Today, we have a three-game NHL main slate, which should be very fruitful for DFS purposes today. There's a number of priority game stacks today to attack on all fronts. Let's get into the each main slate matchup for these pivotal NHL playoff matchups!
Today's NHL DFS Playbook & Core Plays
The Colorado Avalanche have taken a commanding 2-0 lead in their series, but we shouldn’t count the Nashville Predators out just yet. They still have a chance to come back in this series, but it starts with them being able to win tonight.
Nashville’s top line of Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene have been playing really well and are finding ways to score goals. They are all worth considering in cash games, either by stacking all three or going with a combination of any two. Granlund has 13 points in the last ten games and is only $3700 on DraftKings. He’s the best value on the slate by a large margin.
On defence, Roman Josi is always a good option. He was one shot on goal shy of hitting the double bonus in Game 2 and we could see him put up similar numbers in Game 3. If you don’t want to pay up for him, Mattias Ekholm is the next-best option. He’s $4100 and finished with four blocked shots last game. Colorado should continue to fire a ton of pucks towards the net, so many Nashville defenceman could end up blocking multiple shots.
In goal, Connor Ingram was excellent in Game 2 and he will need to be just as good tonight. He’s $7400 and was able to easily hit value last game thanks to his 49-save performance. He’s a great GPP option to consider if you believe that he won’t give up five or more goals tonight.
For Colorado, it’s all about their top line. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are always good options, but I’d look to play just MacKinnon tonight. He’s shooting the puck a ton and racking up points. Instead of paying a premium for Rantanen, go with Cale Makar for $700 more and don’t look back. He finished game two with 12 shots on goal and continues to be one of the best defenceman in the playoffs.
As always, Devon Toews is another play worth considering. Despite Nashville not shooting the puck a ton, he managed to finish with five blocked shots in game two. He has nine points in the last ten games and can help complete your Colorado stack.
Darcy Kuemper hasn’t had to work very much in his two starts, but that does limit his upside. He’s a cash game goalie to consider, but I’d look for other options to help save some salary.
The series shifts to Pittsburgh with both teams having won one game. The Rangers have the edge in most categories, but the Penguins still offer a ton of value.
It’s hard to ignore Sidney Crosby tonight when you take into consideration just how well he’s been playing. He has four points and 13 shots on goal in two games and is a great cash game option. If you don’t want to pay up for him, Evgeni Malkin is another name to remember. He’s not shooting the puck as much, but he’s finding ways to hit value and that’s all that really matters.
If you want to move away from both centermen, a mini-stack of Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust is the way to go. Both wingers are shooting the puck a ton and have a ton of upside. Guentzel has 16 points in his last ten games and should continue his strong play tonight.
On defence, Kris Letang is always a good option, but we need to go a different route to save some salary. Mike Matheson is skating on the second power play unit and should continue to see a healthy amount of ice time if Brain Dumoulin can’t go for game three. The Rangers don’t generate a ton of shots on goal, so the ability for any defefenceman to block three or more shots is limited, but at that price, we can take the risk. John Marino is another name to consider if you really need to save salary.
In goal, Louis Domingue is a goalie to consider in a GPP, but I just don’t like his upside. The Rangers don’t generate a ton of shots on goal and they may generate even fewer shots on the road. The upside to playing him isn’t there.
For New York, there are only two forwards to care about: Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp. I know it seems dumb to not talk about Chris Kreider or Artemi Panarin, but both Vatrano and Copp are under $5K on DraftKings and have been really good since coming over to New York. They are affordable options that allow you to get some exposure to New York without having to break the bank.
On the back end, K’Andre Miller is another cheap defenceman worth talking about. He has nine shots on goal in two games and continues to hit value. He’s doing all the small things right and is probably going to see over 20 minutes of ice time tonight. With the Penguins shooting the puck a ton, he has an outside shot of hitting both bonuses in this game.
Igor Shesterkin has been phenomenal so far in this series and that won’t change tonight. Despite being $8500, he’s hit value in both his starts this season and continues to be the rock the Rangers need in goal. It is not hard to hit value when a hockey game goes to triple overtime, but he still stopped 79 shots, and that isn’t something to ignore. This game should be close and he has a real chance of exceeding value despite being so expensive.
It has been quite a series between the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. Both teams have combined to score just three goals in two games, and while that might sound boring, it’s been anything but.
For Calgary, their top line is always worth considering, but the only player worth considering is Matthew Tkachuk. He’s moved up to the top line, but that hasn’t helped him score more goals. We could see him move back down to the second line for this game, and that would actually be a blessing. There’s no point in loading up on Calgary skaters who aren’t shooting the puck, but we also don’t want to completely ignore this game. Tkachuk has the ability to shoot the puck and find the back of the net, and at $5800, I’ll take my chances with him as a single-bullet.
On the back end, Christopher Tanev is a name worth considering. He’s $3000 and is more than capable of blocking shots. Dallas doesn’t shoot the puck a ton, but Tanev has come close to hitting value without having hit any bonus or registering a point. His low price tag may just allow you to pay up elsewhere.
When it comes to goaltending, I want nothing to do with Jacob Markstrom. I’m not worried that he’s not going to play well, but he hasn’t seen many shots in two games and needs to pick up the win to have a chance of hitting value. His price tag is fine, but his upside is just not there. Instead, Jake Oettinger is who I’d consider playing in cash games. He hasn’t faced a ton of shots, but his price tag is just too soft to ignore. He shouldn’t be $7500 against a team that has scored one goal in two games. The upside for him to hit value is there without him having to win the game, so that who I’d be looking to play tonight.
Sticking with Dallas, Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin are two players who I love tonight. Robertson only has two shots this series, but that has caused his price tag to drop to $5700, and we know he’s capable of finding the back of the net. Tyler Seguin is under $5K and has six shots on goal in two games. That doesn’t sound like much, but when you take into consideration just how few shots on being put on goal, Seguin is doing a lot more than most of his teammates. You can use both players together in a GPP or just one as a single-bullet in cash games.
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