NHL DFS Playbook February 8: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Published: Feb 08, 2024
Welcome to Thursday’s seven-game NHL Slate. We have some elite options to choose from tonight, but we also have some under-the-radar players who can really provide us with some value. As always, picking the right goalie is going to be key.
You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Thursday, February 8th, 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 February 8th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
There are a few games with a total sitting at 5.5, so that’s a good place to start when looking at goalies. Jack Hughes is expected to make his return tonight thus giving the Devils a nice boost up front. Colorado is once again in action, so Nathan MacKinnon is another player to consider. The value players that we target are going to be important because they provide us with the salary relief needed to pay up for the elite skaters. Let’s take a look at which players we need to keep an eye out for.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies
Top Options for Saves
Thatcher Demko Vs. Boston Bruins
Ilya Sorokin Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Alexandar Georgiev Vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Best Odds for a Win
Sergei Bobrovsky Vs. Washington Capitals
Ilya Sorokin Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Vitek Vanecek Vs. Calgary Flames
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers
There’s only one really good goalie option on the slate and it’s Sergei Bobrovsky. The Washington Capitals don’t score many goals and they are even worse on the road. Bobrovsky is expensive, but he’s a no-brainer for cash games.
Laurent Brossoit, G, Winnipeg Jets
Laurent Brossaoit is 2-2-2 on the road this season but has a 1.97 GAA and a .934 SV%. Those are some pretty elite numbers even in a small sample size. The Flyers are 27th in goals per game on home ice, so this is a great spot for Brossoit and the Jets.
Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders
Even with a new head coach, the New York Islanders are still giving up a ton of shots on goal. Ilya Sorokin is probably going to be busy, but we know that the Tampa Bay Lightning are a mess on the road. If he can keep the goals to a minimum, Sorokin can hit value without having to pick up the win.
Connor Ingram, G, Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have a tough matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights, but they are getting two players back-- Barrett Hayton and Matt Dumba-- and Connor Ingram has an 11-4-0 record on home ice. At $7100 on DraftKings, that’s good value for a GPP goalie.
Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary Flames
I don’t feel comfortable playing Jacob Markstrom, but he has been lights out in his last two starts, allowing just a single goal. His numbers on the road are also very good, so it’s not an impossible task for him to come out and have a strong performance against the Devils. He should only be considered as a GPP option.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Florida Panthers vs Darcy Kuemper (3.4)
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Alexandar Georgiev (3.5)
New Jersey Devils vs. Jacob Markstrom (3.5)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils
Jack Hughes is making his return to the lineup and is in a very good spot tonight. The Flames have been good in their last two games, but I’m not ready to buy that success. Hughes is elite and is going to get back to racking up points and shooting the puck a ton. He’s worth spending up for in all formats.
Yegor Sharangovich, C, Calgary Flames
Yegor Sharangovich is making his return to New Jersey, and you know he’s going to be fired up to show his former team that they made a mistake letting him go. He has eight goals in the last ten games and is playing over 18 minutes in the last ten games. His shot volume isn’t great, but it’s hard to ignore a player who is shooting 40% in his last ten contests.
Sam Reinhart, W, Florida Panthers
Sam Reinhart really let us down on Tuesday, but we are going back to him tonight. He’s not a volume shooter, but when he does fire the puck, it tends to end up in the back of the net. Darcy Kuemper is a terrible goalie and Florida has a 3.4 team total. I get being scared to pay up for him, but Reinhart has been elite this season and he can rebound in this game.
Seth Jarvis, W, Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have the highest team total on the slate so there is value to exploit here. Andrei Svechnikov is a game-time decision, but even if he does play, Seth Jarvis is a player to consider. He has 11 points and is seeing over 19 minutes in the last 10 games. Alexandar Georgiev may be winning games, but his .898 SV% doesn’t inspire confidence.
Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders
At this point of the season, if you aren’t playing Noah Dobson it’s because you don’t recognize that he is elite. He has 14 points in the last 10 games and continues to rack up blocks and shots on goal. He tends to shoot the puck a lot more on home ice, so this is just an elite spot for him. It’s wild that we can get him at only $7200 on DK.
Alec Martinez, D, Vegas Golden Knights
If you’ve been here for a minute, you know how much I love Alec Martinez and his ability to block shots. His $5100 price tag is steep, but the veteran defenseman has also been seeing time on the top power play unit and is playing over 22 minutes per night. He’s getting a chance to produce offensively, which can only help him. You know he’s going to continue to block shots, but it’s the extra offensive opportunities that make him a steal at his price point.
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Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Jack Hughes  $9,400 |  David Pastrnak $9,800 |  Noah Dobson $7,200 |
 Nathan MacKinnon $10,200 |  Sam Reinhart $7,800 | Cale Makar $8,400 | |
| Medium |  Mark Scheifele $6,000 |  Clayton Keller $5,800 | Josh Morrissey $5,400 |
| Sam Bennett $5,100 | Timo Meier $5,500 | Sean Durzi $5,200 | |
| Low | Ross Colton $4,200 | Elias Lindholm $4,900 |  Christopher Tanev $0 |
 Chandler Stephenson $4,100 | Cole Perfetti $4,400 |  Matt Grzelcyk $3,000 |
Stacks
| Devils | Jack Hughes | Jesper Bratt | Timo Meier |
| DraftKings | 9400 | 6600 | 5500 |
 Fanduel | 9400 | 8000 | 5700 |
| Jets | Mark Scheifele | Kyle Connor | Josh Morrissey |
| DraftKings | 6000 | 7600 | 5400 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 8400 | 6700 |
| Panthers | Sam Bennett | Evan Rodrigues | Sam Reinhart |
| DraftKings | 5100 | 3900 | 7800 |
| Fanduel | 6400 | 4600 | 9300 |
| Devils | Jack Hughes | Jesper Bratt | Timo Meier |
| DraftKings | 9400 | 6600 | 5500 |
| Fanduel | 9400 | 8000 | 5700 |
| Jets | Mark Scheifele | Kyle Connor | Josh Morrissey |
| DraftKings | 6000 | 7600 | 5400 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 8400 | 6700 |
| Panthers | Sam Bennett | Evan Rodrigues | Sam Reinhart |
| DraftKings | 5100 | 3900 | 7800 |
| Fanduel | 6400 | 4600 | 9300 |
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.