It seems that Covid is subsiding and fewer players are entering protocol. Keeping an eye on news is imperative to succeeding at NHL DFS. Following this Twitter beat writer lists is a huge advantage for getting last-minute news and scratches. This NHL Picks and Stacks article will use Awesemo’s Premium NHL Tools to help dole out the NHL DFS advice to help with building NHL lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. The Awesemo NHL fantasy projections and ownership projections are two of the best tools to utilize when constructing stacks and making the optimal NHL DFS picks. Let’s go position by position and pinpoint some of the top plays and stacks for Thursday, March 3.
NHL DFS Picks Today, Top Stacks & Lineup Optimizer Plays
Center
Nathan MacKinnon (COL @ ARI): DraftKings – $9,000 | FanDuel – $9,900
MacKinnon will be licking his chops for a date with the Coyotes tonight. The sniper comes into tonight riding an eight-game point streak and averaging just under the shot on goal bonus. These two faced off in January and Mackinnon lit them up for two goals, an assist and five shots on goal en route to a 35.5 DraftKings point night. Arizona is one of the worst teams in the league and even their recent play has been awful. Over the last 10 games, they rank dead last in expected goals against, 31st in Corsi, dead last in shots against and dead last in high danger chances against. The main question is how ownership will shake out. If you are riding the chalk then you need to find ways to get different in the rest of your lineups.
Nathan MacKinnon is the top center showing up in the Awesemo NHL lineup optimizer and fantasy hockey projections today. For all of our free NHL picks, check out the DraftKings fantasy hockey cheat sheet and FanDuel fantasy hockey cheat sheet.
Winger
Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA vs OTT): DraftKings – $7,300 | FanDuel – $8,700
Huberdeau has been a point machine with 17 points over the last ten games and gets a great matchup to keep his streak alive tonight. Ottawa will get Josh Norris back tonight, but that is not going to be enough. The Senators rank in the bottom 10 of every advanced metric looked at for NHL DFS. With the Panthers ranking the best in the league in offensive metrics, the Aleksander Barkov line will likely match up with Brady Tkachuk and the Senators’ top line, which leaves the positive depth matchups for Huberdeau and the Panthers’ second line. As with the Avalanche’s top line, keeping an eye on ownership is important as you will need to find ways to get different when playing more popular lines. The one good thing about having four or five very good lines in good matchups is that you will not be able to fit them in together, which should lower ownership a bit.
Matthew Tkachuk (CGY vs MON): DraftKings – $6,000 | FanDuel – $8,400
Tkachuk and the Flames’ top line continue to be a dominant force as one of the best in the league. The grinder now has 61 points on the year in 52 games, which is the quickest he has gotten to 60 points. His numbers continue to grow each year and that is a testament to the line he is playing on. Together the trio creates 3.23 expected goals per 60 with 58% Corsi while creating 37 shots for and over 13 high danger chances. Tkachuk has tallied multiple points in four of the last six games. Montreal is also one of the worst teams in the league alongside Arizona and Ottawa. The Canadiens’ defense has been very giving as well. Montreal ranks 24th in Corsi, 30th in expected goals against, 30th in scoring chances against and 27th in high danger chances. An added benefit will also be that Tkachuk will see all the depth matchups as the Mikael Backlund line will play the shutdown role against the Canadiens’ top line. Giving one of the best lines in hockey positive depth matchups is a recipe for success, and getting exposure would be advisable.
Finding some of the best NHL betting picks tonight has never been easier! Awesemo’s OddsShopper now features and NHL betting tool that allows you to sort NHL player props by expected win rate, highest ROI and much more. Tonight, Tkachuck’s NHL player prop for shots on goal is over/under 2.5, which Awesemo NHL projections have him slated for 2.9, over a 50% expected win rate.
Kevin Fiala (MIN @ PHI): DraftKings – $5,300 | FanDuel – $6,100
The Wild have gone through a very tough stretch against elite opponents like the Flames on a home and home, and also had to endure the Maple Leafs, Oilers and Panthers. Even though they are on the road, they get a better matchup tonight. Fiala and teammate Kirill Kaprizov have been the only two real bright spots for Minnesota. Fiala has 10 points in 10 games while averaging over three shots on net. He is getting plenty of ice time even as he is buried on the third line. This also means that Fiala gets plus matchups nightly against teams that have weaker depth lines, such as the Flyers. Philadelphia has played better over the last month but they still sit at the bottom of the league in all advanced metrics. The Wild’s third line has been a good news story with youngsters Fredrick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy playing alongside Fiala. The trio has over 50% Corsi while creating 2.93 expected goals for per 60. They make a decent filler stack option and should get some good looks tonight.
Latest NHL DFS Content
Defensemen
Cale Makar (COL @ ARI): DraftKings – $6,500 | FanDuel – $7,100
Makar is one of the best pay-up defensemen on the slate tonight. The Coyotes have been a defensive turnstile, giving up 35 shots on goal a night, but the main kicker is the power play exposure. Makar plays over 25 minutes of ice time nightly and is quarterbacking the top power play. Arizona has the third-worst penalty kill in the league and they are allowing the most fantasy points to opposing defensemen. If you are looking to get exposure to the second line of Colorado, using someone like Devon Toews ($4,900) makes a ton of sense as he will quarterback the second power play unit. Toews will save you some salary but his upside is also a little lower than Makar. You will still get exposure to the top line with Toews, as he plays alongside Makar in even strength situations.
MacKenzie Weegar (FLA vs OTT): DraftKings – $5,300 | FanDuel – $5,700
Going down from Aaron Ekblad to Weegar saves $1,400 on DraftKings while still giving exposure to Florida’s elite top six. Over the last 10 games, Weegar is averaging just about five shots/blocks per game playing alongside Ekblad. The question you will have to ask yourself though is if the savings are worth it compared to getting power play exposure. If you are looking to get power play exposure, then going up to Ekblad may be your alternative. Ottawa has been brutal defensively at five on five, ranking 27th in shots against, and they are in the top five of fantasy points against for defensemen.
Top NHL DFS Stacks Today
COL 1: Andre Burakovsky – Nathan MacKinnon –Â Mikko Rantanen
FLA 2: Anthony Duclair – Sam Bennett – Jonathan Huberdeau
CGY 1: Johnny Gaudreau – Elias Lindholm – Matthew Tkachuk
Value Stacks
FLA 3: Sam Reinhart – Anton Lundell – Mason Marchment
MIN 3: Matt Boldy – Frederick Gaudreau – Kevin Fiala
*Additional Data from Natural Stat Trick
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