NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Predictions Today: Saturday Playbook
Published: Jan 18, 2025
Welcome to another NHL DFS Playbook! We have a massive 11-game with a handful of elite players to choose from. Value players are going to be key tonight so we’ll help navigate you towards the right players. Let’s take a look at the slate and build a winning lineup.
NHL Pick 'Em At Sleeper Today
Before we get into DFS, let’s make some pick’em picks for the night over on Sleeper There are lots of ways we try to fill your wallet over here at Fantasy Alarm and this is just another option.
Sleeper NHL Picks, Saturday, January 18th:
- Lucas Raymond O/0.5 P
- Evan Bouchard O/2.5 SOG
- Brayden Point O/0.5 PPP
The Detroit Red Wings have been red hot offensively over the last two weeks and Lucas Rayomd has been a big part of that. He has 16 points in the last ten games and should continue to see a healthy amount of ice time. The matchup against Tampa Bay isn’t great, but the upside is there.
I have no idea why Evan Bouchard has such a low shot total but we will take it. He has 12 shots on goal in the last two games and 41 in the last ten. The Canucks are a mess right now and are giving up so many scoring chances. Bouchard is still the quarterback on the top power play unit and this is a spot where he can really go off.
As good as the Red Wings have been offensively, they still have a terrible penalty kill. They are ranked 31st in that department, so it would be foolish of us to not pick a Tampa forward to record a power play point. Brayden Point is the best value and will continue to see a good amount of power play time.
SALARY CAP DFS
Goalie Of The Day: Igor Shesterkin - NYR
I Know Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers have struggled this season, but let me cook! The Blue Jackets are a very good team, just not on the road. They don’t generate as many scoring chances, which leads to them not scoring as many goals. Igor might get forgotten tonight, which means we can get him at low ownership. It might be more risky than some of you want to digest, but the upside here is massive.
Honorable Mention: Alexandar Georgiev - SJ
I hate myself so much for thinking Alexandar Georgiev can be serviceable tonight. Is he a good goalie? No, but the Islanders are just not a good hockey team. Their offence is horrendous and their special teams are LAST in both categories. Georgiev is $6900 (nice) on DraftKings and has upside, but be ready to be disappointed.
Player Of The Day: Brandon Hagel - TBL
There are lots of Tampa Bay forwards I like tonight, but the best value play is Brandon Hagel. Nikita Kucherov needs a ton of shots and at least three points to flirt with value, and while he is capable of doing that, if he doesn’t, our lineup may be in trouble. Detroit can score goals, but they are still giving up so many quality scoring chances and their penalty kill is a mess. Hagel has been boom-or-bust the last few games, so hopefully, tonight is a boom game for him.
Honorable Mention: Zach Hyman - EDM
The Oilers are playing their third game in four nights, but we still need a piece of them. As mentioned above, the Canucks are a mess and I’m not just talking about in the locker room. Their on-ice play has been bad and Thatcher Demko has struggled since returning from injury. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are back on a line together, so Zach Hyman’s value goes up. He joins the duo five-on-five and on the top power play unit. He’s the best way to get some exposure to the Oilers without having to break the bank.
Value Play Of The Day: Pierre-Luc Dubois - WSH
The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing their second game in as many nights and have to take on a division rival. The Capitals have been elite this season and they are going to slam the Penguins. Pierre-Luc Dubois is skating on the top line and is only $4100 on DK. He doesn’t shoot the puck enough, but he can still hit value with a couple of assists.
Honorable Mention: Bo Horvat - NYI
Just because the Islanders are a boring hockey team to watch, doesn’t mean there isn’t value to exploit. Bo Horvat had seven shots on goal last game and five goals in the last ten games. The Sharks are terrible on the road and Georgiev makes them even worse. He’s $5000 on DK and is a great option as a single bullet.
