NHL DFS Core Plays April 12th: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
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Montreal Canadiens @ New York Islanders 7pm ET
First game of our 3-game slate tonight takes us out to Long Island! The Islanders have been stingy over their last 10 games at home allowing just 1.8 goals per game. That mixed with the fact that they need to win to clinch a playoff spot makes me want to fade the Habs tonight.
Starting with the forwards I like Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson at center tonight as the Habs allow the 7th most DFS points to centers this season. On the Montreal side Nick Suzuki is an option but his upside will be capped due to the Islanders defense of late. On the wings there are 3 options as I see it. Those options are Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise with Palmieri being the one I like most as the Habs allow the MOST DFS points to right wingers this season. The Montreal side is sparse but Joel Armia is someone you can throw a dart on. He has a handful of games dating back to January with 25+ DFS point games.
At defense and goalie are a few options to dive into, the most expensive being Michael Matheson for the Canadiens. Matheson comes into tonight with 4 assists in the last 3 games to go along with 11 blocked shots. Noah Dobson and Adam Pelech are the options on the New York side tonight with Dobson being the more preferable of the two. Dobson has 4 assists in the last 3 games and the Habs allow the 7th most DFS points to defenseman this season. At goalie I only see one option is Ilya Sorokin for the Islanders as he has been awesome this season with a 2.35 GAA and NHL leading 6 shutouts.
Dallas Stars @ St. Louis Blues 7:30pm ET
With Colorado losing last night the Stars have a lot to play for now as a win would put them in the lead for the Central Division. I expect the Stars to fly around tonight in their 2nd to last game of the season so lets dive into it. At center its Roope Hintz at the top and for good reason as he has 74 points on the season and is coming off of a 29.5 DFS point night. Hintz also holds the highest floor at the position in this slate in my opinion. Other options include Pavel Buchnevich and Tyler Seguin with the former having a career best season for the Blues. Buchnevich has 5 points in the last 3 games and might have a chance to build on that tonight against a backup goaltender for Dallas. Over to the wingers now the top tier is Jason Robertson at 8.9k over at DraftKings. The Blues allow the 5th most DFS points to left wingers and Robertson has 4 goals in the last 4 games. I am also looking to plug in either Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn in the mid tier level of wingers. Pavelski more so as he has 9 points over the last 7 games.
Over to the defenseman for this game its the big name of Miro Heiskanen at the top at 6.9k on DraftKings. He has 71 points on the season and has rarely ended a game below double digit DFS points in the 2nd half of this season. Justin Faulk of the Blues will be the mid tier option as the Stars have been soft against opposing defenses in DFS this season allowing the 9th most points to them. Not a fan of the cheap tier in this game so stay away. At goaltender I will look at Scott Wedgewood of the Stars but he is not my favorite option on the slate. Be wary of Wedgewood as he has won just once in his last 4 starts.
San Jose Sharks @ Calgary Flames 10:00pm ET
This game means nothing for the NHL postseason but it could be the highest scoring game on the slate given the defenses in the other games. I am mainly targeting the Flames at center as the Sharks have been weak down the middle. Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri would be those choices for those looking to get into this game. On the winger side Tyler Toffoli is the top option by a wide margin but against the Sharks it makes sense. San Jose allows the 3rd most DFS points to right wingers and Toffoli has 73 points on the season. Other names to watch will be Tomas Hertl, Andrew Mangiapane and Blake Coleman who are coming at a bargain and have good chances to find the back of the net.
Finishing up with the defense is 3 names to consider, Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin. Karlsson is the obvious choice but it will cost you some coin at 7.7k on DraftKings. He does have 100 points on the season though which is unheard of normally for a blue liner in today's game. For the two Flames D-men they have a great matchup as the Sharks allow the 6th most DFS points to the position this season and the Flames should put up 3 to 4 goals at the very least tonight. In net you can throw a dart at Dustin Wolf but we know nothing about him at the NHL level. He was very good in the AHL this season though with 41 wins in 52 games.
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.