NHL Best Bets & DFS Cheat Sheet, 5/14: Picks, Predictions & Player Props

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.
- Sam Bennett 3+ SOG/Christopher Tanev O/2.5 BLKS (+192 on DraftKings)
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
- Sam Bennett, Tomas Hertl, William Nylander, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, Morgan Rielly, Adin Hill
Value
- Adam Henrique, Matthew Knies, Evander Kane, Victor Olofsson, Corey Perry, Max Pacioretty, Simon Benoit, Christopher Tanev, Brayden McNabb, Joseph Woll
Player News
Julio Rodriguez homered twice in a 3-2 loss to the Angels on Friday in extra innings.
It’s impressive to have a two-homer game against anyone. Hitting two homers against someone like José Soriano — a pitcher that had allowed all of five homers in 120 innings this year coming into Friday evening — is another. The pair of homers bring his total to 17 on the season, and he’s now plated 54 runs. Second-half Julio appears to be here, and fantasy managers should be thrilled.
José Soriano allowed two runs over six innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.
Bryan Woo struck out six over six-plus inning of two-run baseball in a no-decision versus the Angels on Friday.
Nick Kurtz had an unbelievable night at the dish in Friday’s 15-3 victory over the Astros, going 6-for-6 with four home runs, a double, six runs scored and eight RBI.
Kurtz blasted a two-run homer in the second inning, an RBI double in the fourth, a solo shot in the sixth, a solo shot in the eighth and to put an exclamation point on the night he clobbered a three-run homer off of Cooper Hummel in the ninth inning. In perhaps the greatest single game performance in MLB history, Kurtz etched his name in the record books. He became just the 20th player in history to have a four-homer game and the first rookie to accomplish that feat. He also tied the MLB record for total bases in a game with 19. The front-runner for the American League Rookie of the Year award is now slashing an absurd .305/.374/.686 with 23 homers and 59 RBI on the season.
Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI, three runs scored, and a walk in a 12-5 win over the Yankees on Friday.
While this game was mostly tight throughout, the Phillies blew it wide open late with 10 runs over the final three innings against the Yankees’ beleaguered bullpen. Schwarber was right in the middle of that onslaught with a two-run, eighth inning homer that was scorched at 115.2 mph. He also accounted for the only damage done against opposing starter Will Warren with another two-run, 113.8 mph shot in the fifth inning. He added a 108.9 mph lineout between those and is in the middle of a special power surge with 10 home runs in his last 15 games.
Taijuan Walker allowed six hits and three runs with three strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision on Friday against the Yankees.
The Yankees jumped all over Walker for two quick homers in the first two innings. They had another solo shot later, but could never string enough hits together otherwise to put together a real rally. That was surprising though, because Walker allowed 10 hard-hit balls in total and didn’t seem to fool many hitters either with a steady dose of cutters in the strike zone. His next start is scheduled to come on Wednesday against the White Sox.