NHL DFS Picks: Expert DraftKings + FanDuel Lineups

Hockey is back, and NHL DFS is off to an exciting start with some whopping scores to get the season underway. Opening night was tame by comparison to Thursday’s huge 10-game field. Friday brings us back to Earth a bit with a five-game slate on both sites. Four of the games get started at 7 p.m. EST, so it will be critical to have things correct going into lock. 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 be advantageous and help your team rocket up the leaderboard.

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.

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NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | Jan. 15

NHL DFS Picks: Centers

Auston Matthews ($8,100 DraftKings / $8,700 FanDuel), A/A Grades

There are no surprises here; the top line center for the Maple Leafs should be a familiar name to anyone who has played NHL DFS in recent seasons. The 23-year-old star ranked third in the league in overall goals last season (47) and ninth in real-life points (80). Matthews saw an uptick in minutes in his fourth full season, climbing from 18:33 per game to 20:58. He took advantage offensively, ripping 290 shots on goal, fourth in the league. The star center saw an average of more than 3:30 leading the team’s top power play unit last season, putting up 25 real-life points on the power play.

Matthews ranks second by salary at the center position on both sites, but there are competing options at similar prices, and Nathan MacKinnon should draw significant ownership. As the pivot on one of our top-ranked lines (Toronto 1 is currently A/A on both sites, check the Premium Top Stacks Tool for ordered rankings) Matthews looks like a great first click for DraftKings and FanDuel NHL contests tonight.

Anthony Cirelli ($4,300 DraftKings / $4,900 FanDuel), C/A Grades

Cirelli is not the type of player to light up expectations, but the center of Tampa Bay’s second line provides consistent quality at a reasonable price. He looks like the top non-punt value play at the position on both sites tonight. Playing on a line with Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson, Cirelli comes with quality stacking options on either side (TB2 currently ranks as a B in points and an A value on both sites).

Last season Cirelli saw an average of 18:28 on the ice, 1:19 of it coming on the power play. He put only 113 shots on goal in his 68 games, an average of just 1.66 per game, but managed to score 16 goals while racking up 28 assists for 44 real-life points. As a key player on the second unit at both even strength and the power play for a team with the night’s highest implied total, Cirelli should be a valuable building block on tonight’s slate.

An additional value consideration in DraftKings NHL contests is Dylan Strome once again. Strome centers the top line between Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat and plays on the No. 1 power play unit. He costs just $3,700, which is up from two days ago, but still relatively inexpensive. On FanDuel his $4,700 price tag pushes him closer to other options who will possibly be lower-owned while providing similar upside, making it a wait-and-see spot with ownership projections pending.

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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers

Patrick Kane ($6,900 DraftKings / $8,000 FanDuel), A/A Grades

It should surprise no one that Kane is both one of the leading NHL DFS picks at the wing and one of the most expensive wingers on both sites tonight. Kane has been one of the leading players in the league for the better part of the last decade-plus, posting two seasons over 100 points in the last five and a 33-goal, 51-assist campaign in just 70 games last year.

Kane isn’t sneaking up on anyone. He should be owned, so we’re buying in for the offensive upside. Kane average 3.92 shots on goal per game last season, converting at a 12% rate in his 21:20 average ice time. The wing sees significant minutes on the power play as well, averaging 3.82 minutes of power-play time per game last year. In the opener, Kane saw 5 minutes of time on the power play but failed to hit the board. Playing alongside one of our value center picks and dynamic left wing Alex DeBrincat, Kane should be a major part of stacking plans tonight.

Evgenii Dadonov ($3,100 DraftKings / $4,700 FanDuel) B/A Grades

If you want an inexpensive tournament play with upside, look no further than Dadonov. The 31-year-old veteran winger is coming off his third consecutive season of more than 25 goals, hitting that mark exactly along with 22 assists for a 47-point season. His 0.31 assists per game rate was down from previous seasons, the year before he posted a 0.51 rate in putting up 42 helpers for a career-high 70-point season. Dadonov is a willing shooter, averaging 2.42 shots on goal per game, and the Senators are taking on a Toronto team that was just average last season, coming in 12th in the league by allowing 31.9 shots on goal per game. Dadonov plays on the right side of what could be a low-owned inexpensive and underappreciated stack tonight, with Derek Stepan in the middle and Tim Stuetzle on the other wing.

Jakub Vrana ($4,800 DraftKings / $4,200 FanDuel), D/B(A) Grades

The first thing that jumps out about this is, of course, the D grade in fantasy points against a B value on DraftKings and an A value in FanDuel NHL contests. Playing on the dynamic second line in Washington, Vrana could be a sneaky play that ranks slightly above the total punt tier.

