Thursday’s two-game NHL DFS slate is loaded with top-tier scorers as the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs roll on. We should expect tight games with great matchups on the NHL playoffs schedule tonight, but expect some of the top scorers to shine through for our NHL DFS lineups. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils take on Sebastian Aho and the Carolina Hurricanes. Then it's Yanni Gourde and the Seattle Kraken facing Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. Be sure to check in with our NHL DFS Tools, NHL daily projections, and our NHL DFS lineup generator when building those daily fantasy hockey lineups today to help you decide on which players you should be targeting! As you enjoy tonight's NHL Playoffs, check out these NHL DFS top plays and NHL daily picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday, May 11th. Also, if you're looking to make NHL betting picks or hockey best bets, check out our friends at Bettor Sports Network for some NHL Playoffs predictions today.

 

NHL DFS Playbook May 11th

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

Both games have a low total, so Vegas expects things to be close. I don’t know how we can expect Carolina and New Jersey to be close when those games have been filled with goals. If I’m going to heavily stack one game, it’s going to be that one. I’ll also make sure to have a piece of whatever the Dallas Stars are offering. 

Recommended DFS Starting Goalies

Top Options for Saves

Jake Oettinger vs Seattle Kraken

Frederik Andersen vs New Jersey Devils

Philipp Grubauer vs Dallas Stars

Vitek Vanecek vs Carolina Hurricanes

Best Odds for a Win

Frederik Andersen vs New Jersey DevilsDevils

Jake Oettinger vs Seattle Kraken

Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups

Frederik Andersen, G, Carolina Hurricanes

Frederik Andersen did us a solid and provided us with a strong performance in Game 4. Everyone was thinking that New Jersey would come out and score a ton of goals, but once again, they managed to score just one goal. Andersen is an elite hockey goalie and I love his chances of picking up the win on home ice and closing this series out. 

Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars

Like Andersen, Jake Oettinger has himself a bounce-back game. The Stars are the better team on paper, but they come back home with the series tied at two. If you’re not going to play Andersen, you might as well go with the next-best option. 

Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle Kraken


If for whatever reason you want to live life on the edge, Philipp Grubauer is the way to go. There’s no reason for us to consider Vitek Vanecek or whoever starts for the Devils, so that leaves us with Grubauer. He hasn’t been terrible in the playoffs and the Stars have struggled to score goals at times. He’s not a safe play, but again, he’s not a Devils’ goalie. 

Recommended DFS Skaters

Highest Expected Goal Totals 

New Jersey Devils vs Frederik Andersen (2.9)

Dallas Stars vs. Philipp Grubauer (3.3)

Seattle Kraken vs. Jake Oettinger (2.4)

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vitek Vanecek (3.3)

Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups

Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils

If the Devils are going to force a Game 6, they are going to need Jack Hughes to be elite. We know how good he is at shooting the puck, but those pucks need to find the back of the net. Even if you decide to play Andersen, there’s nothing wrong with having Jack as a single-bullet. 

Martin Necas, W, Carolina Hurricanes

I’m not expecting another five-point performance from Martin Necas, but I do think he can provide us with some value. He exploded in the last game and his play in this series has been good. Two-points from him tonight is all we need to hit value. 

Yanni Gourde, W, Seattle Kraken

Yanni Gourde has been one of the best players for Seattle in the playoffs, yet his price tag is dirt cheap. I’d love to pay up for someone like Jared McCann, but we need to find some value and Gourde does that for us. He didn’t find the scoresheet last game, but I like his chances to hit value tonight. 

Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey Devils

Luke Hughes is affordable and that’s all I really care about. He didn’t get a point last game, but he did play over 18-minutes. That’s probably what he’s going to see tonight and I’m perfectly happy with that. He has the ability to jump up into the play and create offense, so if he can get a couple of shots on goal and a point, that would make us all very happy. 

 

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