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 @LowOwnedWR and you can find me out on Twitter talking hockey and football, even a little WNBA. But, you’ll really find me in our VIP coaching forums inside coaching and detailing plays and strategic hockey maneuvers in an attempt to make our members better, more fundamentally sound players. If you are looking for it, we cover it as a team! Follow me, follow us, interact with me, interact with us, we welcome it all.
NHL DFS At A Glance
The first thing I do when starting my research is look for strong teams facing weak defenses. I want the best odds I can find to tally goals. I like the old Corsi number, as it denotes any shot attempt directed towards the net. It doesn’t matter if this shot attempt goes wide, gets blocked, or finds the back of the twine. You can’t score if you don’t shoot. I also love the “High Danger” metrics. These shots come from the slot (between the dots) and off quick passes or rebounds. They are what they say they are, and teams allowing a lot of high danger chances also tend to give up goals in bunches….perfect for the DFS player to attack.
If you have questions regarding these numbers, or this chart, don’t hesitate to ask me on our coaching forums. Simply tag me (same name as my twitter name) and let’s get on the same page. First and foremost, I’m here to teach people wanting to learn the DFS side of this glorious frozen sport.
Ottawa Senators @ New York Rangers
Odds: NYR -165, 6.0 o/u
Ottawa Senators: A matchup that features two of the worst teams in the league right now, something has got to give. Brady Tkachuk is 2nd in shot attempts the last 10 games and NYR has been bleeding shots and chances. On a small slate, your stacks are going to have heavier, Tkachuk-White-Chabot is my favorite Ottawa stack.
5 star plays – Tkachuk
4 star plays – White, Chabot, DeMelo,
Cash viable – Tkachuk, White, DeMelo
GPP Sleeper – Duclair, Tierney, Ryan
New York Rangers: On a 3 game slate, you have to consider every team and line. Strome is now lining up with Zibanejab and Kreider but they should be the highest owned of the NYR lines and possibly one of the highest on the slate. A pivot to NYR2 with Namestnikov-Chytil-Vesey is in play against the team giving up the most shots and the 2nd most high danger chances against.
5 star plays – Strome, Kreider, Zibanejab
4 star plays – Shattenkirk, Vesey, Namestnikov
Cash viable – Zibanejab, Strome, Kreider
GPP Sleeper – Chytil, Namestnkiov, Vesey
St. Louis Blues @ Chicago Blackhawks
Odds: STL -145, 5.5 o/u
St. Louis Blues: STL1 once again ends up in a great spot against Chicago’s shaky defense, although they stand to be the chalkiest line on the slate. A STL3 stack of Maroon, Thomas, and Bozak also gets you a PP2 stack, them with value defender Vince Dunn (also on PP2) is one of my favorite stacks on the slate.
5 star plays – Tarasenko, O’Reilly
4 star plays – Schenn, Pietrangelo, Bozak, Maroon, Bozak, Dunn
Cash viable – Tarasenko, O’Reilly, Dunn
GPP Sleeper – Bozak, Dunn, Maroon, Thomas
Chicago Blackhawks: A tough matchup after being eliminated from the playoffs last night, I am not looking to load up on the Blackhawks. However, Toews is 5th in shot attempts over the last 10 games and Patrick Kane is back on his line, making those studs worth a look at their low ownership on this 3 game slate.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – Toews, Kane, Gustaffson
Cash viable – none
GPP Sleeper – none
Calgary Flames @ Anaheim Ducks
Odds: CGY -170, 5.5 o/u
Calgary Flames: Calgary has nothing to play for and will be resting players again. They also did not have anything to play for their last game while resting players and they scored 7 goals, so they are still worth a look. Derek Ryan quietly has 9 points in his last 10 games, I’m pairing him with Mangiapane and Hathaway giving me all of CGY3 and a PP2 stack.
5 star plays – Ryan
4 star plays – Mangiapane, Hathaway
Cash viable – none
GPP Sleeper – Ryan, Mangiapane, Hathaway, Valimaki
Anaheim Ducks: Cut this 6 teams on this slate to 5 and fade the Ducks, they’ve been bad all year and I do not trust them enough to roster them, even against the Calgary B team.
5 star plays – none
4 star plays – none
Cash viable – none
GPP Sleeper – none
Quick Read: NHL Cash Game Basics – Get The Fundamentals First
DFS NHL Goalies for Today:
Anders Nillson (GPP): Most people will be looking to STL starter and you can gain a lot of leverage on the field while rostering any other goalie on the slate.
STL STARTER (CASH): Whoever starts for them should see at least 35% ownership in cash, making them a LOCK in cash games.