There is a great seven-game slate tonight with no shortage of options. There are a handful of teams that we want to pay up for, which should make the ownership interesting. Let’s dig into the slate and find a couple key guys to put in your DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS lineups.
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NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | April 5
NHL DFS Picks: Centers
Nathan MacKinnon (COL at MIN)
DraftKings — $8,700
FanDuel — $9,100
MacKinnon continues to tear the league apart game after game. He’s tallied multiple points in six out of the last 10 games while averaging four shots on goal per game. He has had a lot of success against the Wild this year, with 10 points in five games and 16.1 DraftKings points per game. The Wild have gone 10-4 in their last 14 games, but digging deeper, their advanced metrics have been bad. Over the last 10 games Minnesota is 31st in Corsi, 26th in expected goals against per 60, 31st in shots against per 60 and 29th in scoring chances against per 60. The Joel Eriksson Ek line will likely match up with MacKinnon, but with Kirill Kaprizov and Jordan Greenway on that line, they have been leaky. It is a small sample, but with the offensive firepower the Avalanche’s top line has, they will find chances no matter what.
Nick Suzuki (MON vs. EDM)
DraftKings — $4,600
FanDuel — $5,200
Suzuki makes for a solid mid-range value play tonight along with his mates if looking to stack. He has 4 points in the last five games and has been a good facilitator. The Canadiens will send out their elite top line to hard match the Connor McDavid line tonight, leaving Suzuki a positive matchup against the Leon Draisaitl line. Edmonton’s second line has a good sample, with a 47 % Corsi-for while allowing 32 shots against per 60 and over 12 high-danger chances. The Suzuki line has been very good offensively, with a 55 % Corsi-for and 2.5 expected goals per 60.
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NHL DFS Picks: Wingers
David Pastrnak (BOS vs. PHI)
DraftKings – $8,900
FanDuel – $8,300
Pastrnak ended a five-game scoring drought on Saturday, lighting the Penguins up for two goals and an assist. He is one of the best snipers in the league and is averaging over four shots per game over the last 10. The Bruins’ top line should be low-owned tonight because they will likely match up with the Sean Couturier line, which is a great defensive line. People tend to stay away from that matchup, but it could be a good spot to find some leverage. The Bruins’ top line is one of the best lines in hockey, and with the amount of offense they carry, they can still find ways to light the lamp. The Bruins have won all five matchups this year against the Flyers, and they are averaging 4.8 goals per game. Vegas has them with the fourth-highest team total tonight.
Kyle Connor (WPG vs. OTT)
DraftKings — $7,000
FanDuel — $6,400
Winnipeg shuffled up its lines a couple games ago to get a little more depth, moving Nikolaj Ehlers on the top line alongside Connor and Mark Scheifele. With Ehlers on that top line, they should get much faster and it should lead to more chances. The Adam Lowry line has been playing shutdown duties at home, so it should leave the Jets’ top line to match up with the depth of Ottawa. Connor is averaging almost four shots per game over the last 10, and the Senators have been a bottom-five team in almost all the advanced metrics used for NHL DFS.
NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen
Matt Grzelcyk (BOS vs. PHI)
DraftKings — $4,800
FanDuel — $4,300
Since dealing Torey Krug away then losing Charlie McAvoy for a little bit, Grzelcyk was allowed to showcase his talent a little more. The Bruins needed him to step up, and he has done that. Grzelcyk is not an elite power-play quarterback like a Roman Josi, but he is a solid consistent defenseman. He is quarterbacking the top power-play unit, giving exposure to probably the best line in hockey in Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Pastrnak. Grzelcyk is averaging 4.5 shots blocks per game to go along with 22 minutes of ice time. Philadelphia has been awful defensively, and its goaltending has been just as bad. The Flyers are giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing defensemen in the league, and paying $4,800 for Grzelcyk tonight is a good way to go.
Cale Makar (COL at MIN)
DraftKings — $5,900
FanDuel — $5,600
Prior to his injury, playing Makar was risky because his shot volume was down and he was very point dependent. Since returning he has raised his shot volume, averaging three shots a game and a block to go with it. He also leads the top power-play unit and gives exposure to one of the top lines in the NHL with MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. Minnesota has been awful defensively over the past 10 games, allowing the third-most shots against on the power play, and their expected goals against have dropped to 18th in the last 10 games.
Top Stacks
Colorado 1: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen
Colorado’s top line is lethal and matchup-proof, even going against the likes of Eriksson Ek. This year the Avs top line at five-on-five has a 65% Corsi-for with an expected goals of 3.21 expected goals per 60. They are creating 36 shots per 60, 39 scoring chances per 60 and over 14 high-danger scoring chances. They are beyond elite. Minnesota has fallen off defensively. Over the last 10 games they have the league’s worst Corsi, are 26th in expected goals against per 60 and are allowing the second-most shots against and third-most scoring chances against. The ownerships for tonight’s slate should be interesting with three expensive lines worth paying up for. Colorado should garner a good amount of ownership, so make sure to differentiate with the other builds.
Winnipeg 1: Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Nikolaj Ehlers
Winnipeg’s top line is another great pay-up option tonight, along with the Avalanche and Bruins. The Senators are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. They are allowing a league-most 3.7 goals against per game, are giving up the third-most shots against, and their penalty kill is in the bottom 10. The Jets have a ton of firepower, but their top line doesn’t fully correlate. Ehlers plays on the second power-play unit, so if to get a tad contrarian, go to Blake Wheeler or even save some more salary with Paul Stastny. The big key for liking the Jets’ top line tonight is they will stay away from the Brady Tkachuk line most of the night.
Value Stacks
Montreal 2 — $12,200
Montreal 3 — $13,500
Depending on the salary needed, the Canadiens’ depth is a good place to look. However, others will turn there as well. The Oilers’ depth gives up a ton of chances and can be attacked. The Draisaitl line plays with great pace, but they turn the puck over a good bit, leading to chances at the other end of the ice. Suzuki correlates with Josh Anderson on the top power-play unit, while Corey Perry will play on the second unit.
Tyler Toffoli and the third line will see the third- and fourth-liners from Edmonton, and that’s pretty much a layup. Toffoli plays on the top power-play with linemate Jonathan Drouin, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi plays on the second unit.
Calgary 3: Mikael Backlund – Andrew Mangiapane
Looking back at yesterday’s game between these two, it was surprising that this line matched up with only the depth lines against Toronto. The Matthew Tkachuk line matched up with Auston Matthews almost all night, and the Johnny Gaudreau line saw the John Tavares line most of the night. Backlund is probably a top-10 two-way center in the league, but he lacks that elite scoring ability. Collectively, though, Calgary’s top line has a 56% Corsi-for, 2.7 expected goals per 60, 30 scoring chances per 60 and over 12 high-danger chances. They do not provide total power-play correlation, as Backlund is the only one who plays on the extra-man advantage on the second unit. But a two-man stack of Backlund and Mangiapane will get that high-priced stack in lineups. Add in a blue-liner like Mark Giordano or Rasmus Andersson for PP2 correlation with Backlund.
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