The NHL rolls out a seven-game schedule tonight, providing us with plenty of different ways to get in on the action. I’m heading the DFS route, and I’ve listed the nine-man lineup that I’m playing in one of the DraftKings classic $50,000 salary competitions. I’ve also listed each player’s price at FanDuel’s $55,000 salary equivalent competition. Here’s who I believe is primed for a big night on the ice.
NHL DFS Picks & Analysis
The lineup below is based on DraftKings, but FanDuel prices are also listed.
C1: Sean Monahan (C – CBJ) | DraftKings: $6,300/FanDuel: $6,600
I have a couple of Blue Jackets in my lineup tonight, even though their offense has cooled off from the red-hot start. I’ll begin with Sean Monahan, who holds a share of the team lead in goals scored (6). Aside from Zack Werenski (55 SOG), the centerman has logged the most SOG with 43. The underlying metrics point to Seattle’s defense being vulnerable, so I’ll take a flier on Monahan at center tonight.
C2: Nazem Kadri (C-CGY) | DraftKings: $5,900/FanDuel: $5,900
The Flames are on the second night of a back-to-back, where they toppled the Kings in a 3-1 home game last night. Up next is a Canucks side that hasn’t been excellent defensively recently. They’re just 24th in overall defense (3.15 GAA) and 27th in SV% (.881). Nazem Kadri is Calgary’s most active shooter (48 SOG), averaging 2.0 SOG/G. His eight points (5G, 3A) are the fifth-most on the team. Kadri’s a tough, scrappy player, and I expect him to show up tonight against a division rival.
W1: Adam Fantilli (C – CBJ) | DraftKings: $4,900/FanDuel: $5,800
The other Columbus skater that I have on my roster is Adam Fantili. The natural centerman is still getting his feet underneath himself in the NHL, but he has logged seven points (3G, 4A) in 14 games this year. His 33 SOG are fourth-most on the Blue Jackets. I like this matchup for the Monahan-Fantilli duo, as they get a Kraken team that has allowed the second-most high-danger shots (71), while ranking 28th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (3.37).
W2: Anders Lee (LW – NYI) | DraftKings: $4,800/FanDuel: $5,600
It’s a stoppable force vs. a movable object with the Islanders offense (2.5 GPG, 28th) taking on the Oilers defense (.881 SV%, 29th) tonight. Something has to give in this cross-conference matchup. I don’t expect New York’s offense to go nuclear, but if they get any production, it’ll likely go through one of their top scorers, Anders Lee. Lee has been very active offensively, leading the team in SOG (53) while ranking third in points (4G, 5A). This will be a good opportunity to score tonight against Edmonton’s bottom-tier netminding duo.
W3: Stefan Noesen (RW – NJ) | DraftKings: $4,300/FanDuel: $5,500
I’m not typically looking to fade the Panthers’ defense, but the truth is that they’ve been a middle-of-the-pack unit this year. The Cats are 16th in SV% (.893) and 17th in GAA (2.93). Meanwhile, Stefan Noesen is cementing himself as a very serviceable third-liner for the Devils. He’s fourth on the team in scoring (14 points), and his seven goals are second to only Nico Hischier‘s 10 tallies. Look for New Jersey’s depth forwards to have an impact tonight against a Florida defense that is still solid up top, but clearly has some issues overall.
D1: Brandon Montour (D – SEA) | DraftKings: $6,300/FanDuel: $6,600
I’ll ride with Brandon Montour as my top defenseman tonight. It appears that the D-man has found his offensive stride after an underwhelming season with Florida last year. He’s picked up 11 points (4G, 7A) while registering a team-leading 45 SOG with Seattle. Columbus is back to its losing ways, where they’re allowing 4.8 goals per game over their current 0-4-1 slide. They’ve dropped to 30th in overall defense (3.36 GAA).
D2: Mattias Ekholm (D – EDM) | DraftKings: $5,400/FanDuel: $6,000
Everyone thinks of Evan Bouchard as Edmonton’s top d-man, and that’s probably accurate. But currently, Mattias Ekholm has more points (9 vs. 7), and each duo has 38 SOG logged. I’ll save some salary space and ride with Ekholm as my second defenseman tonight. The Oilers host an inconsistent Islanders team that’s allowing 3.5 goals per game over their current 3-4-1 run. With Ekholm’s offensive role increasing, he’s worth a flier tonight.
G: Jeremy Swayman (G – BOS) DraftKings: $8,100/FanDuel: $7,700
It’s been a horrendous start to the season for Jeremy Swayman, who has gone 4-5-2 with a 3.13 GAA (38th) and .896 SV% (35th). It’s safe to say that Boston isn’t getting their 66 million dollars worth just yet. If Swayman and the Bs, for that matter, are ever going to turn things around, then it should be tonight against the Blues. St. Louis is terrible offensively, ranking 28th in scoring (2.5 GPG) and dead last on the power play (10.81%). They’re also just 29th in high-danger shots (40), so I think the Boston netminder is primed for a productive night.
UTIL: Jonathan Huberdeau (LW – CGY) | DraftKings: $4,000/FanDuel: $4,900
I’ll round out my lineup with Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau. The natural centerman is currently the Flames’ top goal scorer, and he’s lit the lamp six times this year. He also has four helpers, making him second on the team in points. This is a very low price on Huberdeau, and I think he has a high ceiling against a mid-tier Vancouver defense.