Hockey is back, and NHL DFS is off to an exciting start with some whopping scores to get the season underway. It’s another repeat game night like yesterday, where teams will be facing off with the same matchup again as they did on Thursday. Four of the eight 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. 16
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Connor McDavid ($8,500 DraftKings / $8,800 FanDuel), A/B Grades
McDavid rewarded his owners with a hat trick and a 53-DraftKings-point performance after opening the season pretty flat. He still recorded the shot on goal bonus on opening night, but that’s the difference of variance and it shows you that every night is a different night. McDavid has the highest upside on the slate when he plays and it’s possible that he could go a little under owned tonight because of the matchup. The Canadiens are a great possession team, but the Oilers also get last change tonight. you can bet that Dave Tippett will find some great game situations for McDavid to be successful, even though he’s pretty matchup proof. Â
John Tavares ($6,800 DraftKings / $7,600 FanDuel), A/B Grades
Auston Matthews is an elite-level sniper with hat-trick upside every time he steps onto the ice. But the $1,500 price difference and the line matchup are enough to make me lean to Tavares. Opening the season on a strong note, Tavares has at least four shots on net in the first two games, and he has managed to tally five points already. The chemistry between him and William Nylander is solidifying. The Senators shocked everyone by beating the Leaf’s last night, but I’m certain the Boys from Toronto will want that one back tonight. Vegas is still on the Leaf’s side tonight, giving them the honors of the highest team total of the night at 3.9 goals, and I like the over here.Â
Derek Stepan ($2,500 DraftKings / $4,700 FanDuel), D/A Grades
Derrick Stepan is still a serviceable NHL pivot, and his price is dumbfounding to me as well. How does a Center go from 3.4k to 2.5k overnight, AFTER he puts up three shots on net and lights the lamp? Adding on Tim Stuetzle at a flat min price, the Senators second line costs a flat minimum at $7.5k. Toronto has a ton of offensive firepower but they have struggled on the defensive end. The special teams have also been pretty bad, opening the year short handed eight times, and allowing four goals in those eight.
Latest NHL DFS Content
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Max Pacioretty ($7,300 DraftKings / $7,700 FanDuel), B/C Grades
Patches and the Golden Nights get to tee-off on the Anaheim Lame Ducks again tonight. Last game Patches managed to get there late in the game by lighting the lamp. He also snapped off five shots on goal, giving him the shot bonus. Patches will be hitting the shot bonus a lot this year, and it’s firmly in play again tonight. In a shortened season last year, Patches managed over four shots per game, with just under a point per game total. The Golden knights have the second-highest team total on the night so they could be a tad popular, but jamming some studs in has never been easier with all the mis-priced value plays.
Brady Tkachuk ($6,400 DraftKings / $6,400 FanDuel) A/A Grades
The Ottawa Senators surprised the Canadian Division yesterday, coming out and waxing the Maple Leafs by a 5-3 score. Brady Tkachuk is the main focal point of the Senators and everything will be run through him offensively. Tkachuk was another member of the five shot bonus, and he also managed to light the lamp and notch two assists. These Senators prices are still ridiculous and they will most likely be very popular as filler players. The Maple Leafs blue line has been pretty awful, as our own Josh Harris has talked about on the show yesterday. This game will likely have scoring on both sides of the rink. Stacking up the top line of the Senators cost $11.4k, which is ridiculous seeing that all three guys fully correlate on the top power play and Drake Batherson gets a 1k price drop to min price after he put up five shots on goal and two assists. Â
If you look at the second line, Evgenii Dadonov received a price drop from 3.1k down to min price on DraftKings at $2.5K. Dadonov didn’t manage to do anything yesterday with his 15 minutes of ice time, but that price is ridiculous for a guy that will see top power play time with Tkachuk. In Florida he was constantly in the high fives to low sixes in price. Not that we can compare the players from Florida to Ottawa but coming off a 47-point season, Dadonov is a willing shooter, averaging 2.42 shots on goal per game. That min price $2.5k is pretty egregious.
Anders Lee ($6,500 DraftKings / $7,200 FanDuel), A/B Grades
The Islanders top line has been a great line for a couple years now. Anders Lee has been a rock solid fantasy option as he always gets pucks to the net. On Thursday, the Islanders controlled the tempo and the possession throughout the entire game pretty much. They led the Rangers in shots 26 – 19, and they also doubled the rangers in scoring and high danger chances. The Islanders top line carried in a great 3.2expected goals per 60 this year and they hit the ground running. Lee fired off seven shots on Thursday and I fully expect the Islanders top line to get plenty of chances tonight, even matching up with the Mika Zibanejad line.
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Roman Josi ($6,900 DraftKings / $7,100 FanDuel), A/A Grades
The reigning 2020 Norris trophy winner is always in play. Josi contributes in every category and he’s the main focal point on the top power play. Last year Josi averaged over 25 minutes of ice time to go along with 5.5 shots and blocks per game. Add in the almost point per game play and you have an elite defenseman. Last game against the Jackets, Josi backdoored an Assist on an empty netter, but he still managed six shots on net and two blocks for a 20 DraftKings point night.Â
Matt Dumba ($4,600 DraftKings / $4,200 FanDuel), D/C Grades
Matt Dumba will likely be a mainstay in power play articles and in my lineups. The blueliner averages over 22 minutes of ice time and he is a very offensive minded defenseman, which equates to fantasy upside. With another repeat of Thursday’s game, the Wild will take on the Los Angeles Kings again. Dumba hit the goal post twice and still recorded five shots on net, giving him the shot bonus and he managed to chip in a helper in the 4-3 victory. Â
Alexander Romanov ($3,300 DraftKings / $3,900 FanDuel), E/C Grades
Romanov had an amazing debut for the Canadiens on Wednesday against the Leaf’s. The young Russian played almost 23 minutes of ice time, and he contributed in all facets. With three shots on goal, four blocks and the bonus, and tallied an assist. When you’re looking for punt value defensemen, ice time and peripherals are what you need to see. Romanov isn’t afraid to put pucks on net and he doesn’t mind getting in the shooting lane for blocks. Paying off the small $3.3k price tag comes easy if he can chip in the peripherals.
Top Fantasy Hockey Stacks
Vegas 1: Max Pacioretty – Chandler Stephenson – Mark Stone
Toronto 2: Jimmy Vesey – John Tavares – William Nylander
NY Islanders 1: Anders Lee – Matt Barzal – Jordan Eberle
Value Stacks
Ottawa 1: Brady Tkachuk – Josh Noris – Drake Batherson
Ottawa 2: Tim Stuetzle – Derek Stepan – Evgenii Dadonov
Arizona 2: Drake Caggiula – Christian Dvorak – Phil Kessel
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