Thursday features a 10-game NHL slate, which begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings. In this article, you will find DFS advice for DraftKings lineups, plus some DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $60K Kick Save [$20K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook
Winnipeg Jets Puck line (-1.5) +145
The Jets come into this slate on a five-game losing streak. The losses have all been in close games though and the Jets have been solid at home with a 10-7-1 record this season and a +12.0 goal differential. They’re taking on a Canucks team that remains extremely short-handed and has scored just four goals in their last three games. Taking the Jets to win big and cover the puck line is something to be interested in today.
New York Islanders Moneyline -125
The Islanders have gone 5-2 over their last seven games. There are a lot of wins against weak opponents in that group of games, but this team has received better goaltending of late and has picked up the shooting percentage. The Kings have been terrible on the road this season with a -5.0 goal differential and have converted on just 12.7% of their power-play chances. The line feels closer than it should be and the price on the Islanders looks well worth taking in this spot.
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Top Stack
Nashville Predators at Edmonton Oilers
Mikael Granlund ($4,400) — Filip Forsberg ($6,100) — Matt Duchene ($5,300)
The Predators head into Edmonton today to take on an Oilers team that has been a great fantasy target over the last month or so. The Oilers rank 12th worst in penalty-kill and give up right around 33.0 shots per game, making this a great matchup for Nashville’s top-line. While they’re not as flashy as some top units, this trio does tend to get overlooked (which is great for big fields) and they head into this game ranked sixth in goals scored as a line.
Filip Forsberg is the main producer we need in lineups and comes in hot with 12 points and eight goals over his last 10 games. His price then seems completely out of whack given the opponent and he makes for an easy stacking play too, given that he plays all his minutes at even strength and on the power-play alongside both Duchene and Granlund. Duchene also looks grossly underpriced as well, considering he’s averaged a point-per-game over his last 10 starts and 3.3 shots on net over that span.
This game has a close point spread but also a 6.0 over/under attached to it on DraftKings Sportsbook, making it a sneaky one to attack today for DFS. Expect goals and for the Predators’ top-line to pay off on their underpriced salaries.
Superstar to Target
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators ($7,700)
The Hurricanes have a monster 4.1 implied team total today, so paying up for their top forwards is not something we should shy away from. Sebastian Aho has been quietly producing at over a point-per-game rate over his last 10 games and has four goals in his last five starts alone. The efficient goal scorer is in a spot to post a ceiling type of game against the Senators, who allow the fourth-most goals per game and have also allowed 3.6 goals per game in 20 road starts this season.
Aho’s priced up a bit and may even go under-owned on this slate given we have both of the Oilers’ big studs, along with red hot top-lines in Calgary and Pittsburgh to pay up for. Aho’s a great pivot play in big fields and a good way to anchor lineups at center.
Value on Offense
Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks at Montreal Canadiens ($4,900)
The Ducks take on the Canadiens and likely head in with a chip on their shoulder after losing a close game to Toronto last night in a shootout. The discounts on the Ducks’ forwards are something to consider and they have scored 13 goals over their last three games. No one is more overdue on the Ducks’ roster for a breakout than Rickard Rakell, who is averaging just under 3.0 shots per game, is up there among the best players in the league in recent Corsi stats—and yet has just five assists and no goals in his last 10 games. The price is cheap and the positive regression is worth chasing in this spot against a Montreal team that allows over 35 shots on net per game.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers vs. Nashville Predators ($4,100)
We have seen the price on Nugent-Hopkins approach $7,000 at times over the past couple of seasons so with him now dipping into the low $4K range on DraftKings, we should likely be interested in deploying him for value in DFS. Nugent-Hopkins’ role hasn’t changed much; in fact, he’ll likely be skating on a line alongside Connor McDavid ($8,600) tonight, and Nugent-Hopkins still gets us good exposure to the Oilers’ top power-play unit as well. The big fantasy games haven’t been there of late, but the price on Nugent-Hopkins is too good to pass up in a spot where he’s likely to play alongside the best player in the world for most of the night.
Stud Goalies
Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues vs. Calgary Flames ($7,700)
The Blues got absolutely shelled in their last meeting with the Flames, going down 7-1 after scoring the first goal of the game. Husso relieved Jordan Binnington in that game (who allowed all of the seven goals) and stopped 13 of 13 shots faced. That could be in the minds of the Flames’ forwards a bit tonight and recently Husso has looked the part of a true number one goalie. He’s won all five of his last five starts and posted an insane .962 save percentage over that same span.
With how hot the Flames’ offense is right now (62 shots on net last night in a 6-0 win) Husso still won’t be very popular today, despite the Blues coming in as -140 home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. He’s the perfect way to leverage off of the higher ownership on Calgary though and carries a big ceiling given that any win will likely come with a monster save total as well.
Value on Defense
Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames at St. Louis Blues ($4,800)
The saying a rising tide lifts all boats is a good way to approach the Flames’ offense tonight. Lots of people will be piling on to the top unit (which has been on a ridiculous tear of late) but there’s an opportunity with some value options in Calgary as well. Rasmus Andersson comes in averaging 4.8 blocked shots + shots on goal over his last 10 games and continues to anchor the top power-play unit for Calgary, which has been climbing the efficiency rankings on special teams of late. Regardless of if you’re chasing the Flames again today or want to avoid their higher owned forwards, Andersson is a great value on defense and a player who has outproduced his current salary numerous times over the last month or so.
Power-Play Defensemen
Tony DeAngelo, Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators ($6,100)
The Hurricanes’ top players are all in great spots on this larger slate and stacking up this team’s PP1 is certainly a way we can be semi-unique in bigger fields. Obviously, we like Sebastian Aho, but using him with another power-play cornerstone in DeAngelo at defense gives you good exposure to what could be a boatload of Hurricanes goals (again, they have a 4.1 implied team total).
DeAngelo comes into this contest averaging 3.5 blocked shots + shots on net per game and has been more than productive over his most recent stretch, grabbing 12 points in his last 10 games. It’s been a huge turnaround season for DeAngelo on the ice and he’s still available at a very easy to fit in price tag despite the uptick in performance—and the fantastic matchup against the Senators. Using him and/or the Oilers’ Darnell Nurse ($5,800)—who is underpriced and averaging 6.2 blocked shots + shots on goal over his last 10 games—is a good way to anchor blueline positions today.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $60K Kick Save [$20K to 1st]
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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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.
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