We have three games today with some high-flying offensive teams. Colorado and Tampa Bay are going to be popular, but can we find some value elsewhere? Is it even worth rostering a goalie tonight? Can we trust the Red Wings to score goals? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Friday, October 21st. Before you build those NHL daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS projections, the NHL Value Finder, and the NHL DFS lineup generator. Let's now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS slate.

 

NHL DFS Picks & Top Plays October 21

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers

Our first game of the night is a battle between the two Florida teams. Tampa Bay is looking to get back to .500, while the Panthers are hoping to continue to fill the net.

Steven Stamkos has been a scoring machine since the beginning of the season and I will have 100% exposure to him. He’s been moved down to the second line to play centre, but that doesn’t scare me. He doesn’t need anyone else around him to score goals. Brayden Point has been moved up to the top line and his $5400 price tag on DraftKings is more than appealing. You can go down the Kucherov road tonight, but I don’t think he’s a must-play on a short slate with a ton of options.

On the back end, Mikhail Sergachev is the only person I care about. He’s very good at blocking shots, but can also mix in a few shots on goal and a point. He’s also $4600 on DK, so there’s no reason to say no to him tonight.

Andrei Vasilevskiy should get the start in this one, but even at his soft price tag, I won’t play him. This isn’t a great matchup on paper and he hasn’t been elite to start the year.

For the Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe are the only two forwards worth considering. Tkachuk can do a whole lot of everything and his price tag being under $7K is a gift. As for Verhaeghe, he scored two goals last game and is $3900 on DK. Even if he has to go up against Vasilevskiy, I still like the upside and salary relief.

When it comes to defenceman, Gustav Forsling is who we should be targeting. He finished with an assist, five shots on goal and three blocked shots last game, hitting both bonuses and easily surpassing his value. We could see something similar from him tonight. He has four points and 14 shots on goal in the last three games.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks

This is one game I don’t really care about, but from a DFS perspective, there is a ton of value to exploit. Just because two teams are #NotGood doesn’t mean we just avoid them. They have the same total as the Florida game, so let’s find some players to target.

For Detroit, Dylan Larkin is the only centre worth caring about. His price tag being under $6K is also a little strange considering how elite his matchup is. When it comes to wingers, Oskar Sundqvist is $2900 and has four points in three games. He’s skating on the third line, but on the top power play unit. I’m not expecting a ton from him tonight, but it’s hard to fade him as a single-bullet in any format. If you’re looking for a mini-stack, Filip Zadina and Lucas Raymond is the way to go. They are skating on the second line together and on the second power play unit. Andrew Copp is the centreman on that line, but he hasn’t done much this season and I don’t see the need to play him. I like his wingers a lot more.

On defence, Moritz Seider has 11 shots on goal this season but hasn;t scored a goal or even recorded an assist. This could be the game that helps him get on the board, but I’m not going crazy to fit him into my lineup. If you’re looking for value, Olli Maatta is the way to go. I don’t know if Chicago is going to be able to do enough offensively for him to block three or more shots, but I’m willing to at least consider the idea of having him in my GPP lineup.

In goal, Ville Husso is the best option on the slate. He’s expensive, but he’s been pretty good at stopping pucks this season. If he doesn’t get the start, Alex Nedeljkovic is just as good.

For Chicago, there’s really nothing to like upfront. Max Domi is $2900 tonight, but he’s not someone I’m willing to trust in any format. Patrick Kane has one point in his first three games of the season, and even at $6700, I’m still not ready to lock him into my lineup. I’ll probably avoid every forward on this team and look for value in the third matchup of the night.

On the blue line, Seth Jones is a player worth playing tonight. He can find the back of the net, but he’s been blocking a ton of shots this season and playing a ton of minutes per game. I know $5900 for him seems excessive, but he’s got a great shot at hitting value tonight. If you can’t fit him in, Connor Murphy is the next best thing. He can get you those three blocked shots before the second period even ends. 

In goal, Petr Mrazek is confirmed to get the start. I don’t love him, but I can see the appeal in playing him. Detroit is missing some key forwards up front, so he could steal a game for his team and help propel your fantasy lineup to the top of the leaderboard.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken

I’m saving as much salary as possible so I can play Nathan MacKinnon tonight. Even if this is a Philipp Grubauer revenge game, MacKinnon is elite and we need to find a way to fit his $9200 salary under the cap. Mikko Rantanen has moved back to the top line, so he’s also an option to consider. If you need a cheap forward, Evan Rodrigues is the player to target. He did nothing last game, but he’s $3600 and is playing on a pretty solid third line.

When it comes to defenceman, Cale Makar is one of the best. We know what he can do, so you don’t need me to convince you to play him. If you can’t afford him, Bowen Byram and Samuel Girard are both options tonight. Devon Toews is out of the lineup, so someone will have to step up in his absence. Byram is the better offensive player, but Girard can still contribute some spots and even block a few. Both are about the same price, so go with whoever fits into your lineup.

In goal, Pavel Francouz is confirmed to get the start. He was bad in his first game of the season, but we can expect him to bounce back tonight. I don’t love his price tag, but I’ll gladly get behind it.

For Seattle, Matthew Beniers is the only forward worth considering. He’s the best player on the team and he’s $4300. That is saying a lot about just how bad Seattle’s offence is going to be tonight. He’s the only player I would consider as a single-bullet.

On defence, there are so many options to choose from. Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak are my two favourite options because they are focused on blocking shots. They could easily both hit that bonus before the end of the first period. Vince Dunn and Justin Schultz have a bit more offence to their game, but they don’t block many shots, so if they don’t get a point, they probably don’t hit value. I would rank those defenceman in that exact order from my favourite to least. 

Philippe Grubauer isn’t that great, and even if he’s making the trip back to his former home, there will be no miracle on ice tonight. I’m staying very far away from him and so should you. 

 

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