Welcome to the DFS Army NHL Game Break!! You have to start your research somewhere, and often times going game by game thinking about matchups and key players is the first step in our process. I’m your buddy @Choppodong and you can find me on both Twitter and YouTube with supplemental commentary and teaching. But, you’ll really find me in our VIP coaching forums inside coaching and detailing plays and strategic hockey maneuvers across all our main sports. If you are looking for it, we cover it! Follow me, watch me, interact with me, I welcome it all.
NHL DFS Matchup Rankings L10 Games
Last 10 games sample size. Home teams in white, away in gray. GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against. MU Score is a combined metric showing how one matchup tonight compares to the others on paper. Green is good, red is bad. We are looking for the best matchups of teams scoring goals facing teams allowing goals. Not exactly rocket science, so don’t overthink it. PPMU is another telling metric, but I save that one for VIPs. Just ask me in our coaching forums…
My plan is to describe the games some and drop quality players in these lists. You will get my player pool (VIPs might get bonus plays in our coaching forums later). My cash players are those I would happily use in head-to-head formats, 5050 contests, small leagues, and even some larger leagues. They will anchor my lineups in all formats and contain a lot of value plays and/or punts. The core gets you to the dance. The slightly funky plays off your core push you into the gpp money. Your core is everything! Even gpp-only players need a core of solid production to build from.
Carolina Hurricanes @ Boston Bruins
Odds: CAR -145, 5.5 o/u
Battle of the two hottest teams in the NHL right now. Not great for DFS in my opinion based on the tougher than tough defense these teams are currently playing. They are scoring, but defense wins championships and I can find better spots tonight. Both teams are 11-2 in their last 13 games. Carolina has won 5 consecutive. Will the buck stop here? I’m using hotter players as one-offs here….I’m not stacking this one. Goalie – Lower scoring prediction could mean for a safer game, but either team can win this one. I prefer more love out of Vegas and a more lopsided affair.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Teravainen (W), Williams (W), Aho (C), Neiderreiter (W), Faulk (D), Hamilton (D), Pesce (D)
Cash gamers – Aho, Neiderreiter, Pesce
GPP Sleeper – not tonight
Boston gets the same write-up. Just flip the names around. BOS has won their last 3 games, too. So, does the buck stop here? Goalie – same situation.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Marchand (W), Bergeron (C), DeBrusk (W), Krejci (C), McAvoy (D), Johansson (W)
Cash gamers – one-offs again…not stacking….and everyone’s ceiling is lowered making me want to look at other games tonight.
GPP Sleeper – nope
Columbus Blue Jackets @ New Jersey Devils
Odds: CBJ -220 and on the rise, 6.5 leaning under
The sportsbooks opened at -185 for Columbus and the public quickly pushed the line to -220. That speaks. We still don’t see a great MU Score for either team, so I’m leaning on other games tonight. But, there might be some players here and a very sneaky stack. Goalie – Bobrovsky is in play, especially with the line push, but he’s rocky at best and is 3-3 in his last 6 games. GPP only.
5 star plays – Duchene (C)
4 star plays – Atkinson (W), Panarin (W), Anderson (W), Jones (D), Werenski (D)
Cash gamers – Werenski
GPP Sleeper – stack the CBJ PP1 or the CBJ2 if you want to take serious risk tonight.
Not much to say about New Jersey. Most nights, they won’t be special, and they are missing key players to their offense that really squash everyone else’s potential. Jesper Bratt is the only play from this game I’d consider. Goalie – nope.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Bratt (W)
Cash gamers – Bratt has been consistent
GPP Sleeper – nope
Ottawa Senators @ New York Islanders
Odds: NYI -345 and trending down surprisingly, 6 leaning on the under
Ottawa sold their pieces and might only be competitive, most nights, in the minor leagues or local colleges. I don’t have a lot of interest outside of maybe a one-off or gpp flyer here. Brady Tkachuk has a shot floor most nights, and Chabot has multi-goal upside for a defender. But, there isn’t a lot of continuity on this team making me think anyone can exercise their ceilings unless we get really, really lucky with the pick. Goalie – hell no
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Tkachuk (W), Chabot (D), Ceci (D)
Cash gamers – Tkachuk
GPP Sleeper – Tkachuk, Chabot, Ceci
This moneyline has made a big, early move from opening at a whopping -400 down to now a -345. I wonder if this slide continues? I’ll be watching. The more it slides, the less I like the Islanders‘ goalie. But, that said, the offense should still be in a fine spot on the slate. I just don’t think they have shown enough this year to make me think they are dependable in smash spots to produce with the Lightning, Penguins, Avalanche types also in great spots tonight. Goalie – Lehner is in play, but I want to watch the moneyline evolve further before saying he’s in cash consideration.
5 star plays – no one scoring enough points to be a 5-star play
4 star plays – Pulock (D), Bailey (W), Nelson (W)
Cash gamers – Bailey
GPP Sleeper – any of them…..Vegas is telling us to pay attention here.
