NHL DFS Playbook October 23: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks

Welcome to Monday's one-game NHL DFS slate with the Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres. We get Tage Thompson and Nick Suzuki both looking to lead their teams to victory and both players should be quite popular on this daily fantasy hockey showdown slate. We still need to dig deep and find value to allow us to pay up for both superstars, so let’s take a look at some options. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Monday, October 23rd, 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 now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Buffalo Sabres Vs Jake Allen (3.8)
Montreal Canadiens Vs. Eric Comrie (2.9)
Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres
Players to target: Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Eric Comrie, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Michael Matheson
As a showdown this should be an interesting matchup. There will certainly be some intrigue with Tage Thompson who has averaged more than five shots per game, but he has only amassed a single point so far this season. That trend will change, but he is the highest-priced player, so I'm not certain I would want to pay up to find out if tonight is the night. You could look to players such as Dylan Cozens who has played well so far this season for the Sabres, or Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner who will also get time on the top powerplay if you want to save a bit of your budget. For the Canadiens, Cole Caufield is a fine pick for your captain spot. He is averaging five shots per game, and he has four points in three games so far. Nick Suzuki can also be of value in this forward group, but thus far in the season, the Canadien's forwards have lacked excitement.
On the backend, Rasmus Dahlin should be a solid play for the Sabres. He continues to produce points and he will shoot the puck and get you some blocks, and Michael Matheson has been solid for Montreal. He gets the top powerplay time, and he averages more than three blocked shots per game which gives him a solid floor.
I don't think you need to play a goalie in this matchup. I don't have a lot of confidence in either Jake Allen or Eric Comrie, but if I had to pick one I would take the odds for Comrie to get the win at home, there is definitely risk there and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw eight or more goals scored in this game which would have me preferring skaters to goalies.
Player News
Xavier Edwards went 2-for-5 with a home run, double, and two RBI to lead the Marlins to a 6-0 win over the Orioles on Saturday.
Edwards knocked a double and scored a run in the eighth inning, then capped off a four-run ninth inning for the Marlins with a two-run homer off Scott Blewett. The 98 mph fly ball just cleared the wall in right field for Edwards’ first home run of the season and the second of his career. The 25-year-old second baseman is hitting .290/.355/.347 with 39 runs scored, 24 RBI, and 16 steals across 352 plate appearances.
Derek Hill went 2-for-4 with two RBI against the Orioles on Saturday.
Hill got the start in center field for the Marlins with a left-hander on the mound on Saturday. He knocked a base hit to drive in the first run of the game in the seventh inning, then drove in one more run with a single in the ninth. The 29-year-old outfielder is hitting .213/.278/.326 with two homers, 13 runs scored, and six steals across 99 plate appearances.
Jansen Junk tossed seven scoreless innings with two strikeouts in a win over the Orioles on Saturday.
Junk did not allow an earned run to score for the second straight outing, tossing seven shutout frames against the Orioles on Saturday. He scattered five hits and did not walk a batter while collecting two strikeouts. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the first half with a 2.68 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 38/4 K/BB ratio across 50 1/3 innings.
Trevor Rogers allowed one run with eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a loss against the Marlins on Saturday.
Rogers put together one of his best starts of the season on Saturday against he former team. He worked around an error in the first inning, then scattered two hits and two walks while striking out eight batters before his day was done with two outs in the seventh inning at 99 pitches. He’d leave with a runner on, who’d eventually come in to score. The 27-year-old left-hander closes the first half with a 1.53 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 32/10 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings.
Randy Arozarena went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, a steal and four runs scored as the Mariners walloped the Tigers 15-7 on Saturday.
It’s the first time in 734 career games that Arozarena, who will go to his second All-Star Game as a replacement for teammate Julio Rodríguez, has scored four times. He has eight homers in his last 12 games, raising his OPS from .751 to .808.
George Kirby surrendered four runs in five innings and struck out six in a victory over the Tigers on Saturday.
The big blow was a three-run homer from Riley Greene, who got ahold of a splitter tailing away from him and drove it out to the opposite field. It was a very impressive feat, but it was also a shot that would have been a homer in only six ballparks. So, Kirby could have been a little more fortunate in this one. The homer was the first he’s allowed in four starts. The victory, only the second of his career in which he’s allowed more than three runs, makes him 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA. He’ll likely face the Astros in the first series after the break.