There are eight games on tonight’s NHL DFS main slate, with a ton of options to make NHL DFS picks from for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. Let’s break down the slate and highlight some of the key players to get in fantasy lineups. If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up in our Premium Slack.
As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial fantasy hockey lineup information in the 20 to 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 fantasy hockey news and line change notifications.
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NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | April 19
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Roope Hintz (DAL vs DET)
DraftKings – $6,700
FanDuel – $6,400
Keep an eye on news for Hintz availability tonight. He only played two shifts in the third period against the blue Jackets on Saturday. The Stars had taken full control of the game, and they didn’t want to use Hintz just to use him. He still managed to tally 2 points with a shot on goal in 16 minutes of ice time. The Stars’ top line of Hintz, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski have been phenomenal when they play together. The Radek Faksa line will likely match up with the Dylan Larkin line tonight, leaving the Hintz line to see the depth lines of Detroit. The Red Wings have played better hockey lately, but they are still pretty awful. They are 29th in Corsi and bottom 10 in shots against and goals against. If Hintz does go, this line should get plenty of looks.
Elias Lindholm (CGY vs OTT)
DraftKings – $5,900
FanDuel – $6,400
Both sides of this game look somewhat appealing tonight. Lindholm has been the most consistent player for the Flames this year, riding a five-game point streak and averaging 17.6 DraftKings points in that time. He will get a chance to add onto his streak against the Senators tonight. Ottawa is giving up the most goals against in the league (3.62 per game) while also allowing the fourth-most shots against (32.5 per game). Lindholm will likely match up with the Brady Tkachuk line for most of the night, which isn’t the worst matchup possible. The Tkachuk line has good offensive numbers, but they give up just as much on turnovers. The Lindholm line has been a very strong possession line, with a 53% Corsi-for and 34 shots per 60. The full line correlates on the top power-play unit for an added bonus. The Senators have the 24th-ranked penalty kill in the league, and over the last 10 games they have taken a ton of penalties. Spending 6:32 on the penalty kill per game is not a recipe for success, especially when allowing the most shots against in the league on the penalty kill. This special teams matchup is the best on the slate, with the Flames having the second-most expected goals on the power play and fifth-most shots. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Flames score a couple on the extra-man advantage tonight.
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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Max Pacioretty (VGK vs SJ)
DraftKings – $8,200
FanDuel – $8,000
The Golden Knights are playing on a short turnaround after running over the Ducks in two straight. They have won six straight and are tied with the Avalanche for first in the West Division. Pacioretty has points in four straight games while lighting the lamp in three of them. His shot volume remains consistent and the top line remains phenomenal, with Chandler Stephenson pivoting and Mark Stone on the right side. The Sharks have had a pretty awful history in the Golden Knights building, losing six straight. On the year, Vegas is averaging just under four goals per game against the Sharks, and that is not stopping any time soon given the way they are playing. San Jose is bottom eight in Corsi, expected goals against, shots against and all scoring chances over the last 10 games. With Vegas being almost unbeatable in their own building, getting some exposure to the Golden knights makes sense here.
Nikita Gusev (FLA vs CBJ)
DraftKings – $3,100
FanDuel – $3,200
After fighting off two tough matchups against the Lightning, the Panthers get to take advantage of home change against the wavering Blue Jackets. It will be interesting to see what the Panthers top line does when Carter Verhaeghe returns. Aleksander Barkov makes everyone around him a better player. Gusev has been on the top line alongside Barkov for two games, and he has rifled off three shots in both games. Keep in mind, that was against tough competition in the Lightning. Columbus is a different story. The Blue Jackets have been a bottom-five team pretty much all year. They rank 30th in Corsi, 20th in expected goals against, 27th in shots against and 22nd in scoring chances against. Their blue line has struggled since losing Zach Werenski and dealing away David Savard, and they should keep struggling against a good possession team in the Panthers. The top line at only $14,500 on DraftKings is a great play tonight.
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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Roman Josi (NSH vs CHI)
DraftKings – $6,500
FanDuel – $6,300
The Predators started playing better hockey, but they ran into a tough stretch of games, facing off a couple games against the Lightning and then a couple against the Hurricanes. Both of those teams are Cup contenders and tough outs. Nashville is perfect against the Blackhawks on the year, with a 5-0 head to head record. Josi is the driving force on the blue line for Nashville. He logs big minutes playing in every situation, including the top power play. Chicago is in the midst of a semi rebuild, and they have been a very inconsistent team, which leads to defensive breakdowns. The Hawks are a bottom-five team that has been getting bailed out by great goaltending from Kevin Lankinen. Look for the Predators to pour it on at Bridgestone Arena tonight.
For those looking to save some salary, Ryan Ellis at $4,200 is still at a basement bargain price and should be on the short list if not playing Josi. He’s easily a $5,500 player that gets 25 minutes of ice time regularly and has a rock-solid floor with good upside.
Brandon Montour (FLA vs CBJ)
DraftKings – $4,000
FanDuel – $3,900
Montour is settling in nicely after being dealt to the Panthers from the Sabres. It was smart to take a wait and see approach initially because his role was not immediately clear. In his first two games, he averaged 18 minutes of ice time, but he got to see some power-play time against the Lightning on Saturday. He managed to light the lamp and had three shots on goal and two blocks for 15.6 DraftKings points. Montour is a gifted offensive defenseman, and he could bring a lot of offense to the Panthers lost when Aaron Ekblad was injured. The Blue Jackets are a struggling team that has had bad goaltending, and they are giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing teams’ defensemen. If Montour gets elevated to the top power-play unit, he’s a great addition to a panthers stack.
Top Stacks
FLA1 – Nikita Gusev – Aleksander Barkov – Mason Marchment
Florida’s top line has been somewhat of a revolving door after Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair went down to injury. That opened up a spot for Gusev to get run on the top line, and he is going to make the best of it. In a very small sample, the trio has a 53% Corsi-for, 2.7 expected goals for per 60, 44 shots and 30 scoring chances. On the other hand, these numbers will surely normalize, but they look good for the time being. This line would be even better if Duclair was on it instead of Marchment, but it is what it is. Columbus is a bottom-10 team that is pretty soft on the blue line, and they are giving up 3.28 goals a game.
On the other hand, to get a little contrarian, going down to the third line of Frank Vatrano, Alexander Wennberg and Patric Hornqvist could be a good swerve from ownership. They will most likely get the best matchup against the Max Domi line, who was just benched last game for not playing defense. Patrik Laine is a defensive liability as well, and with both of them out there, they give up a ton of chances. Wennberg and Hornqvist both play on the top power play, while Vatrano plays on the second unit.
DAL1: Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
Keep an eye on lines from morning skate. Hintz only played three shifts in the third period of Saturday’s game to give him rest. Dallas is sixth in the Central Division, and it doesn’t look promising for them to get to the postseason. But if Hintz does go tonight, Dallas’ top line is in a great spot. Playing at home will give Rick Bowness the luxury of using the top line as a scoring line against the depth of the Red Wings. The Faksa line will certainly hard match the Larkin line, leaving the Stars top line to play clean-up duty. In addition, Dallas’s top line has phenomenal possession numbers, and they are creating a ton of high-danger chances. If they get pucks to the net against Detroit, they could have a good night.
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