Florida Panthers @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Odds: PIT -190, 6.5 leaning very hard on the over
Florida finally gives us a solid MU Score on the slate at 67, and their counterpart gives us a 66. So, we have two decent scores that matchup together. I smell a potential shootout. I love that they are also well under the radar compared to the top teams on the slate people should also like. Give me at least a few lineups using both sides of this one. Goalie – not in a potential shootout
5 star plays – Barkov (C)
4 star plays – Huberdeau (W), Hoffman (W), Yandle (D)
Cash gamers – none, but the game is great
GPP Sleeper – complete stacks around the above mentioned plays
Pittsburgh definitely carries enough clout people will flock to them. But, this game has potential. I’m a big fan of “Sidney at home, Egveni on the road.” But, that doesn’t mean I won’t mix and match some…..or even look for ways to get them both in the same lineup for PP1 correlation. Goalie – same as above
5 star plays – Crosby (C), Malkin (C)
4 star plays – Geuntzel (W), Schultz (D)
Cash gamers – Crosby, Schultz
GPP Sleeper – not sneaky tonight
What a weekend for NBA!! Our coaches have done a lot of explaining, and our members have done a lot of winning. The edge clearly resides in coaching. Content and tools are nice, but how can you exploit your opponents when you don’t have the experts teaching you how to apply the content and tools? That’s where DFS Army steps in. Become a VIP and see what all the fuss is about…..#RaiseYourEdge!!
Winnipeg Jets @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Odds: TBL -200, 7 trending to the under, but 6.5 is still good….don’t overthink it
Winnipeg doesn’t play well on the road most nights. They head into Tampa to face a defense allowing only 1.8 goals against for as long as I can remember….yeh, good luck. But, if running some gpp strategy, it’s not the worst thing you could do. Center around the Scheifele, Wheeler types and go for it. Goalie – um, no.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – not in cash games
Cash gamers – no
GPP Sleeper – stack them up in gpps…..they are powerful and can score. The odds aren’t in their favor tonight, but “lightning” can strike.
Tampa Bay gives us one of the top MU Scores on the night at a 72. We should be focused on grabbing pieces here for our cash games. Don’t worry about the ownership thing. Larger slates like this one spread it out enough it doesn’t matter much even in gpps. Did you know Nikita Kucherov is more consistent at his price than most punts? Very cash safe night in and night out. Goalie – Vasilevskiy has a 30-7-4 record on the year and is your best chance at picking up a win on any night. He has a stupid .931 save percentage (when we look for a .910+), and also has 6 shutouts. Yeh….he’s pretty safe, but he’s expensive.
5 star plays – Kucherov (W), Stamkos (C), Point (C)
4 star plays – Hedman (D)
Cash gamers – Kucherov
GPP Sleeper – no one is sleeping on these guys
Minnesota Wild @ Nashville Predators
Odds: NSH -185, 5.5 leaning under
I don’t make a habit of targeting 5.5 games leaning to the under. You shouldn’t either. There are Minnesota plays here to be used as one-offs, and I’ll list them. But, I’m not excited about any of them, honestly. Goalie – not as the underdog in a building with one of the best home-ice advantages.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Donato (W), Zucker (W), Kunin (W)
Cash gamers – Donato, Zucker, Kunin
GPP Sleeper – as one offs, Spurgeon (D), Parise (W), Ek (W), Reed (W)
Nashville is the same story, different locker room. Gross total telling us to get out and stay out. Goalie – Rinne, himself, has been a bit up and down. This is a great spot for a safe goalie, but Rinne isn’t exactly safe……….and that hurts me deeply tonight. GPP only
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Josi (D), Forsberg (C), Arvidsson (W)
Cash gamers – meh
GPP Sleeper – Subban (D)
New York Rangers @ Dallas Stars
Odds: DAL -200, 6 leaning over
Tonight, the Rangers head to Dallas in another game with mediocre MU Score numbers. The slate is big enough, you know what I’m going to say……stick with what you know and only take a couple one-offs from here if you must. Goalie – not feeling it…he’s a .500 backup
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Zibanejad (C), Deangelo (D), Namestikov (W)
Cash gamers – Deangelo, Namestikov
GPP Sleeper – sure, but I won’t be. I don’t see many scenarios where they just win the slate for you given the other options.
Dallas is in a sneaky little spot tonight. They draw the backup Rangers goalie at home, and have some talent capable of exploiting it if we get a little lucky. I’m not stacking them in cash games over other options, but in gpps…..I can see it. Tyler Seguin will obviously be my focal point. I don’t need to worry about fading the team’s stud when the entire team is under the radar. I want him in my stacks instead because he can produce slate-winning upside for me at ownership levels that still give me leverage over other household names like Kucherov or Crosby. Goalie – Bishop’s issue is offensive support. It’s a little risky with the game leaning on the over, but I might have some gpp shares of Ben.
5 star plays – Seguin (C)
4 star plays – Radulov (W), Benn (W), Klingberg (D), Lindell (D)
Cash gamers – Radulov
GPP Sleeper – DAL1 or PP1, for a little extra zip, toss Klingberg in as a 4-stack and hope that NYR goalie is as blind as the refs tonight.
