Intermediate NHL DFS: Shots on Goal

In daily fantasy hockey, like in most things, getting the fundamentals down is integral toward laying a foundation of knowledge to build from as you progress as a player. We go over shots on goal with a definition and how to approach using them in everyday strategy.

Shots on Goal

Definition

When a player shoots the puck and it registers on net, that counts as a shot on goal. Shots on goal are one of the more important statistics in NHL DFS and is important in choosing which players to use in your lineup.

Strategy

Shots on goal should be one of the first things you look at when considering a player for your lineup. Not only do shots on goal give you easy points, but they also give you a sense of how often a player is generating scoring opportunities. Generally, players who average a high amount of shots on goal (and shot attempts) are those at the top of the NHL in goals, goals per game, points per 60, etc.

There will be some outliers — namely players who generate a lot of shots on goal but don’t always convert them into goals. These are mostly going to be defensemen who take a lot of shots from the point on the power play. It is also a good idea to consider how often a player gets shots on nets with the man-advantage. These will almost always be high-danger scoring chances or scoring chances with a high probability of turning into goals.

Cash Games

Shots on goal are a good stat to target when crafting a lineup for cash games. This includes 50/50 contests and Double-Ups as well as head-to-head competitions on DraftKings. Shots on goal are worth 2.0 fantasy points on DK, so the more SOG the more guaranteed points for that particular player. Usually defensemen who generate a lot of shots on goal are going to be prime cash-game targets since their prices will usually be lower than forwards.