In just 69 contests in 2019-20, Vrana posted 25 goals and 27 assists, improvements on his numbers from a full 82-game campaign the season before, suggesting that there is untapped growth potential for the 24-year-old. Averaging 14:53 of ice time and 2.71 shots on goal per game, there should be room for production at the current salary, and Vrana should benefit from playing alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson on the Capitals second line. He should again push the 2-minute mark in average power-play time as part of the team’s second unit. He posted just one power-play goal last season but added 11 assists with the extra man.

Mike Hoffman ($4,100 DraftKings / $6,000 FanDuel), B/A Grades

The new kid on the block in St. Louis, Hoffman was featured as one of the top NHL DFS picks in Wednesday’s Power Plays article and proceeded to become the season’s first major piece of news when it was announced that he would not play shortly before lock. Hoffman is healthy; his absence was due to the Canadian’s work visa not clearing the paperwork process in time for the opening faceoff. With Hoffman possibly slightly less on the radar today, and at a higher price than he was listed, it might be a great night to pounce on a reliable NHL DFS producer.

As was covered here on Wednesday, Hoffman has put up at least 59 real-life points in four of the past five seasons and will play on a high-end second line with Robert Thomas and Jaden Schwartz as well as the top power play line. The opposing Avalanche limited high-danger chances well last season but allowed a league-average number of shots on goal. They also play at a fast pace, which should lead to chances for a shooter like Hoffman.

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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen

Kris Letang ($5,800 DraftKings / $6,600 FanDuel), B/B Grades

Letang has long been an easy go-to option for NHL DFS defense. Consistently ranking among the league’s top point producers among blueliners, Letang quarterbacks the Penguins power play and works with their top line a significant amount of his average 25:45 of ice time. When healthy, Letang has consistently hit that minutes mark since the 2010 season. The defenseman has averaged 50.3 points in 68.3 games for the past three seasons, keeping him among, but not at the top of, the league’s best scoring defensemen. While he isn’t a league leader in the category, Letang has blocked an average of 1.6 shots per game, adding a slight bump to his NHL DFS scoring potential when we consider his 2.9 shots on goal per game average from just last year. Letang’s Penguins have the night’s fourth-highest implied team total in what should be a tight tough matchup with the rival Flyers, providing plenty of opportunity for the star defenseman to shine.

Torey Krug ($5,100 DraftKings / $5,200 FanDuel), C/B (A) Grades

Playing alongside the top line in St. Louis and anchoring the blueline for the lead power play unit, Krug could be an underappreciated asset when it comes to making our NHL DFS picks. Krug has been a consistent performer, posting seasons of more than 40 assists in each of the last five years and cracking the 50-point mark in three of them. In just 61 games last year, Krug put up nine goals and 40 helpers while averaging 20:29 of ice time and 2.36 shots on goal per game. His 26 assists on the power play make him a sneaky way to get different when considering our options for constructing Blues stacks.

Additional defensemen to consider include star John Carlson of the Capitals, who is pricey but well worth the investment on this slate, and Ivan Provorov, who could provide value on the power play opposing Krug. Sophomore Cale Makar has the opportunity to shine, playing in the top defensive pair and first power-play unit for the Avalanche. In his 57-game rookie season, Makar posted 12 goals and 38 assists (four and 15 on the power play) while averaging 21:01 of ice time and 2.12 shots on goal per game. In the team’s opener, Makar saw 24:10 on the ice. Increased time will certainly lead to increased production, though his high salary is pushing his grades into the D range for us tonight.

Top Stacks

Toronto 1: Joe Thornton – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner

Buffalo 1: Taylor Hall – Jack Eichel – Tage Thompson

Pittsburgh 2: Jason Zucker – Evgeni Malkin – Bryan Rust

Value Stacks

Ottawa 2: Tim Stuetzle – Derek Stepan – Evgenii Dadonov

Tampa Bay 3: Blake Coleman – Yanni Gourde – Barclay Goodrow (TB2 appears to be the same price on DraftKings)

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Author

Terry McBride

Terry used to do other things, now he writes words on the internet. He hopes his more than 20 years’ experience in season-long and daily fantasy sports and his custom models for MLB, NBA, and NFL don't steer you too wrong when he writes columns and makes picks on Awesemo.com. A lifetime of experience keeping odd hours make Terry ideal to cover KBO baseball overnight until the world returns to normal. Most of those late night hours have been spent on the couch watching sports, T.V., and movies; just try to shut him up about any of the above. You can find his pop-culture ramblings and more on Sideaction.