Mar 8, 2021; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Ottawa Senators NHL goaltender Joey Daccord (34) makes a save on Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
NHL DFS can be simple if you know where to look. Starting with a broader view of the hockey games a slate offers, in general, yields early targets. Diving into scoring lines, correlations, and even using Draftkings Tiers approaches can further simplify your process when you use our NHL Research Station game and skater tabs. See how below…
NHL DFS Power Picks: Fanduel + Draftkings Top Tiers Plays | March 12th
NHL Tier 1
If you want concentrated scoring, look no further than either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl (EDM). They make great stack partners in classic formats, but obviously here you have to choose. Draisaitl had the monster game with a hat trick last time out. Will people slide this way and leave McDavid a little underowned? Both players represent over 65% of their team’s scoring, both have the highest fantasy point production in the tier over both L5 and L10 game samples. Both also lead in 20 point consistency over a large 20-game sample. However, McDavid has a decided edge in 25+ point games over 5, 10, and 20 game samples….giving you the better floor + upside combination. Pacioretty or MacKinnon are gpp pivots only at this point tonight.
DFS Hockey Tier 2
Brady Tkachuk (OTT) plays for a horrible team that just got demolished its last time out by the Edmonton Oilers. However, Brady is outshooting anyone in this tier on the season by nearly a 2:1 margin. He is nearly 50% higher in shot on goal activity over any recent sample you also look into. That kind of discrepancy announces a higher floor play by comparison. Over 5 and 10 game samples, Brady also offers an 80% rate at giving you at least 10 Draftkings points securing said floor. Miko Rantanen (COL) offers a gpp pivot type of play with tons of upside with the most likely chance to hit that 20 and 25 point mark.
NHL Tier 3
Darnell Nurse (EDM) offers the floor here, as he outshoots/blocks this tier handily. However, as a defenseman, Nurse is a bit capped when it comes to upside. For upside, you are looking at a rather inconsistent David Perron (STL) and his tier-leading 50% and 60% chances of getting to that 15 points Draftkings marker over his last 10 and 5 games, respectively. Anze Kopitar (LAK) offers a decent hybrid play with a decent floor and great upside, but the matchup isn’t the greatest on paper.
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DFS Hockey Tier 4
Jakob Chychrun (ARI) offers you a solid floor here leading the tier in shots and blocks, but also with a strong consistency to reach 10-15 points over larger samples. If looking to take on a little risk, though, Gabriel Landskog pairs well with Rantanen and MacKinnon in tourneys for a massive potential correlation play. Landeskog has eclipsed the 20 point Draftkings mark in 2 of his last 5 games with one of those games going over 25 points…the only in this tier to do so recently.
NHL Tier 5
Here come the “wide open tiers” today. There are several options at the top of this tier. While a Shea Theodore (VGK) offers a consistent floor, there is enough in this tier my belief is you need to be chasing some upside….someone is going to have a big game tonight. Richard Rakell (ANA) has been hot with two of his last five games going over 25 Draftkings points. Rakell also gets overlooked perhaps the most here. Timo Meier (SJ) can compete along these lines, but Nazem Kadri (COL) might have the best floor/upside combo by gaining you power play access to the aforementioned MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog.
DFS Hockey Tier 6
Tier 6 is going to be a “correlation” tier in that you are better off simply correlating teammates here than looking for any particular standout. The St. Louis players, Schenn and Krug, do lead the tier in production, but it’s not by a large enough margin to prioritize. Play the correlation game with someone and move on.
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NHL Tier 7
Your leaders of upside here are all on the same team, the Minnesota Wild. Brodin, Kapriozov, and Erickson-Ek all bring a bit of a heater to the table here. Erickson-Ek is my hot hand to play here, but if I wanted to go another direction, I might take Kaprizov being he is the only player in the tier to give me a better than 50% chance at 10 Draftkings points over a 10-game sample size. Truth be told, these bottom tiers are the harder parts of nailing plays. They are all fairly evenly matched and really get down to splitting hairs from player to player.
DFS Hockey Tier 8
Historically, Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) does NOT belong in this tier and offers obvious “value” so rare to find in a tiers format. However, if you want to take a “wait and see” approach, I won’t fault you too much. Adrian Kempe (LAK) is obviously rolling hot with a couple of big games in his last five games. But, another sneaky play comes out of Arizona with young Clayton Keller and his 70% chance to gain you at least 10 Draftkings points over his last ten games. In this area, Keller has a huge lead on the tier and warrants consideration.
Sample: NHL Tiers Stack Chart for Draftkings DFS
Stronger Correlation and NHL Stacking Options
Edmonton Oilers – McDavid/Draisaitl (T1) with Barrie/Nurse (T3), Nugent Hopkins (T4) for power play correlation, and/or Yamamoto (T7)…however, Yamamoto would only be used as correlation and not as a stand-alone play in that tier.
St. Louis Blues – Perron (T3), Schenn (T6), Tarasenko (T8)…with gpp pivots using Ryan O’Reilly over Perron or Krug over Schenn.
Arizona Coyotes – Chychrun (T4) and Keller (T8) make a great “floor pair” tonight.
GPP Options…
Vegas Golden Knights – These guys are all over the tiers in so many combos. My favorite might be Pacioretty (T1), Stone (T4), Tuch (T6). Pacioretty should be very underused in that top tier.
Colorado Avalanche – MacKinnon (T1), Rantanen (T2), Landeskog (T4), Kadri (T5) for a monster PP1 stack that can break a slate if fading the chalky Oilers.
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