Welcome to Thursday’s eight-game NHL Slate. We have a massive slate with a ton of great players to choose from, so we need to make sure we are making the correct choices. There are also some pretty good goalie matchups, so we can’t get that part wrong if we want to cash our GPPs. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Thursday, December 14th, 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 December 14th

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

The high-flying Edmonton Oilers are in action so that just makes this slate that much more complicated. We also could see a goaltending battle between Charlie Lindgren and Carter Hart. There are so many routes to take on this slate, but we need to be cautious of some traps (looking at you, Florida!). Let’s dive into the numbers and see where we can find some value.

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Elvis Merzlikins Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Andrei Vasilevskiy Vs. Edmonton Oilers

Sergei Bobrovsky Vs. Vancouver Canucks

Best Odds for a Win

Ilya Samsonov Vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Seattle Kraken Vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Stuart Skinner Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Ilya Samsonov, G, Toronto Maple Leafs

I hate that Ilya Samsonov is $8500 on DraftKings, but the reality is, he’s got an elite matchup. Columbus is a bad hockey team and I don’t see them being able to win this game. If you’re chasing the win in cash games, this is the best route to take.

Filip Gustavsson, G, Minnesota Wild

In his last five starts, Filip Gustavsson has allowed a total of six goals and is 4-1. Minnesota is a better team since the coaching change and we need to take them seriously. Calgary isn’t a good offensive team and I can’t imagine them generating much offence. Gustavsson is a safe play in both formats.

Joonas Korpisalo, G, Ottawa Senators

I think there is value here with Joonas Korpisalo. St. Louis will be rocking a new coach behind the bench tonight and that usually gives teams a spark, but their offence is still below average and Ottawa is third on the road in goals per game (3.83). Korpisalo has had his difficulties this season, but for one game, the upside here is good if he can secure the win.

Charlie Lindgren, G, Washington Capitals

Do I love the Washington Capitals tonight? No, but I do like that their game against Philadelphia has a total of 5.5. No one is expecting a high scoring affair and at Charlie Lindren’s price tag, he could hit value without needing to win the game. This game could go past regulation, so I’ll take the upside in a GPP.

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs Elvis Merzlikins (4.1)

Minnesota Wild Vs. Dustin Wolf (3.7)

Carolina Hurricanes Vs. Ville Husso (3.7)

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

I know Connor McDavid is on the slate, but Auston Matthews is just on another level right now. He has seven points and 18 shots on goal in the last three games and has a soft matchup against Columbus. If you’re going to pay up for one elite superstar, it has to be AM34.

Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes

Ville Husso is not a very good goalie. He’s probably a great guy who pays his taxes and donates to local charities, but when it comes to stopping pucks, he can’t do that. Carolina has a good amount of goalscorers and Aho is one of them. He could be a sneaky play tonight and one you should not forget about.

Zach Hyman, W, Edmonton Oilers

I’m just going to leave Zavh Hyman here because all he does is produce. He’s not McDavid, but for the price, he is doing just as well if not slightly better. Tampa Bay may be a good team, but Edmonton will get their chances to do some damage. 

Nikita Kucherov, W, Tampa Bay Lighning

It was a rare off night for Nikita Kucherov. He put up a big goose egg, but don’t let that scare you away. Edmonton has been playing better of late, but they still have a weak defence and a goalie that can blow up. Tampa Bay is a good team and I expect them to bounce back along with Kucherov.

Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

How nice of DK to catch up to Mikhail Sergachev. Victor Hedman is once again out of the lineup, so Sergachev will see an increase in minutes and will be counted on to produce. We know he has offence to his game, but he could also be in for a big night in the blocks shots department. I love the upside here for under $5K.

Connor Murphy, D, Chicago Blackhawks

I don’t specifically love the matchup for Connor Murphy, but with Seth Jones out of the lineup, he’s playing more minutes and is producing. He’s now finished with back-to-back four-shot games and continues to mix in the blocked shots. Seattle doesn’t shoot the puck a ton, but Chicago is bad on the road. I’ll take all the upside here for a cool $3200.

 

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