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.
Washington Capitals @ Philadelphia Flyers
Odds: WAS -115, 6.5 leaning over
This game opened leaning on the under. I’m not sure why it flipped. I asked Anthony P, our resident sportsbetting expert and lead coach over at our sister site, Beat The Bookie, what he could find on it. He tells me, “The ‘sharps’ are still betting the under.” Washington is one of the three indicated offenses, though, we should be focused on tonight. And, their player list is long with current producers according to price tags. Alex Ovechkin might be the safest player on the slate…..and can absolutely break it at any time. You have plenty of value on this slate to get pieces of him, and I recommend you do so. Goalie – In what could easily be the higher scoring game on the night, I have no need for a goalie in this one.
5 star plays – Ovechkin (W), Kuzetsnov (C)
4 star plays – Oshie (W), Carlson (D), Connolly (W), Vrana (W), Wilson (W), Burakovsky (W)
Cash gamers – Ovechkin, Burakovsky………people will play Eller, and I can fade him based on L5 game consistency.
GPP Sleeper – lower lines like WAS3
The counter side of our defacto featured game of the night also promises tons of players, too. Philadelphia has the second highest MU Score on the night at 67. Not high compared to last night, but it’s what we have to go with. Load up, and hope the game delivers the right connections for you. Goalie – Again, no desire for these goalies.
5 star plays – Coutrier (C)
4 star plays – Giroux (W), Sanheim (D), Lindblom (W), Konecny (W), Provorov (D), Gostisbehere (D), VanRiemsdyk (W)
Cash gamers – Coutrier, Giroux, Sanheim, Konecny, Provorov, VanReimsdyk
GPP Sleeper – Lower lines or PP2
Shhhh…..I have a secret. One of our coaches is playing with a potential new tool. You are going to want access to this “cash game lock” tool. The score on the far right indicates the confidence level in these players. Green is really good. Yellow is fine. And, white is just ok. Watch the green players tonight, as they are all in my list, too, and should be in great spots to at least achieve solid floors. And, keep an eye out for the continual evolution of our NHL product at DFS Army. Our goal is to teach you, through content, tools, and coaching, to become more competitive. Part of how we achieve that goal is also through reducing your research time if you are a hectic player with a normal “day job.” Use code CHOP when you join to unlock access to all our tools the minute they come out.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Vancouver Canucks
Odds: TOR -195, 6.5 leaning under
Highest MU Score at 68, but the Leafs are heading out west where offenses go to die. I’m not sure Vancouver can slow them down completely, though, as they are giving 3+ goals per game right now. I prefer the TOR2 players on the road, so that will have me leaning on the Matthews line again. But, I said “leaning on” not going all in…..I’ll be mixing it up. Goalie – Better than the previous game. I’ll have shares here. -195 isn’t something to blindly dismiss.
5 star plays – Matthews (C), Marner (W), Tavares (C)
4 star plays – Rielly (D), Kapanen (W), Hyman (W), Johnsson (W)
Cash gamers – Marner, Tavares, Rielly, Hyman
GPP Sleeper – get creative, on the whole, they should be fairly chalky
Now comes the fun part. I was asked by member, Beitkoblitz, if I would just provide him a list of value plays so he didn’t have to research anymore. I said, “Robb, I’ll make sure they are highlighted in my article for you.” And, Vancouver is one place we can start. In case you are still slow on the uptake, Robb, the bold plays are my favorite cash-value type plays. I won’t be stacking any Canucks tonight, but I will have one-offs all over the stinking place from this team of cheapskaters……..see what I did there? Goalie – ummmm, no.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – none
Cash gamers – Biega (W), Edler (D – $4000 is far too cheap), Leivo (W), Spooner (W)
GPP Sleeper – i don’t think it’s smart to stack any of them
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!!
