Friday’s four-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers. We should expect lots of tight games with some great matchups out there, but expect some of the top scorers to shine through still. So, be sure to check in with our NHL DFS Tools, with the daily NHL projections, and our NHL lineup generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting!

 

NHL DFS Playbook April 21st

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

Every team is heading into game 3 of their series tonight, so by now, we have an idea of what to expect. The Bruins and Wild are coming off blowout losses, while the Hurricanes look to take a 3-0 lead in their series. We should see the usual suspects have great games, but there’s more than enough value to target. Let’s look at what options we should be considering.

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Linus Ullmark vs Florida Panthers

Ilya Sorokin vs Carolina Hurricanes

Joonas Korpisalo vs Edmonton Oilers

Best Odds for a Win

Stuart Skinner vs Los Angeles Kings

Linus Ullmark vs Florida Panthers

Ilya Sorokin vs Carolina Hurricanes

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Linus Ullmark, G, Boston Bruins 

It’s not everyday we see Linus Ullmark give up six goals, but that’s exactly what happened in game 2. He’s better than that and we all know it, so most of us are expecting him to bounce back, myself included. Florida can definitely shoot the puck, but Ullmark is more than capable of stopping them. Even if the series is moving to Florida, that won’t scare me away from him.

Filip Gustavsson, G, Minnesota Wild

Imaging setting a franchise record with 51 saves in game one, only to be sitting on the bench in game two watching Marc-Andre Fleury give up seven goals. I get that Fleury is a Hall of Famer goalie, but right now, Filip Gustavsson deserves to be in the net for the remainder of the series. He was elite all season and that hasn’t changed. He gives his team a chance to win every night and Minnesota is going to need some magic on home ice to take a 2-1 series lead. I’ll also gladly take his discounted $7500 price tag.

Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

Despite suffering two straight losses, Ilya Sorokin’s price tag on DraftKings has gone up to $7700. The series is moving to New York, so that could explain why, but he no longer becomes a value play. The Russian netminder has been good in this series, but his team is giving him very little goal support. They’ve scored a total of four goals in two games, which just isn’t enough. I like his matchup on home ice and it’s safe to say that this is a must-win for the Islandrs. 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 

Edmonton Oilers vs Joonas Korpisalo (3.7)

Boston Bruins vs Alex Lyon (3.6)

Florida Panthers vs Linus Ullmark (3.1)

Los Angeles Kings vs Stuart Skinner (3.0)

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers

Despite having 11 shots on goal in two games, Connor McDavid still hasn’t scored a goal in the series, while Leon Draisaitl has totalled five points in that same span and is exactly $2100 less than his teammate on DK. Draisaitl is elite, but that’s not new to anyone. He’s been leading this team so far in the playoffs and we can’t fade him right now. Even if this series is moving to Los Angeles, the Oilers are operating at 50% on the power play, so unless the Kings stop taking penalties, the Oilers will continue to get chances and find the back of the net.

Jake DeBrusk, W, Boston Bruins

Let me start off by saying that I do love David Pastrnak tonight, but if you want some value, Jake DeBrusk is the way to go. Boston’s head coach Jim Montgomery has put his lines in a blender and has DeBrusk skating on the third line with David Krejci and Tyler Bertuzzi, which may feel like a demotion, but it may just be a coach trying to balance his lines and get them a better matchup. Florida is the home team and they are certainly going to want to have Barkov on the ice with Pastrnak, so DeBrusk may see matchups against the bottom six, which is only good news for DFS owners. He’s also a cool $5700 on DK, so there’s enough here to love and play him. 

Evgenii Dadonov, W, Dallas Stars

Dallas scored seven goals in game 2 against the Minnesota Wild and Evgenii Dadonov has two of them. He also has seven shots on goal in those games and is seeing time on the second power play unit. At $3100, there’s a lot to love with the veteran winger. I’m not expecting another two-goal performance, but I do think he can hit value. Minnesota is going to focus their matchup on the top line, so Dadonov should be able to find some pace, and at worst, his value.

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers

Even at $4700, Evan Bouchard is the best bargain you’re going to find. He’s the quarterback on a power play operating at 50%. I don’t care about his matchup because he isn’t out there to play defense. His role is to use his cannon shot on the man advantage, and he’s been doing that since the Trade Deadline. He only played 17 minutes last game, but that's pretty typical for him. I’d like to see him play more, but if this game is close, he’s going to be on the bench in the third. Hopefully, Edmonton gets a healthy amount of power plays to push his ice time closer to 20-minutes.

 

Check out our list of the best, and most trusted sports betting and fantasy sports promo codes from the top legal sites in your state.

Dominate your NHL DFS contests today with our DFS Playbook,  Player Projections, Lineup Generator & DFS Tools

Player Pool