NHL DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Primer: Friday (3/31)

The NHL has four games on tap for Friday’s action on the ice, which means we’re back for another night of cashing DFS contests! It’s a good mix of contenders and other teams preparing for an off-season overhaul. The Buffalo Sabres host the New York Rangers as +125 home underdogs, while Arizona is the other large home underdog at +200 against the Dallas Stars during a late-night puck drop. Detroit still has some fight in them, beating Pittsburgh and Carolina in back-to-back games, and they’ll look to keep their playoff hopes alive with a road win against the Winnipeg Jets. The last game is a fairly even matchup between Vancouver and Calgary, with the Flames entering as a slight road favorite at -130, as they attempt to leap the Jets for the second Wild Card seed in the Western Conference.

Last week’s recommended plays were solid, but the goaltending continues to be the weak point. Tristan Jarry (G – Penguins) sat, so that is essentially negated, but Connor Hellebuyck (G – Jets) allowed three goals against San Jose during a 3-0 rout on the road. Adrian Kempe (LW – Kings), Tyson Barrie (D – Predators), and Tyler Toffoli (RW – Flames) all blanked on the point sheet, but a few notable performances saved the slate. Mika Zibanejad (C – Rangers) ended his goal drought with a score and another assist, while J.T. Miller (C – Canucks) notched a pair of assists and Erik Karlsson (D – Sharks) contributed an assist during the Sharks’ surprise 3-0 win at home to wrap up a busy Tuesday night. Miller and Zibanejad were the marquee players to target, so hopefully, you were able to acquire both of them in your DFS lineups.

It’s always fun to analyze a lighter slate, as the blue-chip prospects are a bit cheaper than they normally are when there are ten or more games on the NHL schedule. Let’s jump right into eight of my favorite prospects to target ahead of Friday’s four-game slate. Best of luck, let’s cash out and start the weekend off with some cash in our pockets!

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Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Dylan Larkin (C – Red Wings): $6,700
After enduring a bit of a production slump, Dylan Larkin has returned to the stat sheet, securing four points across his previous two games played. This includes back-to-back games with a goal, which is why Larkin has hit over 20.5 DK points during this mini-streak. Larkin and the Red Wings will travel to Winnipeg with hopes of extending their winning streak to preserve their slim playoff hopes, so expect Larkin to continue being leaned on in the offensive zone. He’s available at a valuable salary compared to other blue-chip prospects on Friday’s slate, so fire him up as a cheaper high-ceiling player in lineups.

Brock Boeser (RW – Canucks): $4,800
Vancouver has turned its offensive surge up in the past few weeks and Brock Boeser has become a steady contributor on the second attack line. At just $4,800 on DraftKings, we’re getting massive value with Boeser, who has hit 14.3 DK points or higher in three consecutive games. Calgary is playing well but Jacob Markstrom (G – Flames) is a bit of a volatile netminder, so take a cheap piece of a talented Canucks offense and insert Boeser into lineups as a low-floor, high-ceiling prospect.

Miro Heiskanen (D – Stars): $6,400
Rolling with Miro Heiskanen is a bit of a risk-reward, but Dallas has received a lot of production from him before his two-game point drought. For a defenseman, Heiskanen provides a bit of a floor with two to four shots on goal per game, while also occasionally blocking a couple of shots in the defensive zone. 51 assists is the attractive number to chase when it comes to Heiskanen’s upside in DraftKings lineups, as he logged five points in a three-game stretch that ended last week, so pay up to land his ceiling in a plus-matchup against Karel Vejmelka (G – Coyotes) and the Coyotes on Friday night.

Jacob Markstrom (G – Flames): $7,800
Jacob Markstrom surrendered six goals in consecutive starts against Los Angeles and Dallas, but he’s bounced back with a strong effort between the pipes in his previous three starts ahead of Friday’s road game in Vancouver. The 33-year-old netminder has a 2.94 GAA and .892 save percentage, but these numbers look worse due to his recent implosion against good offensive teams. Vancouver can still bring plenty of shots on goal but the Flames’ offense has stepped up in recent games, making Markstrom a nice discounted netminder to insert into DraftKings lineups.

Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000

Dylan Cozens (C – Sabres): $6,300
Buffalo has had a disappointing turn to its season but they aren’t mathematically eliminated from the Wild Card seeding just yet. Dylan Cozens had a nice three-game point streak before it ended against Montreal in his last game played, however, four days to rest and prepare for the Rangers, who are expected to roll out backup netminder Jaroslav Halak (G – Rangers), creates a good bounce-back opportunity. He only needs a few shots on goal to return value via goals (28) or assists (33), which he’s logged plenty of this season, so don’t hesitate to plug Cozens into FanDuel lineups at a $6.3K salary.

Joe Pavelski (RW – Stars): $7,100
Joe Pavelski is more than a veteran presence on a loaded roster. Dallas leans on Pavelski in all situations. Skating on the Stars’ first-line attack helps his production outlook, as Pavelski has logged over 20 goals and 46 assists this season. He’s only gone one game without a point in his last five outings, so going up against Arizona, who surrenders goals at a fairly high rate, Pavelski becomes a priority addition into lineups, with his expected production to bounce between 15 and 32 FD points.

Moritz Seider (D – Red Wings): $5,800
Moritz Seider has recorded at least one assist during Detroit’s impressive two-game winning streak against quality opponents. His shots on goal have crept down but we’re looking for assists, not goals, and Seider has logged 33 of them for the Red Wings this season. Winnipeg is not an overwhelming opponent and the recent regression of Hellebuyck in the net creates more optimism surrounding Seider, who is a nice addition at under $6K.

Jaroslav Halak (G – Rangers): $8,200
Despite serving as the New York Rangers’ reserve goaltender behind Igor Shesterkin (G – Rangers), Jaroslav Halak has an impressive 2.28 GAA and is riding a two-game winning streak as a starter in his last two outings. He’s ridden ups and downs defending the crease but Buffalo has only scored five goals across their last two games, which is encouraging when considering Halak as an anchor in FanDuel lineups. The Rangers lost 2-1 to New Jersey on the road on Friday, so they’ll be playing the second night of a back-to-back, but Halak is well-rested and should rise to the occasion against a spiraling Sabres offense.