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Friday’s big DraftKings NHL contest features a six-game slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. In this article, you will find DFS advice for DraftKings plus some DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target as well.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $150K Hockey Week Puck Drop [$50K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook
Minnesota Wild Puck line (-1.5) +188 at Arizona Coyotes
You can take the Wild here on the moneyline at -141 (as of writing) on DraftKings Sportsbook but the big odds we’re being offered on the Puck line (-1.5) likely offer the better value. Arizona has a 3-2 record over their last five games but barely squeaked by in two games and allowed 42 shots against the Kings their last time out. Minnesota will have veteran Zach Parise return here—after being a healthy scratch—so the team should be motivated here after a strange coaching decision. Minnesota’s ranks fifth in expected goal rate (xGF%), is the better team overall and has plenty of motivation given the Parise situation and how close these teams are in the standings. The Puck line here is a solid play at big odds tonight on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Top Line Stacks
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks
Chandler Stephenson ($4,200) – Max Pacioretty ($7,400) – Mark Stone ($5,700)
Sometimes it’s just best to take what’s in front of you, and tonight we’re being presented with some very reasonable prices on the Golden Knights’ top forward trio. Max Pacioretty was priced as high as $8,100 just three games ago and comes in with four points scored over his last two games. The Sharks are a bad defensive team as well, allowing the third-most SOG per game in the league and have sunk down to 19th in penalty kill rankings. Adding to Pacioretty’s attractiveness here is the fact his line-mates also come super cheap.
Mark Stone is now averaging a point per game over his last 10 starts and was being priced over $6K every night just a week or two ago. He and Pacioretty have been centered by Chandler Stephenson at even strength but he’s also started to get regular power-play time and comes in with three points over his last two games. The uptick in offensive potential for Stephenson makes him a great value for this game and also allows you to stack the upside potential here with lots of salary flexibility left over. The Golden Knights’ top-trio should be a top-stacking candidate for you tonight on DraftKings.
Superstar to Target
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins ($8,200)
The Bruins and Capitals played a close game a couple of nights ago, with Washington squeaking out a 2-1 SO win. In that game, Ovechkin played over 23 minutes and recorded six hits and five SOG. While the hits don’t matter for DFS, they are a good barometer for how Ovechkin is playing, and right now he’s as involved as can be for the Caps. Ovechkin has recorded the SOG bonus on DK in each of his last two games and even blocked three shots a couple of games ago as well. He’s creating opportunities for the Caps every shift and eventually he’s going to start scoring in bunches again—he only has two goals over his last 10 games. The Bruins haven’t played well of late, recording bad losses to Devils, Isles (x2) and Flyers over their last eight games, and given Ovi’s price here—he’s at his lowest salary in over five games—I like buying low and trying to time some positive goal scoring regression on this slate. His aggressiveness with his shot right now provides a great floor for fantasy purposes at the very least.
Value on Offense
Zach Sanford, St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings ($3,700)
Sanford has seen a bump in usage of late after getting put on the Blues’ top-line beside Ryan O’Reilly ($5,800) and Jordan Kyrou ($4,700). The winger has played over 15 minutes in each of his last three games and comes in red hot with six points (four goals) over his last three starts. Given the increased opportunity and instant connection this line has produced it doesn’t really feel like chasing points, especially with Sanford’s price still ultra-cheap at under $4K. The Blues are a decent contrarian target tonight and have been killing it on special teams of late. Sanford’s an easy way to get some exposure to this offense and projects out as a great standalone play at this price.
Max Comtois, Anaheim Ducks at Colorado Avalanche ($3,900)
It never really feels good to roster a Ducks player, but Comtois has offered good cheap upside for a couple of weeks now in the DFS realm. He enters this game with nine points over his last 10 games, while playing on the top line for the Ducks every night as well. Despite the shoddy record—they’ve now lost eight in a row—Anaheim has created more chances of late and Comtois has remained their only steady producer during that span. They could catch a banged-up Colorado squad off-guard here and Comtois offers solid upside for his price regardless of the matchup.
Stud Goalies
Kaapo Kahkonen, Minnesota Wild at Arizona Coyotes ($7,800)
Kahkonen seems likely to the start for the Wild tonight after Cam Talbot ($7,800) allowed five goals in the last game the Wild played. Kahkonen enters this game on a five-game winning streak and has posted save percentages of .938 or better in four of those starts. The rookie started the season slow but he was gaining some hype as a possible Calder trophy candidate prior to the year and seems to be living up to the billing now. Arizona doesn’t attempt a ton of SOG but they don’t have a ton of finish either. Both the win and SO bonus are in play here given how well both Kahkonen and the Wild have played of late.
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings ($7,700)
Binnington bounced back after a crazy night against San Jose last weekend, which saw him get pulled and then try and fight the entire Sharks team. The Blues’ starter has been solid of late—outside of that one game against San Jose—and has now posted save percentages of .930 or better in five of his last eight starts. The Kings’ offense has gone a bit cold and doesn’t have a ton of finishers, despite attempting over 30 SOG per game. They’re a good opponent here for Binnington, who is very affordable tonight in net.
Value on Defense
Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild at Arizona Coyotes ($3,900)
As mentioned above, the Wild are in good position here to potentially grab a win tonight against Arizona and with that view in mind we should be likely be taking a look at some of their cheaper offensive catalysts. Spurgeon has had a tough start to the year from an offensive perspective as the newly minted Wild captain has zero goals and just four assists through 19 games. The defenseman has averaged 13 goals over the past two years so there is almost certainly some positive regression in his future. At his sub-$4K price, he offers good value regardless as he’s averaging 2.6 SOG and 1.9 blocked shots per game over his last 10 games, which on its own is enough to justify using him at this price. Throw in the fact he’s still getting power-play exposure and the kind of x5 upside we’ve seen from him in the past likely still exists. He’s a great value target and a player you could think about using in Wild stacks tonight as well.
Power-Play Defensemen
Samuel Girard, Colorado Avalanche vs. Anaheim Ducks ($4,900)
The Avalanche are still going to be without the services of Cale Makar for the next little bit and that has opened the door for Girard to step in and take over as the PP1 quarterback. The defenseman has been a great depth piece for COL but has also proven he has the offensive capability to hold down the fort for the Avalanche on the power-play as well. He’s already landed four points in his last three games since the promotion and has played over 25 minutes in each game since the Makar injury. Considering the Ducks are on the schedule here, he still looks far too cheap at under $5K.
Torey Krug, St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings ($5,100)
Krug and the Blues have been putting up nice offensive numbers of late and they come into this game having scored 15 goals in their last three outings. The Blues have also started to pick things up on the power-play as they enter having converted four of their last six chances with the man advantage. The Kings have played well on special teams this season but come in on a three-game slump. Krug’s getting a ton of power-play exposure, has three points in his last three games, and is a nice way to go about targeting the Blues’ PP1 tonight, who have been in great form of late.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $150K Hockey Week Puck Drop [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.