There are seven games on tonight’s NHL DFS slate, with a whole slew of options to make NHL DFS picks from for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. Slates this size have become familiar, so balancing ownership with value should be well implanted in our minds. I will use Awesemo’s industry-leading NHL DFS projections along with ownership projections to help make the optimal choices.
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 20
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
J.T. Miller (VAN vs. TOR)
DraftKings – $5,500
FanDuel – $5,600
The Canucks basically took a month off with all kinds of COVID issues, but Miller’s role has seemingly stayed the same, which bodes well for both him and NHL DFS owners. Since the departure of Elias Pettersson due to injury, Miller was moved to center, where he has played less than 20 minutes in one contest (since March 2). The production hasn’t been there, with less than 1 point per game on the year, but the floor has still been there consistently (11.51 FanDuel per game). Facing a top-heavy Maple Leafs squad, Miller will be called upon once again to match with either of the top two lines whenever possible, as the bottom six for the Canucks is extremely weak defensively.
In relativity to other top centers on this slate, Miller only falls in behind the Leafs’ top two centers and Sidney Crosby in terms of value, with a daily fantasy hockey projection of 13.07/10.34 (FanDuel/DraftKings), making him a great play for all formats.
Others: Auston Matthews, Brock Nelson
Latest NHL DFS Content
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Thursday Value (March 28)
- DraftKings Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: The Best NHL DFS Stacks Today | Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild (March 28)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Patrick Kane Is Value (March 26)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: Kings’ Top Line Stands Out (March 23)
- NHL DFS Picks Today: All The Value Madness! (March 21)
- Stokastic DFS on Youtube
NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
Bryan Rust (PIT vs. NJ)
DraftKings – $6,900
FanDuel – $5,800
This play brings it all together with pricing, matchup and upside as the Penguins take on the dreadful penalty kill of the Devils. Rust has enjoyed all of the matchups this year against the Devils squad (as many have) with 8 points in their last five matchups. It all makes sense considering Rust’s hefty ice time at 19:56 per game with one of the best offensive lines in hockey at five-on-five. Now add to the fact they get the bonus of facing arguably the league’s worst penalty kill (31st in goals per 60), and there’s reason to expect more of the same and then some.
The only battle with this play will be his popularity, as Awesemo’s daily fantasy hockey ownership has him for over 18% on both sites. It is a great spot regardless, so finding ways to differentiate will be key.
Others: Nikita Gusev, Jason Robertson
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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Miro Heiskanen (DAL vs. DET)
DraftKings – $5,500
FanDuel – $4,400
Everyone knows how bad the Red Wings have been for this year, but this play is more about price than anything else. At just $4,400 on FanDuel, there is no one better at defense than Heiskanen. He has been a leader for the Stars all year, with over 25 minutes of ice time per contest. With that time he has averaged over two shots per game while putting up 22 points and averaging over 10 FanDuel points per game for the season. Facing a Wings team that has zero capabilities of stopping teams most nights, Heiskanen could be in for a big night at a great tag.
Others: Travis Hamonic, Ryan Pulock
Top Stacks
PIT1
Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
As mentioned previously, the Devils have really struggled stopping teams on the penalty kill. As a fully correlated line that sees lots of ice time, there is reason for major optimism. With a top-two stack percentage of 34% per Awesemo’s Top Stack Tool and ownership near the same, make sure fillers are on the lesser-owned side to minimize battles. There is literally nothing to dislike here besides the large ownership share, but it’s very much warranted.
DAL1
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
On a slate with two very highly owned stacks, there are a lot of stacks with positive leverage in great spots such as Dallas’ top line. This trio is slightly more owned on FanDuel where pricing has gotten far too soft, but on DraftKings they carry a very nice leverage score of 6.3% against the lowly Red Wings. This line has a ton of offensive firepower and upside on a slate it will certainly be needed. If their ownership stays in check, even on FanDuel, it makes for a great spot to get over the field.
Others: TOR1, NYR2
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