St. Louis Blues @ Anaheim Ducks
Odds: STL -180 and rising, 5.5 leaning on the under HARD
Breaking news! St. Louis gets Brayden Schenn back tonight. Will it make a difference? I’m not so sure. But, the return of Schenn does resolidify the top line of Tarasenko, O’Reilly, and Schenn. And, this allows Maroon to drop back to the turd line, I mean THIRD line, where he belongs. (Urkel voice, “did I do thaaaaat?”) And Schwartz slots back alongside Bozak and old man Steen. The return to continuity might spark the offense again. They have their hands full with the Ducks only giving 2.2 goals per game of late, but the Blues’ offense should perform better than their 2.3 goals per game scoring again. Sneaky tonight, especially if you include some of the defensemen that jump into the scoring. Goalie – Definitely in play if Binnington. I don’t trust Allen after watching him gaffe that Aho goal by misplaying a puck in the corner. Allen is hyperaggressive and just not intelligent in his risks. That said, he carries shutout potential and should always be considered in gpps.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Tarasenko (W), Pietroangelo (D), Schenn (W), O’Reilly (C)
Cash gamers – none
GPP Sleeper – let’s call any combo above the STL Smack Stack….if it pays off, I’ll be tweeting it.
You know the drill. I’m not going to play Ducks the rest of the year unless they get so hot I have to. And, yes, last night on the 10 game slate I saw dumbasses playing them “just in case.” Look, you can get lucky here and there, but there isn’t any logic suggesting any kind of tourney stack makes any sense here…….likely for the rest of the 2018-19 season. Goalie – Yes, in play due to the STL weak offense. But, I hope it burns you.
5 star plays – I’m
4 star plays – running
Cash gamers – out of
GPP Sleeper – ways to tell you they suck
Calgary Flames @ Vegas Golden Knights
Odds: VGK -150, 6 leaning over
Calgary warrants attention, but the MU Score is bad….58. I’m inclined to use them in tourneys, though. And, I’m going back to the road well of my CGY2. Sure, Monahan and Gaudreau lead the way most of the year, but they’ve been bad on the road and better at home. As the Flames go back on the road, Backlund and Tkachuk and Lindholm should have a shot to regain some steam. I’ll be on them over the higher priced guys. Goalie – Rittich has been strong. I’m not as confident in Smith…..but in gpps, especially MME, I’ll have a few minor pieces.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Lindholm (W), Giordano (D), Backlund (C), Monahan (C), Hamonic (D)
Cash gamers – Giordano, Tkachuk (W)…….the chuck is just stupidly priced
GPP Sleeper – CGY2 will be sneaky
Another horrible MU Score of 54 tonight, but this game does have potential for Las Vegas. The Flames are no stranger to shootouts, and I am going to want pieces. Some of the Golden Knights are playing pretty well, too. Goalie – Sure, for gpps…..like Smith, I’ll have minor shares.
5 star plays – Stone (W)
4 star plays – Schmidt (D), Smith (W), Marchessault (W), Theodore (D), Pacioretty (W), Karlsson (C), Stastny (C), Miller (D), Merrill (D)
Cash gamers – Smith, Theodore, Stastny, Miller
GPP Sleeper – I believe any Vegas stack will be somewhat sneaky in that the general population should gravitate to bigger names like WAS, PHI, and CGY.
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!!
Favorite NHL DFS Stacks for Tonight…
What is NHL without stacking?!
TOR2
TOR1
VGK1
WAS PP1 – Ovi’s home and where he does his damage
CGY2
PHI2
GPP Sleeper stack = STL PP1 – Notably Tarasenko/O’Reilly/Pietrangelo. Why no Schenn? No real reason. He’s fine. I just don’t see him having the scoring upside. What I do see, however, is the return to the lineup and repositioning of Marroon and Schwartz where they belong. This top line of STL1 (also a fine sneak attack stack) was humming before Schenn was injured. No one will play them with other huge names on the slate and STL’s recent lack of scoring. The bet here is that STL instantly returns to form and even catches ANA off guard…..because the Ducks aren’t exactly a soft defense. But, on 4 game slates, you need to take some chances somewhere, and this one actually makes some logical sense.
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.