NHL DFS Picks & Playbook for Today’s Games: Saturday March 30

Published: Mar 30, 2024
Welcome to Saturday’s 10-game NHL Slate. We have a massive 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, March 30th, 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 March 30th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
We have a massive 10-game slate that includes some elite players in very good matchups. We have the usual elite players to choose from like Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak, but we can also target some really good value plays. Goalies will once again be a key part of building our lineups. We can target a high-priced goalie, or look for one more affordable despite the difficult matchup. One thing is for sure-- goalies continue to be voodoo.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies
Best Value Goalies
Tristan Jarry Vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Andrei Vasilevskiy Vs. New York Islanders
Sam Montembeault Vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Best Odds for a Win
Frederik Andersen Vs. Montreal Canadiens
Samuel Ersson Vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Jordan Binnington Vs. San Jose Sharks
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues
If you don’t want to break your head choosing a cash-game goalie, just pick whoever is going up against the San Jose Sharks when they are on the road. You’ll have to spend up, but you’ll rarely miss. Tonight it’s Jordan Binnington. He’s been good this season and I don’t expect that to change tonight.
Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars
Jake Oettinger is in a great spot tonight. He’s won his last four starts and has better numbers on the road than he does at home. Seattle is a low-scoring team and they don’t generate a ton of scoring chances. It may be hard for him to hit value due to the shot volume, but he’s a solid cash game option if you want to save some salary.
Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets have struggled over their last ten games, but maybe all they need is to play the Ottawa Senators. Hellebuyck has been good this season and he’s going to see a decent amount of shots tonight, which should keep his value high. The Jets need to put some wins together if they want to keep pace in the Central Division, so look for them to come out with some urgency.
Tristan Jarry, G, Pittsburgh Penguins
The definition of insanity is repeating an action over and over again and expecting a different result. I am insane because I continue to believe that the Penguins can be decent and win hockey games. Tristan Jarry is a good goalie, but the team in front of him is terrible. Still, $7700 on a large slate like this is quite the bargain. I’ll continue to torture myself by trusting the Penguins to be decent, but be ready for disappointment.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning
I know Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn’t been his usual elite self this season, but $7600 for him against the Islanders is not normal. He’s 7-1-2 in his last ten games and has played really well on home ice. The Islanders have a decent offence, but I can’t believe that they are going to go into Tampa and smack them around. Vasilevskiy has a ton of upside and I wouldn’t hesitate to use him in either format.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
St. Louis Blues Vs MacKenzie Blackwood (4.0)
Philadelphia Flyers Vs. Arvid Soderblom (3.8)
Carolina Hurricanes Vs. Sam Montembeault (3.8)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews has 19(!!) shots on goal in the last two games and gets the Buffalo Sabres on the tail end of a back-to-back. He has finished with over 21 fantasy points on DraftKings in his last five games. I know he’s expensive, but fading him in cash games would be a mistake considering how good his floor has been.
Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
I hate having to trust the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Sidney Crosby is the one exception. He has 13 points in the last ten games and continues to be the most consistent player on his team. Nothing wrong with rolling him out in cash games.
Nikita Kucherov, W, Tampa Bay Lightning
Even if I wanted to fade Nikita Kucherov, I wouldn’t be able to. The man is built differently and is matchup-proof. He has 20 points in his last ten games and continues to see a healthy amount of minutes. The Lightning are still trying to hold onto a playoff spot, so they have something to play for down the stretch. Look for Kucherov to continue his dominance against a below-average defensive team.
Pavel Buchnevich, W, St. Louis Blues
Pavel Buchnevich has ten points in the last ten games and continues to see time on the top line and top power play unit. It’s wild that he is only $5400 on DK considering he is playing the Sharks, but his shot volume isn’t that great so it does limit his upside. Still, he’s worth considering in all formats.
Mike Matheson, D, Montreal Canadiens
Mike Matheson has since his price tag drop from $6500 down to $5600 on DK. In that time, he has racked up a point per game and continues to see a ton of ice time. With Kaiden Guhle out of the lineup, Matheson could see a bump in ice time. He’s already playing 25 minutes a nice, but a slight increase would only help his value. He can shoot the puck and block shots, so there are lots of ways he can hit value in this game.
Connor Timmins, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
We are shooting for the moon here with Connor Timmins. He is back in the lineup and is getting the first look on the top power play unit. He played 20 minutes last game and registered two shots. It’s not elite, but the ice time is encouraging and he's worth a gamble at $2700. If anything, the salary savings will allow you to pay up elsewhere.
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Player Pool
$ Tier | C | W | D |
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Low | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
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Stacks
Stars | Wyatt Johnston | Jason Robertson | Logan Stankoven |
![]() | 5900 | 6800 | 5100 |
![]() | 7500 | 8200 | 5500 |
Blues | Jordan Kyrou | Pavel Buchnevich | Robert Thomas |
![]() | 6500 | 5400 | 6200 |
![]() | 7300 | 6700 | 6600 |
Flyers | Morgan Frost | Owen Tippett |
![]() | 4300 | 6600 |
![]() | 5300 | 7400 |
Stars | Wyatt Johnston | Jason Robertson | Logan Stankoven |
![]() | 5900 | 6800 | 5100 |
![]() | 7500 | 8200 | 5500 |
Blues | Jordan Kyrou | Pavel Buchnevich | Robert Thomas |
![]() | 6500 | 5400 | 6200 |
![]() | 7300 | 6700 | 6600 |
Flyers | Morgan Frost | Owen Tippett | Travis Konecny |
![]() | 4300 | 6600 | 6700 |
![]() | 5300 | 7400 | 7900 |
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.