Stack Of The Day - TBL PP1 (Nikita Kucherov - Brayben Point - Victor Hedman)
You can go with any three players from Tampa Bay’s top power play unit, but the three names above are the ones I like the most. They all see a ton of ice time and Hedman specifically can block shots, keeping his floor high. It’s an expensive stack but one that could pay off.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Connor McDavid  $9,700 |  Nikita Kucherov $10,000 |  Quinn Hughes $8,200 |  Ilya Samsonov $8,400 |
| Brayden Point $8,800 |  Kyle Connor $9,400 |  Logan Thompson $8,200 | ||
| Medium |  Macklin Celebrini $6,700 |  Lucas Raymond $6,100 | Evan Bouchard $7,000 |  Darcy Kuemper $7,900 |
 Steven Stamkos $5,400 | Mark Stone $7,300 | Moritz Seider $6,100 | Juuse Saros $7,800 | |
 Artemi Panarin $7,400 | Shea Theodore $5,600 | |||
| Adam Fox $5,700 | ||||
| Low | Tomas Hertl $4,900 | Tyler Toffoli $4,600 | Neal Pionk $4,700 |  Sam Montembeault $7,400 |
| Mika Zibanejad $4,700 | Aliaksei Protas $4,300 |  Chris Tanev $0 | ||
| Lane Hutson $4,300 | ||||
 Brock Faber $3,600 |
Stacks
| Golden Knights | Shea Theodore | Jack Eichel | Mark Stone |
| DraftKings | 5600 | 8900 | 7300 |
 Fanduel | 6600 | 8500 | 8300 |
| Oilers | Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard | Leon Draisaitl |
| DraftKings | 9700 | 7000 | 8700 |
| Fanduel | 9000 | 6800 | 8900 |
| Sharks | Tyler Toffoli | Macklin Celebrini | Jake Walman |
| DraftKings | 4600 | 6700 | 6000 |
| Fanduel | 6000 | 7400 | 6500 |
| Capitals | Alex Ovechkin | Jakob Chychrun | Pierre-Luc Dubois |
| DraftKings | 8700 | 5500 | 4100 |
| Fanduel | 8400 | 6200 | 5700 |
| Golden Knights | Shea Theodore | Jack Eichel | Mark Stone |
| DraftKings | 5600 | 8900 | 7300 |
| Fanduel | 6600 | 8500 | 8300 |
| Oilers | Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard | Leon Draisaitl |
| DraftKings | 9700 | 7000 | 8700 |
| Fanduel | 9000 | 6800 | 8900 |
| Sharks | Tyler Toffoli | Macklin Celebrini | Jake Walman |
| DraftKings | 4600 | 6700 | 6000 |
| Fanduel | 6000 | 7400 | 6500 |
| Capitals | Alex Ovechkin | Jakob Chychrun | Pierre-Luc Dubois |
| DraftKings | 8700 | 5500 | 4100 |
| Fanduel | 8400 | 6200 | 5700 |
Player News
Ivica Zubac had a productive outing, finishing with 27 points (11-of-15 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), five rebounds, one assist and two blocks in the Game 5 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Zubac continued to score the ball well, finishing with a series-high in points on efficient shooting. However, Zubac’s usual impact on the glass was absent, securing just five rebounds in Game 5 after tallying at least nine in the previous four, with his one assist also tying his lowest output of the series. Down in the series 3-2, the Clippers head back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday, where they face a must-win situation to keep their season alive.
James Harden concluded Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets with 11 points (3-of-9 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 35 minutes.
Harden had a quiet night on Tuesday, barely cracking double figures in scoring and failing to register double-digit shot attempts. The 2018 NBA MVP has faced a stifling Nuggets defense that, over the last few games, has forced the ball out of his hands, leading to inferior performances compared to earlier games in the series. Harden will look for a bounce-back performance on Thursday as he tries to lead the Clippers to a season-saving victory in Game 6.
Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, posting 20 points (8-of-15 FGs, 3-of-7 FTs), nine rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
Leonard did a little bit of everything for the Clippers in Game 5. The two-time NBA Finals MVP posted a series-high in assists and also hit the glass hard, resulting in a near-triple-double. Leonard has scored at least 20 points in all five games of this series. However, the Clippers may need even more from him going forward as they look to extend their season beyond Thursday’s Game 6 at the Intuit Dome.
Nikola Jokic earned a triple-double in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win on Tuesday over the Clippers, finishing with 13 points (4-of-13 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
The three-time NBA MVP had a relatively quiet game by his standards, but still came away with his third triple-double of the series. Jokic struggled with shooting efficiency, and his scoring output was the lowest of the series. Yet, his points were not as necessary in this game, given how well the rest of the Nuggets shot the ball. Nevertheless, Jokic will be in line for another big performance on Thursday when the Nuggets face the Clippers in Game 6.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench and produced 21 points (8-of-15 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), one rebound, one assist and three three-pointers in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win over the Clippers on Tuesday.
Westbrook was electric in his first game back in the lineup following a foot injury that kept him out of Game 4. His second-quarter scoring ignited the crowd and helped set the table for what would be his highest-scoring game of the postseason. The 2017 NBA MVP has had himself a nice series thus far from a scoring standpoint and will have a chance to end his former team’s season on Thursday in Game 6.
Teoscar Hernández went 4-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored to lead the Dodgers to a 15-2 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
Hernández continues to come through with runners on for the Dodgers as he drove in four on Tuesday on four hits, including two doubles. The 32-year-old slugger is up to an MLB-high 31 RBI while slashing .297/.313/.613 with nine homers and two steals across 116 plate appearances.