Welcome back to the NHL Playbook! You’ll find our daily NHL Best Bets and which players you should target in DFS. We’ve conveniently put it all in one article to simplify life. If you have more questions, make sure to hit up the Fantasy Alarm NHL Discord. Let’s dive into the action and build a winning lineup!

NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 5/14

If you followed along on Monday, the Best Bets went 2-0. We have one Total and one Player Prop SGP for tonight’s action. Let’s dive right into the action and add some dollar bills (or loonies) to your wallet!

 

 

 

Panthers vs Maple Leafs Prediction: Wednesday, May 14th

The series shifts back to Toronto, tied 2-2, and we could see some fireworks tonight. Max Domi decided to be himself and deliver a late hit from behind at the end of the game. These two teams don’t like each other, so if one team pulls away, we could see some rough stuff.

Paul Maurice is going to keep his second line together despite Evan Rodrigues not being available for this game. This is good news for us because that means we can target Sam Bennett. His shot volume in the playoffs has been up, but in this series, it’s been slightly inconsistent. He’s still seeing a decent amount of ice time and has two very good players on his wing. I don’t want to drink the entire juice, so we’ll pair him with Christopher Tanev’s shot block total. Tanev is so consistent in that category and has 10 total in the first two games. Pair both together for a nice little payout.

 

 

 

Oilers vs Golden Knights: Wednesday, May 14th

The Vegas Golden Knights return home down 3-1 and are hoping to keep their series alive. They failed to score a goal in Game 4, and to be honest, they didn’t deserve one. They could not generate scoring chances and didn’t make life for Stuart Skinner very hard. They are a good home team and can do much better, so I think they can return to form and score some goals.

For the Oilers, they made life for Adin Hill very tough. He was clearly frustrated in the first period with all the contact and wasn’t able to regain his focus. I expect the Golden Knights to do a much better job of protecting the paint in front of him. 

I’m also not buying that Stuart Skinner is back to being a good hockey goalie. He had one strong game, but that doesn’t mean we forget how horrible he has been from the start. Neither goalie in this matchup has been any good, so we’ll take the Over and hope for a real barn burner.

  • Over 6.5 (-122 on DraftKings)

 

 

 

NHL DFS Slate & Game Overviews

Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs NHL DFS Breakdown:

  • FLA Goals for: 4th TOR Goals for: 7th
  • FLA  Goals against: 3rd TOR Goals against: 4th
  • FLA  Power play: 8th TOR Power play: 7th
  • FLA  Penalty Kill: 3rd TOR Penalty Kill: 5th

The Florida Panthers went home down 0-2 and did exactly what they needed to do--win. Now, they travel back to Toronto and just have to steal one game. They know what needs to be done, but that doesn’t mean the Leafs are going to make it easy.

For the Panthers, there are a couple of players up front I will target. Sam Bennett is an obvious choice, but I’ll also throw in Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk. The latter options are expensive, but both players are dynamic and can get the job done.

For the Leafs, there are a few routes we can take. Many people will want to target Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but I don’t love their value. They haven’t been playing at their full offensive potential in this series, and we need more. We will focus on William Nylander and Matthew Knies. Both players have been great from the start, and I expect big things from both of them.

On the back end, we will ignore the Panthers because there is nothing there to like. For the Leafs, it’s the same folks that we’ve been targeting all series: Simon Benoit, Christopher Tanev, Brandon Carlo, and Morgan Rielly. If you had to pick just two, Tanev and Rielly would be the better option.

We can’t take a goalie from the second game if we think it’s going to be a high-scoring affair, so it means we have to make a choice in this game. Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t been great in this series, but I trust him more than Joseph Woll. His elevated price tag may help keep his ownership low. If you think the Leafs pull together and take Game 5, then you go with Woll.

 

 

 

Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights NHL DFS Breakdown:

  • VGK Goals for: 10th EDM Goals for: 1st
  • VGK Goals against: 11th EDM Goals against: 10th
  • VGK Power play: 6th EDM Power play: 5th
  • VGK Penalty Kill: 4th EDM Penalty Kill: 14th

The Oilers did their job on home ice; now, they can take care of business and put an end to the series with a win tonight. They made the Golden Knights look like the Anaheim Ducks on the road in mid-December (terrible offensively), but if you think Vegas is just going to roll over and die, you’re in for a surprise.

We’ll start with Vegas, who need to establish some offensive pace to their game right from the start. Jack Eichel is the main player to target, but his linemates don’t inspire much confidence. There’s nothing wrong with Brett Howden or Victor Olofsson, but only Olofsson is seeing power-play time, and if Vegas falls behind early, lines are going to get shuffled. If you want some certainty, go with Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl, who join Eichel on the top power-play unit.

On defence, Shea Theodore is the one player I’ll keep going back to. He has just one point in this series, but he’s still on the top power play unit and is seeing a healthy amount of ice time. You can also make a case for Alex Pietengelo, but at his price point, I’d rather pay down and go with someone like Brayden McNabb or Zach Whitecloud.

On the flip side, you know exactly what players we should be targeting. You don’t need me to tell you to play Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl. What you need me to tell you is to target some secondary scoring. 

Evander Kane has been really good in this series, and he’s finding a way onto the scoresheet. He is, by far, my favourite value play. Adam Henrique and Connor Brown are also some cheap options to consider if you need a few more.

Evan Bouchard doesn’t have a goalie in this series, but he does have five assists. The issue-- that alone isn’t going to help him hit value. His shot volume is good, and he’s even blocking shots. If you want to spend up for him, I wouldn’t blame you. The smart move would be to go with Jake Walman. He’s $4300 and is finding ways to hit value without registering a point. The offensive production isn’t there, but what he brings to the table defensively is value, and if the Oilers have the lead late in the game, you can expect Walman to be out there a lot.

 

 

 

NHL DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

High

Mid

Value