Welcome to Sunday’s four-game NHL Slate. We have a short slate, but there is no shortage of ways to build your lineup. There are a couple of teams playing on back-to-back nights, so there is going to be some value to exploit.  You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Sunday, January 21st, 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 January 21st

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

A four-game slate doesn’t leave you with too many options, but with a few teams playing the tail end of back-to-backs, we should see some backup goalies get starts, so that’s important to consider. Patrick Roy is making his head coaching debut for the Islanders, so maybe that gives them a boost, while the Leafs are trying to keep up in the Atlantic Division. Let’s take a look at which players we need to keep an eye on for today.

 

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Ilya Sorokin Vs. Dallas Stars

Lukas Dostal Vs. New York Rangers

Joey Daccord Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

 

Best Odds for a Win

Igor Shesterkin Vs. Anaheim Ducks

Jake Oettinger Vs. New York Islanders

Ilya Samsonov Vs. Seattle Kraken

 

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers

There’s no question that the Rangers have the best matchup on paper tonight, which means we need to look at Igor Shesterkin. His number in the last five games hasn’t been elite, but you have to believe that the Rangers can score enough goals to come away with a win. If you want a safe goalie play, this is as good as it’s going to get.

Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars

I don’t love that Jake Oettinger is likely to start tonight against the Islanders and their new head coach. Dallas is playing their second game in as many nights and Oettinger has been just as inconsistent as Shesterkin in his last five. The good news is, he’s very good on the road, posting a 2.61 GAA and a .920 SV%. If you want to take the risk in a GPP, go ahead.

Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

On the flip side, Ilya Sorokin is likely to start tonight and he’s probably hoping that Roy can bring some defensive structure to a team that desperately needs it. The Islanders are allowing 35 shots again per game, which is just too much. Sorokin has struggled this year, but he isn’t the problem. Dallas is a tough matchup, but if he can keep the goals to a minimum, he probably flirts with 35-saves and hits value without having to pick up the win.

Alex Lyon, G, Detroit Red Wings

It’s no secret that the Tampa Bay Lighting are terrible on the road. They are also playing their second game in as many days. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to get the start, which may seem like a good thing, but the Russian netminder has a 3.38 GAA and a .885 SV% on the road. Alex Lyon has really saved Detroit’s season and if he gets the start, there’s no reason to fade him. It’s a gift that we can play him at $7500 on DraftKings.

Joey Daccord, G, Seattle Kraken

Joey Daccord has dropped his last two games, but that shouldn’t erase just how good he’s been over the last month. He’s 7-3-3 on home ice with a 2.02 GAA and a .926 SV%. The Kraken struggle to score goals, but Toronto is in town and they are giving up goals to everyone. To make this matchup even better, Ilya Samsonov is likely to start, and there is no way ANYONE should be trusting him. The man can stop a beachball and the Leafs still can’t defend. It’s a tough matchup for Daccord, but he could still provide value at his $7300 price tag.

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 


New York Rangers Vs Lukas Dostal (3.7)

Tampa Bay Lightning Vs. Alex Lyon(3.4)

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Joey Daccord(3.2)

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs can’t defend but Auston Matthews can score goals. He’s up to 37 on the season and is on pace to score 70, smashing his career high. Matthews is $10K, which means he needs to score a goal or pick up multiple points AND hit the shot bonus. It’s asking a lot for a player to do that, but if anyone can do it, it’s AM34. 

Jared McCann, C, Seattle Kraken

We need exposure to Seattle tonight because as mentioned above, the Leafs can’t defend. Jared McCann isn’t having the same season as last year, but he has goals in back-to-back games and will get a chance to abuse Ilya Samsonov. I’ll take all that upside for just $4500.

Alex DeBrincat, W, Detroit Red Wings

Alex DeBrincat has one goal in his last ten games, but that doesn’t mean we just ignore him. Tampa Bay is playing the tail end of a back-to-back and they just can’t defend on the road. DeBrincat is still seeing a healthy amount of ice time and we know that he is a shooter. He still has 40 points on the season, but we need to see him get back to his goal-scoring ways and it could happen tonight.

Troy Terry, W, Anaheim Ducks

I do think that the Rangers are a good option tonight, but they are playing their third game in four nights and have scored just two goals in their last two games. Troy Terry is regularly playing over 18 minutes a night and most recently has been seeing over 20 minutes of ice time. He picked up two assists yesterday and is skating on the top line and top power play unit. He’s $4900 on DK and could provide us with a ton of value on a shorter slate.

Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders

Noah Dobson is elite and we need to start putting some respect on his name. He’s averaging a point per game, shoots the puck a ton and is blocking shots. He’s also playing over 25 minutes most nights. $7100 for him is just not enough. He’s entering prime Roman Josi territory and we refuse to say accept it. If you have the salary to pay up for him, go ahead and do so.

Ilya Lyubushkin, D, Anaheim Ducks

You know the drill with Ilya Lyubushkin. He’s not here to rack up points, he’s here to block shots and exceed value. He’s blocked three or more shots in four of his last five games and does it despite seeing less than 20 minutes most nights. The Rangers aren’t a high-volume shooting team, but I do think the veteran defenceman can still get there.

Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs

I couldn’t leave Morgan Reilly out of the Playbook after his performance yesterday. The veteran defenceman finished with two assists and TEN-- yes, T-E-N-- shots on goal. To put that into perspective, in his last ten games including the one last night, he has 37 shots on goal. I’m not expecting the same output against Seattle, but he’s clearly willing and able to fire the puck on goal. I haven’t always been a fan of Rielly, but maybe that’s starting to change.

 

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