Monday features a four-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 $50K Kick Save [$10K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook
Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline +145
The Golden Knights have seemingly found some stability in net in the form of Logan Thompson, who has stopped 71 of the last 75 shots he’s faced. Add to that, an improved offensive output of late — that has been achieved through some better special teams efficiency — and you have a dangerous team available at big +145 odds today. The Wild have gone 6-6 in their last 12 starts and do not deserve this much respect in this spot today. The better value is on Vegas in this one.
Predators over 3.5 goals +125
The Predators head into this game having scored four or more goals in each of their last six games. Nashville’s offense has been rolling of late and they managed four goals against Anaheim just over a week ago. The Ducks have been struggling defensively and in net as the team has now allowed four or more goals in five of their last eight games. With solid +125 odds available, taking over 3.5 goals for Nashville today looks like good value as well.
Place your NHL bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Top Stack
Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers
Nathan MacKinnon ($9,000) — Valeri Nichushkin ($4,500) — Mikko Rantanen ($7,000)
The Avalanche take on the Oilers today, who have been beating up on weaker teams of late but still rank below average in shots allowed and penalty-kill. Edmonton’s goalies also have a huge propensity for turning games into shootouts, making this a more than solid matchup for the Avalanche’s first-line.
For daily fantasy hockey purposes, stacking Colorado’s top-unit is also slightly easier at the moment with Gabriel Landeskog out. Valeri Nichushkin’s $4,500 salary is much more manageable and the Russian has been a solid contributor for the Avalanche all season. Nichushkin has landed three or more shots in each of his last three games and has grabbed multiple points in his last two games as well.
Nichushkin has also been playing with Rantanen and MacKinnon on the power-play as well and the trio has clicked to the point where both the Avalanche’s studs come in having grabbed six points in their last three games. With a great matchup on tap and these three playing big minutes together at even strength and on the power-play, there’s no reason not to pay up for Colorado’s top unit. Colorado sits with an implied goal total hovering around 4.0 and remains affordable thanks to Nichushkin’s depressed salary.
Superstar to Target
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens ($6,700)
As far as bargains go, it’s hard to do better than the Bruins’ top forwards today. Brad Marchand sticks out as the best upper-tier value on this slate at under $7,000 as the winger has grabbed goals in two straight games and also hit the shots on goal bonus in three straight. Marchand and the Bruins’ top-unit can be stacked today at these prices, but with their team still mixing and matching their top lines, it’s also OK to just grab a piece of Marchand, who will certainly see plenty of ice-time with Patrice Bergeron banged up.
The matchup today couldn’t be much better as the Canadiens remain a great daily fantasy hockey matchup. Montreal remains bottom-five in the league in terms of shots allowed and penalty-kill, while Boston has vaulted into a top-five position in power-play efficiency. Take the sub-$7K salary on Marchand and build around it today.
Value on Offense
Evgenii Dadonov, Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild ($2,900)
The Golden Knights have won two games in a row and scored 10 goals over their last two games. Some of that offensive outburst has come from Dadonov, who has three goals in his last two games and five in his last 10. The positive goal-scoring regression for Dadonov is coming in bunches as he’s been playing in the Vegas top-six a ton lately due to injuries. Minnesota is a bottom-10 team in terms of penalty-kill efficiency and Dadonov has scored two of his last five with the man advantage. Keep targeting him at these sub-$3K prices.
Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche ($3,800)
Yamamoto has finally started to produce in a top-six role. The third-year player has eight points in his last 10 games and averaged 10.8 DKFP over that same span. Yamamoto is playing over 18 minutes a game and should continue in that role today. The Oilers have a tougher matchup against Colorado but have also averaged just under 6.0 goals per game (as a team) over their last four games. With a big 6.5 game total on tap, targeting the sub-$4K Yamamoto today is completely fine. Edmonton should make this game competitive and Yamamoto has been an integral part of their offense of late.
Goalie
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks ($7,900)
The Predators head into this slate as solid -160 favorites. There are bigger favorites on this slate but the matchup against the Ducks for Saros makes him project out as perhaps the best value at his position. The Ducks have struggled in the back half of the season and enter this game with Nashville having just traded away one of their best defensemen, while also sitting on a six-game losing streak.
Saros hasn’t been quite as dominant on the road this season but has still managed a .913 save percentage in 23 road starts. Nashville’s offense has also been supporting their goalies well of late and Saros’ price really can’t be matched today among goalies sitting as -150 favorites or better. He’s the preferred option for those looking to pay down off the most expensive plays.
Value on Defense
Tyson Barrie, Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche ($4,200)
The Oilers’ offense has been clicking of late, averaging just under 6.0 goals over their last four games. One huge factor in this resurgence has been the play of Tyson Barrie. Barrie has now landed power-play points in five straight games and been a part of the Oilers’ improved special teams play, which has their power-play up to fourth-best in the league.
Barrie’s upside at this price point for daily fantasy hockey purposes is hard to match. He’s recorded 20.0 or more DKFP in each of his last two games and playing big minutes on the Oilers’ first unit power-play, which is in a decent spot today against Colorado—who only has an average penalty-kill. Barrie is a cheap way to get a piece of the Oilers’ offense but also a great stacking target given his power-play prowess. If you’re playing either Leon Draisaitl ($8,400) or Connor McDavid ($9,000), taking the value on Barrie is a near must as he saves you a ton of cash and has great correlation with both Oilers studs.
Power Play Defensemen
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens ($4,700)
There are plenty of good upside options available for cheap today on defense, so much so that bypassing the most expensive names seems like the optimal strategy for lineup building. McAvoy may have his ice-time cut after the Hampus Lindholm signing, but with Lindholm out tonight, we can likely count on at least one more high-dose of McAvoy, who has looked very dangerous of late.
The Bruins’ defenseman has scored five points over his last five games and three of those points have come on the power-play. Further, his shot volume and blocked shot ratio has gone up of late, giving him even better upside than usual at this very cost-effective price. You can roster him with another Bruins player from the forward group, or just take the one-off value so you have more to spend on another position. Either way, McAvoy’s a good target who maintains a big workload on special teams for the Bruins and is going against a Montreal penalty-kill that is fourth-worst in the league. The time and price are more than good enough to make McAvoy your first — and potentially highest-priced stop — on defense today.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $50K Kick Save [$10K 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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