NHL DFS Picks & Playbook for Today’s Games: Saturday, April 6
Published: Apr 06, 2024
Welcome to Saturday’s six-game NHL Slate. We have a great slate with lots of high-scoring matchups to focus on. There is no shortage of value to exploit and there are some great top-tier options to consider. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Saturday, April 6th, but 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 look closer at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.
NHL DFS Playbook April 6th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
Make sure you don't overlook our impressive selection of 6 games, showcasing top-notch players in advantageous matchups. While you can't resist the likes of Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, there are also incredible value options worth considering.
Goalies play a vital role in determining our lineups, so make your choices wisely. Whether you decide to go for a high-end goalie or a more affordable one, keep in mind that goalies can be quite unpredictable.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies
Best Value Goalies
Jake Allen Vs. Ottawa Senators
Kevin Lankinen Vs. New York Islanders
Sam Montembeault Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Best Odds for a Win
Ilya Samsonov Vs. Montreal Canadiens
Samuel Ersson Vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Calvin Pickard Vs. Calgary Flames
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Ilya Samsonov, G, Toronto Maple Leafs
There is a clear favorite for tonight’s slate and it’s Ilya Samsonov. He is the most expensive goalie on the slate but he does have a good matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs have been shooting the puck more of late, but they are still a below-average team when it comes to scoring goals. If you looking for a cash-game goalie, Samsonov is your guy.
Jake Allen, G, New Jersey Devils
I don’t love the New Jersey Devils on the road, but I can get behind Jake Allen. He’s lost three of his last four starts, but he gets a matchup against an Ottawa team that loves to shoot the puck but can’t score goals. He can be used in cash games, but he’s probably better suited for GPPs.
Kevin Lankinen, G, Nashville Predators
I would have preferred to see Juuse Saros start this game, but I can get behind Kevin Lankinen. He is 10-5-0 on the season but has a 3.03 GAA and a .903 SV%. Those aren’t elite numbers, but he’s been good on the road and the Islanders are just not a great offensive team. Nashville is the better overall team and I think they can come away with the win.
Jet Greaves, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
I’m not a fan of Jet Greaves in general, but I can’t ignore the fact that the Philadelphia Flyers are playing on back-to-back nights and that they can’t buy a win. Columbus isn’t a great hockey team, but can they keep this game close on home ice? I would like to think that they can. Greaves is a GPP option that has a chance of hitting value.
Sam Montembeault, G, Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens got destroyed last game against Tampa Bay, but before that game, they had played very well. Montreal will have their hands full against Toronto, but I don’t think they will get blown out of the water. Sam Montembeault has a 2.69 GAA and a .921 SV% on home ice, so he hasn’t been the problem. I’ll take my chances with him in a GPP and see if he can hit value.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Toronto Maple Leafs Vs Sam Montembeault (3.6)
Philadelphia Flyers Vs. Jet Greaves (3.7)
Edmonton Oilers Vs. Calgary Flames (3.7)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews is in a great spot tonight. He has four goals in the last three games and eight in his last ten. You know he’s going to be looking to shoot the puck and that will help keep his floor high. He needs a goal to be able to flirt with hitting value, but that’s not something he can’t do. He’s the top forward in cash games.
Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
If you aren’t going with Matthews you’re probably going with Connor McDavid. The Oilers are playing their second game in as many nights, but I don’t think that makes a difference. McDavid scored two last night and has a whopping 17 shots on goal in the last two games. When he’s shooting the puck, you know good things are going to happen.
Leon Draisaitl, W, Edmonton Oilers
For whatever reason, DraftKings has decided to give up Leon Draisaitl at $7800 tonight. I know it’s a back-to-back game and he isn’t a shooting machine, but this price tag is just too low. He’s playing on a line with McDavid and those two just can’t be stopped. He has 15 points in the last ten games and is shooting a ridiculous 22% on the road. If you don’t want to pay up for McDavid, you can save some salary and go with Draisaitl.
Filip Forsberg, W, Nashville Predators
Filip Forsberg is in a great spot tonight to do some damage. He has ten goals in the last ten games and is averaging over four shots per game in that span. Forsberg is a shooting machine and he is capable of racking up points. The Islanders have played better of late, but they are still a below-average defensive team that hasn’t gotten good goaltending. I’ll gladly rock him in all formats.
Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators
Sticking with the Predators, Roman Josi has looked real good over his last five games. We know he can rack up points, but he’s also shooting the puck a ton and blocking shots. He has now blocked three or more shots in four of his last five games and has added five points in that span. I like him as part of a mini-stack with Forsberg.
Mackenzie Weegar, D, Calgary Flames
MacKenzie Weegar came up clutch for us on Thursday so I’m going right back to him. He finished the last game with two points, five shots on goal and two blocked shots. Weegar is up to 19 goals this season, but he is also racking up blocked shots. Edmonton loves to shoot the puck, so he’s going to have a real chance to hit value even if he doesn’t find the scoresheet. He can be used in all formats.
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Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Connor McDavid  $9,600 |  Filip Forsberg $8,300 | Roman Josi $7,900 |
 Auston Matthews $10,000 | William Nylander $8,700 |  Zach Werenski $7,000 | |
| Medium |  Nick Suzuki $5,800 |  Owen Tippett $6,500 | Morgan Rielly $6,000 |
| Ryan O'Reilly $5,400 |  Jesper Bratt $6,000 | Mike Matheson $0 | |
| Nico Hischier $6,200 |  Gustav Nyquist $5,200 | ||
| Low |  Morgan Frost $4,300 |  Tyler Bertuzzi $4,600 | David Savard $3,700 |
| Dmitri Voronkov $3,500 | Johnny Gaudreau $4,500 | Jamie Drysdale $3,400 | |
| Juraj Slafkovsky $4,000 | |||
| Joel Armia $2,900 |
Stacks
| Maple Leafs | Auston Matthews | Morgan Rielly | William Nylander |
| DraftKings | 10000 | 6000 | 8700 |
 Fanduel | 10300 | 6100 | 9600 |
| Canadiens | Juraj Slafkovsky | Cole Caufield | Mike Matheson | Nick Suzuki |
| DraftKings | 4000 | 6600 | - | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 5300 | 7100 | - | 7300 |
| Predators | Ryan O'Reilly | Roman Josi | Filip Forsberg |
| DraftKings | 5400 | 7900 | 8300 |
| Fanduel | 6700 | 8300 | 9500 |
| Maple Leafs | Auston Matthews | Morgan Rielly | William Nylander |
| DraftKings | 10000 | 6000 | 8700 |
| Fanduel | 10300 | 6100 | 9600 |
| Canadiens | Juraj Slafkovsky | Cole Caufield | Mike Matheson | Nick Suzuki |
| DraftKings | 4000 | 6600 | - | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 5300 | 7100 | - | 7300 |
| Predators | Ryan O'Reilly | Roman Josi | Filip Forsberg |
| DraftKings | 5400 | 7900 | 8300 |
| Fanduel | 6700 | 8300 | 9500 |
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.