COVID protocol has been making a strong onset through the NHL in the past week or so. Keeping an eye on new is imperative to succeeding at NHL DFS. Following these Twitter beat writer lists is a huge advantage for getting last-minute news and scratches. This Power Play article will use Awesemo’s Premium NHL Tools to help dole out the NHL DFS advice to help with building lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. The Awesemo NHL 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, Jan. 20.
NHL DFS Picks, Top Stacks & Lineup Optimizer Plays
Center
Patrice Bergeron (BOS vs. WSH): DraftKings – $7,300 | FanDuel – $8,900
Bergeron has been one of the best two-way centers in the league for a decade. He is an extremely gifted playmaker that can smother on the defensive side and light the lamp at any time. He has always been a high-volume shooter, and with David Pasternak moving to the second line, he has been shooting more. Over the last 10 games, Bergeron has averaged 4.5 shots on goal per game. The Bruins – Capitals rivalry has been great to watch, as both teams push the physicality and pace. The Capitals have owned the Bruins in head-to-head record, but plenty of goals have been scored on both sides. Bergeron will likely hard-match Alex Ovechkin and the top line. Washington’s top line has a ton of fire power, but they give up just as much with turnovers. The Bruins top line has been a possession monster, with a 64% Corsi-for and creating 44 shots for and over 14 high-danger chances.
Sam Bennett ( FLA at EDM): DraftKings – $5,800 | FanDuel – $6,900
Bennett continues to play strong hockey, with 7 points in the last three games. The Panthers second line has been one of the best lines in hockey this year, with a 57% Corsi-for and 3.52 expected goals per 60. They will likely see the Connor McDavid line most of the night, as McDavid will try to avoid Aleksander Barkov. The McDavid line has a ton of firepower, but they also give up a ton on the defensive end. This game will have a ton of pace, and there should be plenty of scoring in this game. Bennett’s price has come down a tad and the line is pretty affordable at $18,000 on DraftKings.
Winger
Jake Guentzel (PIT vs. OTT): DraftKings – $7,400 | FanDuel – $9,300
Guentzel has been one of the most consistent producers in the league. He managed to chip in 7 points on the Penguins’ six-game road trip. Coming back home to play in their own building, they are pretty much fully healthy and get a great matchup. The Senators had a massive break because of COVID, but their metrics are still in the bottom of the league. They are giving up over 3.5 goals against per game, with the second worst team Corsi. Not to mention they rank 32nd in expected goals against and shots against on the penalty kill. Guentzel and Sidney Crosby will surely have plenty of chances to light the lamp tonight.
Jonathan Marchessault (VGK vs. MTL): DraftKings – $7,300 | FanDuel – $7,000
When Vegas lost Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, they needed someone to step up and become the offensive firepower. Enter Jonathan Marchessault. The sniper has averaged over four shots a game for almost the entire season, which is in the elite category. He tallied four points in the last four games, and he fully correlates with his linemates on the top power play. Montreal has been a complete turnstile on the defensive side of things this year. The Canadiens are in the bottom 10 of every advanced metric for NHL DFS. They are also 28th in penalty kill, with just a 74.6% kill rate. Ownership will dictate the exposure, but the Golden knights are one of the top stacks in play.
Marchessault is one of the top five options popping up in the Awesemo NHL lineup optimizer. For all of Awesemo’s free NHL DFS picks tonight, check out the DraftKings NHL cheat sheet and FanDuel NHL cheat sheet.
Cam Atkinson (PHI vs. CBJ): DraftKings – $5,400 | FanDuel – $6,500
Atkinson will get a chance to show out against his old team from Columbus. He has always been a high-volume shooter when he got his chances. He is playing on the top line, and he has been making the best of his opportunities. Over the last 10 games, he tallied just about a point per game, while averaging 3.8 shots on goal. The Flyers top line fully correlates on the power play, and they get a great matchup tonight. Like the Flyers, Columbus has ridden the struggle bus all year. The Jackets rank dead last in expected goals against per 60 at five on five and they are dead last in shots against. Both teams have struggled with COVID and injuries, but there could be a good pace to this game and scoring chances will be plentiful.
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Defensemen
Roman Josi (NSH vs. WPG): DraftKings – $8,000 | FanDuel – $7,500
Roman Josi will break the bank tonight at $8,000 on DraftKings, but he is a premier target where affordable. He plays in every facet of the game and supplies a ton of offense. Over the last 10 games, he is averaged 6.5 shots / blocks with 26 minutes of ice time. He also plays the quarterback role on the top power play. Over the last 10 games, Winnipeg is 31st in expected goals against, and 27th in shots against per 60. The Jets penalty kill does not get much better either, they have the second worst kill in the league at a 71.4% kill rate. Josi will be involved in a majority of the scoring tonight.
Justin Schultz (WSH at BOS): DraftKings – $2,600 | FanDuel – $3,800
With John Carlson sidelined in COVID protocol, Schultz is the benefactor of a huge promotion. The blueliner will play on the top pairing and he will also quarterback the top power play. That provides exposure to Ovechkin and company at a very cheap price. It also does not hurt that he is averaging just under four shots / blocks per game over the last five. At $2,600 on DraftKings he does not need to do much to pay that tag off, even with the tough matchup.
Top NHL DFS Stacks
PIT 1: Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Brian Rust
Pittsburgh is finally getting healthy, and they will have a full squad for tonight’s homecoming against the Senators. Pittsburgh returns from a six-game road trip going 4 – 2. They get a great match tonight against Ottawa, who just returned to play after having an extremely long layoff. The Penguins garner the best leverage spot on the night with a 9.7% leverage score. The price is going to keep the masses off of them. They will likely matchup with the Sens second line or depth lines which is a plus matchup all around. Pittsburgh’s top line this year has 3.02 expected goals per 60, while creating over 35 scoring chances for and just under 14 high-danger chances. The Senators are going to be playing uphill tonight against an almost fully healthy Penguins, and Pittsburgh is a great play.
*Additional Data from Natural Stat Trick
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