Power Plays: NHL DFS Picks & Top Stacks for DraftKings + FanDuel with Nathan MacKinnon | 5/3/21

The NHL DFS schedule has been a little chaotic lately, with 13 games on Saturday and one on Sunday. Tonight is no different, as the NHL has decided that there has to be 14 games tonight. This might be the biggest main slate in NHL DFS history. Needless to say, there are a ton of options tonight. To decipher the games, I will be using Awesemo’s industry-leading NHL DFS projections, along with ownership projections and the Top Stacks Tool. Let’s find some of Awesemo’s optimal NHL DFS picks for our DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy hockey lineups for Monday’s Slate.

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.


For more help building your daily fantasy hockey lineups today, be sure to check out our free NHL DFS cheat sheets for DraftKings and FanDuel; and check out the NHL DFS Strategy Show today with Awesemo expert Jake Hari.


NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | May 3

NHL DFS Picks: Center

Nathan MacKinnon (COL at SJ)

DraftKings – $9,000

FanDuel – $9,000

MacKinnon and the Avalanche get the honors of having the highest implied team total on this massive slate. Vegas gives the Avalanche a 3.8 implied total. The is almost exactly what they are averaging against the Sharks this year. In six games, Colorado is 5-1 with 3.83 per game. MacKinnon was shut out of everything on Friday against the Sharks, and Saturday he came out and made up for it with a goal, an assist and nine shots on net for 30 DraftKings points. He is now averaging the shots bonus over the last 10 games. Colorado is right on the heels of Vegas in the West, and it needs to keep its foot on the gas. San Jose has been a bottom-five team in all the advanced metrics used for NHL DFS, and MacKinnon should keep putting up points tonight – he’s currently No. 3 overall in the Awesemo NHL DFS projections tonight.


Latest NHL DFS Content


NHL DFS Picks: Wingers

Leon Draisaitl (EDM at VAN)

DraftKings – $7,800

FanDuel – $8,200

When Dave Tippett moves Draisaitl to the top line next to Connor McDavid, they are instantly one of the best offensive lines in hockey. Draisaitl is second in points (71), only behind McDavid (87), and he has the league’s highest plus/minus at +28. Draisaitl has enjoyed playing against the Canucks this year, averaging 2 points a game and 3.5 shots per game against them. Awesemo NHL DFS projections have Draisaitl projected for 3.3 shots and 1.09 assists tonight. Vancouver is going to be a tired team with all its games being rescheduled because of the COVID issues. There’s two weeks left on the schedule, and Vancouver has 11 games. This will be the start of a long run for them, and their defense is going to steadily break down.

Andrei Svechnikov (CAR vs. CHI)

DraftKings – $5,800

FanDuel – $5,600

Carolina remains on top of the Central Division by 2 points and has a game in hand of Tampa Bay. Fighting off the Lightning will be a tall task, but a series with the Blackhawks is a good start. Chicago has struggled all year and finds themselves in rebuilding mode. The Hawks are giving up the most goals against at five-on-five over the last 10 games, and they are allowing the second-most shots against. Furthermore, the Hawks are giving up the most scoring and high-danger chances in the league over the last 10. Carolina is one of the best possession teams in the league, and Chicago should be in for a long night. Svechnikov comes in riding a three-game point streak against tough competition, and getting top power-play time against a bottom-five penalty kill team is only another reason to play more Hurricanes.

Taylor Hall (BOS at NJ)

DraftKings – $6,100

FanDuel – $6,400

Hall’s game has been rejuvenated since joining the Bruins. He had two goals and 17 assists in 37 games for the Sabres, and since coming to Boston, he has five goals and five assists in 13 games. He has hit the shot bonus in three of the last seven games while averaging 3.5 shots per game since the trade. Hall has quickly formed great chemistry with linemates David Krejci and Craig Smith. Together they carry a 64% Corsi, an expected goals share of 62.55%, 40 shots per 60 and over 14 high-danger chances. New Jersey can be picked on, as they are allowing the fifth-most goals against per game on the year, and the sixth most shots against. In term of special teams, the Devils have the worst penalty kill in the league, with a 70.4% kill rate. Hall and his linemates fully correlate on the second power play and make for a great stack on this massive slate.

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NHL DFS Picks: Defensemen

Dougie Hamilton (CAR vs. CHI)

DraftKings – $6,900

FanDuel – $6,600

Hamilton makes the short list of spend-up options for blueliners tonight. Ownership options should not be of concern tonight because the slate is so big that it will get diluted just because of the options to pick from. If playing a Carolina stack, adding Hamilton on as a fourth is a great play. He has been playing over 22 minutes a game, and he quarterbacks the top power-play unit. Over the last 10 games, Hamilton is averaging just under five shots/blocks per game. A date with the Blackhawks will only help as they are allowing the most shots against in the league. Finally, Chicago has the fifth-worst penalty kill (76.6% kill rate) while also allowing the 10th-most shots against while short-handed.

If you’re looking to save salary on the Canes blue line, going down to Jaccob Slavin at $4,100 isn’t a bad idea. He is playing a ton of minutes on the top pairing with Hamilton, he just doesn’t get any run on the power play. Slavin is averaging 4.3 shots/blocks per game over the last 10 games.

Brent Burns (SJ vs. COL)

DraftKings – $5,200

FanDuel – $6,100

The price on DraftKings is far superior compared to FanDuel tonight. The mid-range for blueliners is full of inconsistency, but Burns has been pretty consistently as of late. The matchup isn’t the best against the Avalanche, but he will still get plenty of chances. Over the last 10 games, Burns has been playing over 26 minutes a night and is averaging over five shots/blocks per game. That is a pretty solid floor if there is salary left over when making your lineups. He plays in all situations and quarterbacks the top power play.

Paying Down for Defensemen

When there is a massive slate like tonight, there becomes a time where salary savings become necessary. Punting at defense can help gamers get the higher-priced stacks they want in great matchups. There are a couple good spots to pay down tonight and some of them are:

  • Noah Dobson ($2,500) — PP1
  • Ethan Bear ($2,600) — PP2
  • Mike Reilly ($3,400) — PP1
  • Nate Schmidt ($3,500) — PP2
  • Jamie Drysdale ($3,500) — PP2

Top Stacks

Colorado 1: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen

Edmonton 1: Leon Draisaitl – Connor McDavid – Kailer Yamamoto

Boston 2: Taylor Hall – David Krejci – Craig Smith

Carolina 1: Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Teuvo Teravainen


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Author
As an avid competitor, Jeff "Votts" Votteler grew up playing all types of sports. But as he grew up, he gravitated towards hockey and played at a very competitive level. Fantasy sports became a passion of Votts' over 10 years ago, which in turn moved over to the emerging world of daily fantasy sports for the last five years. Votts likes to dive into the analytics of all the sports, where he can turn over those value "rocks" that players depend on to win on a daily basis.

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