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NHL DFS Advice, Strategy Guide to Winning on Fanduel and Draftkings (Part 1 – Vegas Odds)

Welcome to the first of a five part series covering the basics of NHL DFS for the newest player.  While searching the web, I find there just isn’t much info for the NBA or NFL player looking to branch out.  Hockey is a volatile sport, a frustrating sport, and an addictive sport all wrapped into one.  Follow along as I break down where to start your research, the basics of your lineup, correlation plays, key stats to know, and a few sample builds.  The goal is to make you competitive after reading a simple five part series.

I am @Choppodong out on Twitter, YouTube, and inside the DFS Army.  Feel free to follow, or subscribe, as I’m always putting out tips, tricks, and sharing general content.  I’m a coach and contributor for the Army and am very active in our VIP only Slack forums.  I specialize in fundamental play, contest selection (see Ladder System), and bankroll management (see Teach a Man to Fish).  Feel free to engage me with any questions you might have as you learn this faster paced, lucrative DFS sport.  There is definitely an edge to be had for those willing to learn!

DFS NHL Advice – Vegas Odds

I think we all know by now Vegas dumps more resources and energy into setting their betting lines accurately than you or I ever could.  Those hundreds of man-hours are a great source from which to start your research.  We don’t need to get too fancy.  Just the basics will do.  Who are the big favorites?  Which games are set to display some scoring?  These are the questions we need answered first.  (If you prefer learning by shorter videos, scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

One of my favorite sources is our very own Beta Breakdown Sheet inside the Army.  Containing plenty of stats, this sheet is a fast way to get a jump on the NHL slate.

DFS NHL Strategy – Vegas Moneylines

We start with moneylines, and I’m going to keep this hypersimple.  The negatives are the favorites to win the game.  The positives are the underdogs.  The larger the negative number, the stronger the favorite.  We want to target winning teams set to score a lot of goals with both our skaters and our goalies.  For goalies, specifically, I try to find moneylines larger than -150, preferably -200.  On the average slate, you will find a few teams in strong positions within 5 minutes of scanning the slate.  The blue arrows denote moneylines.

DFS NHL Tips – Implied Team Totals

The next area we want to scan is the ITT, or Implied Team Total (denoted by red arrows in our graphic).  The ITT is a generic number not designed to pinpoint the number of goals an offense will score.  However, it is pretty good at pointing out the teams that might lead the night in scoring.  An ideal setting for a goalie is a large moneyline and a small ITT for the opponent.  A number under 2.50 is a strong number to target.  For skaters, we want to look for ITTs over 3.00.

DFS NHL Strategy – Putting It All Together

I told you I was keeping this part hypersimple.  In terms of putting it together, we will build on that going forward in parts 2-5.  The first 5-10 minutes of your NHL DFS process should be a simple scan of Vegas Lines.  Simply look for large favorites to start a short list of goalies, and look for large favorites and high ITTs for your skaters.  In part 2 (Scoring Lines), we will discuss the basics of a hockey team and how their scoring lines are assembled.  Then, we will see how this basic construction ties in with our Vegas favorites and underdogs giving us easy targets for DFS.

If you are a video kind of person, here is a typical breakdown of a slate using Vegas Odds as a starting point.


For deeper discussion regarding Vegas Odds, and other NHL DFS help or strategies, find me and our other coaches inside our VIP only Slack Forums.  We are constantly talking tips and tricks for the slate with our members as they learn the fundamentals and/or provide their own individual opinions.  This real time discussion hits as news breaks, lineups lock, and value emerges.  We believe we offer the best community in all of DFS, and we want you to give us a shot.  As an added bonus, I will offer you a coupon code and a 10% discount off our already competitive pricing.  Gain access to all our tools, spreadsheets, coaching, discussion, optimizer (not NHL ready yet), and premium content by using the code CHOP.  Your new rate is grandfathered in and never increases for as long as you hold your membership.