notably bad at all strengths defensively, which bodes well for Karlsson, who is averaging 18:52 of ice time per game. It is a plus spot for Karlsson and his linemates, and he works in all formats given his tag.
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NHL DFS Picks Winger
Andre Burakovsky (COL vs. ANA)
DraftKings — $4,200
FanDuel — $4,300
With so many good wings, there is a ton of value at the position, but at a much-reduced tag on both sites, Burakovsky gets another great matchup with the depth of the Ducks. After a few lackluster performances, the Austrian winger has been finishing his chances the last two games with goals in each and three points overall. In most likelihood, this line for Colorado will be matched up against ANA2 or ANA3 with the Ducks trying to match the Avalanche on home ice. Neither of those lines, nor any for the Ducks, carry any sort of defensive responsibility in their own. Burakovsky does get carried away with his dancing from time to time. but against this team’s sheer lack of strength, he should turn those into chances. With under 10% projected ownership, it doesn’t take much to leverage the field in a stack or as a one-off.
Alex Tuch (VGK vs. ARI)
DraftKings — $4,400
FanDuel — $3,900
There is just no reason Tuch should be this cheap, especially on a smaller slate — and especially facing the Coyotes at home. Tuch should continue to see plenty of ice time regardless of the opponent, but being at home the Knights can run his line out at will. Since Feb. 20, Tuch has played at least 15 minutes in all games but one. As mentioned before, the Coyotes have been very poor on the penalty kill, ranking 30th in expected goals against per 60, but they have been bailed out frequently by their goaltending.
Prioritizing depth lines at home is a prudent move due to the advantage of last change and matchups, but regardless of where this one is played, Tuch should be able to hit his projection on FanDuel.
Kevin Fiala (MIN vs. STL)
DraftKings — $5,500
FanDuel — $5,700
Few to none are running hotter than Fiala, with 11 points in the last seven games. Based on this article, the Coyotes sound like the worst defensive team in history, but as you may have noticed, one team is trying to keep them relevant, and it’s the St. Louis Blues. Known as a defensively responsible team during their Cup run, they have faltered mightily, with metrics all in the bottom half of league at even strength and the league’s worst penalty kill. Fiala gives gamers a great floor with his willingness to shoot with over three shots on goal per game, and he has huge upside that he showed last game, netting a hat trick and an assist.
NHL DFS Picks Defense
Alex Pietrangelo (VGK vs. ARI)
DraftKings — $6,300
FanDuel — $5,600
This slate is absolutely loaded with value and stud defensemen, but Pietrangelo is somewhere in the middle. After missing a few weeks with an injury, he has been thrust back into a major role and gets a plus matchup to boot. Back on the second power-play unit and seeing tons of ice time, it is unclear why FanDuel has decided to decrease his price by nearly $1,000. Regardless of ownership — 15.2% projected on FanDuel — there’s nothing to dislike here in regards to Pietrangelo’s floor (13.1 FanDuel per game for the year) or the upside against a terrible defensive unit.
*If Alec Martinez is out again, there may be a lock-button situation, as the Knights will run out Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore for 30-plus minutes without question.
Top Goalie
Robin Lehner (VGK vs. ARI)
DraftKings — $8,400
FanDuel — $8,000
The Knights have been in a bit of tailspin, going just 4-5-1 in the last 10 games, but none to the fault of their goaltending, especially Lehner. Since coming back from his extended absence, Lehner has made four starts, going 3-0-1 with a save percentage .930 or above in all. On DraftKings one could possibly look for a cheaper option seeing volume, but on FanDuel where the win is key, Lehner looks fantastic at a reduced price given Vegas’ recent struggles.
Top Stacks
COL1
Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen
There will definitely be a bit of a worry with ownership projected over 20% for this line per the Top Stacks Tool, but there is no denying that this line is the most probable to pop off as they so often do. With over a 30% chance of being a top-two stack on both sites, gamers can still gain leverage on the field mostly due to their elevated, but justified, prices. Anaheim is just completely overmatched in this one, so getting over the field is easier than it should be.
PIT1
Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Similar to the Avalanche, the Penguins are facing a far inferior Devils team that has really struggled with stopping teams on the power play all season when their goalies aren’t standing on their head. As one of the elite and fully correlated lines, Pittsburgh’s top line is in the second best spot overall on this slate but is receiving more attention, with ownership pushing 30% on both sites. This leaves little left for leverage on the field in comparison to their top-stack percentage, but all thing considered, matching the field’s exposure at a minimum is a good move.
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