Here is a one game view of our NHL Research Station matchup page. My daily videos typically walk you through this page and point out how I quickly decipher the best plays on the slate. When you unlock access to this page, you get team stats with large and small sample sizes to pick up trends, all the basis statistics, pricing, scoring lines, power play lines, scoring production including shots and blocks, and you get it all in one easy to read view. But, you only get it as a VIP. 99% of the stats I reference are directly from this single page. Your research has never been easier!!
Detroit Red Wings @ Colorado Avalanche
Odds: COL -200, 6.5 leaning under
Detroit is a trainwreck right now. Losers of their last 7 games and being outscored 46-28 over a 12 game stretch is just colossal bad. Surprisingly, one of the better plays on the slate is still sitting in this pile of mush, Anthony Mantha. He has been remarkably consistent for a few weeks, and he is still pretty cheap being no one plays him. Goalie – COL should annihilate them tonight….no.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Larkin (C), Mantha (W)
Cash gamers – Mantha
GPP Sleeper – if Grabauer gets the start, I might actually look to DET stacks….
The Avalanche have a sweet spot to “get right” tonight. At home, offense on the rise, big guns of MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen starting to look better, and a team visiting that is just in “can we play golf” mode. Odds are Colorado feasts tonight with their top MU Score of 75, and I want pieces…..lots of pieces. Goalie – if Grabauer, I’ll be mad and won’t use him……if Varly, I’m nearly all in.
5 star plays – Landeskog (W)
4 star plays – MacKinnon (C), Soderberg (C), Rantanen (W), Compher (W)
Cash gamers – none safe enough lately, but this is a great matchup for them to be safe for one night.
GPP Sleeper – there are sneaky combos in here, but ownership won’t matter much on a 10 game slate
Anaheim Ducks @ Arizona Coyotes
Odds: ARI -160, 5.5 leaning hard on the under
I just need to omit the Ducks from any writing of mine the rest of the year. I won’t be playing them. I’ll be profitable even if they get hot, too. Goalie – him, too, still profitable….
5 star plays – you
4 star plays – have
Cash gamers – got
GPP Sleeper – 2 B kidding me
Arizona would normally be ok to use at home, and they have some one-offs rolling right now. But, ANA isn’t really giving up a ton of goals, either. It’s just not a good game. Vegas is telling us something with the 5.5 o/u and the public is confirming by taking the under even at that low number. Not a good game for DFS. Goalie – now, we can talk here…..low threat, cheaper goalie, and odds to win? I do like that situation. I’ll keep going to the Keumper well.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Galchenyuk (W), Eckman-Larson (D), Hinostroza (W)
Cash gamers – Eckman-Larson, Hinostroza
GPP Sleeper – I suppose, if you are dying to……but I’d stick with the PP1 and hope Ducks start using their sticks as weapons.
Montreal Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings
Odds: MTL -135, 5.5 leaning over (which isn’t saying much)
Montreal has been funky. Apparently, they don’t play well out west (2-12 or some shit according to resident MTL fan and DFSA NHL coach, Anthony), so I’ll pull up a chair and listen. But, I don’t know that I can stay completely away from a 68 MU Score on the night and a Kings team allowing 3.9 freakin’ goals against over it’s last 10 games. That’s just a cherry spot for a team showing they can put biscuits in baskets on occasion. Goalie – taking a goalie on the road is rough, one without overwhelming odds in his favor is also a gamble. I’ll pass outside of gpps given Price’s “price.”
5 star plays – Gallagher (W)
4 star plays – Domi (C), Tatar (W), Shaw (W), Weber (D), Byron (W)
Cash gamers – Byron
GPP Sleeper – don’t you let me down…I drink some of your beer, and I love your National Anthem. I’ll be looking at the MTL2 again tonight.
There is one player I will play from the Kings side of this one, Alec Martinez (if he plays….per Rotoworld, he has a 5050 shot at playing tonight). He has been sneaky consistent and no one should be using him. Not a ton of upside because his teammates suck, but at least he’s trying……..I wish the others would. Goalie – no need
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Martinez (D)….if playing
Cash gamers – Martinez
GPP Sleeper – no way
Favorite NHL DFS Stacks for Tonight…
What is NHL without stacking?!
CBJ2
FLA PP1
PIT1 and/or PP1
TBL PP1
DAL1
COL hybrid
MTL2
GPP Sleeper stack = the sneakiest thing I can think of that I really like is a full FLA/PIT game stack. I’m inclined to fade TBL and COL in at least a few spots because hockey is hockey and weird shit happens. I like slightly under the radar spots that are still showing very positive signs, and this game is one for sure.
Hopefully, those pointers get you started in your research. I will be bouncing in and out of our NHL coaching room all day, with the rest of our coaches, to guide anyone with questions. I plan to drop a slate video showing our research process most days, and with a little time, our VIPs request shorter, strategy videos to help them shore up fundamentals, too. All free videos can be found on my YouTube channel, but all VIP videos need the key to unlock the vault.
–> Get the Key Today! Start Winning With Us! <–
I hope to see you inside soon. Have a blessed day.