I’m heading the DFS route to get some action on tonight’s nine-game board in the NHL. This nine-man lineup is eligible for DraftKings’ classic $50,000 salary competitions, but I’ve also listed each player’s price at FanDuel’s $55,000 salary equivalent.
Here’s who I project to have a big night on the ice.
Thursday’s NHL DFS Picks & Analysis
The lineup below is based on DraftKings, but FanDuel prices are also listed.
C1: Anthony Cirelli (C – TBL) | DraftKings: $5,400/FanDuel: $6,700
Let’s start things off with Tampa’s Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli may be the most underrated center in the game today. He’s third on the Bolts in scoring (10 goals, 13 assists), and his 23 points are a respectable 46th in the NHL.
That’s not too shabby for a second-line centerman. The Lightning hosts a Sharks team that’s 27th in GAA (3.07), 28th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (3.37) and 31st in high-danger shots against (111).
C2: Robert Thomas (C – STL) | DraftKings: $5,000/FanDuel: $6,200
I feel like this price on St. Louis’ Robert Thomas is a bit low. The centerman missed some time to start the year, but he’s nearly a point-per-game guy with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) through 14 games played.
Thomas went for one goal and one assist against the Jets on Tuesday, and he now has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last eight games. It’s a decent matchup against a Flames side that’s 1-3-1 in its last five games, allowing 3.4 goals per game over the sample size.
W1: Jonathan Marchessault (C – NSH) | DraftKings: $4,200/FanDuel: $5,500
Nashville is on the heels of a 3-2 loss to Toronto last night. They’ve now dropped five straight games (0-2-3). There was a bright spot for the Preds last night in that Jonathan Marchessault lit the lamp after a four-game pointless stretch.
Marchessault is up to 13 points on the year, which have come via five goals and eight assists. I mostly like Marchessault tonight due to the price and opponent. I think he could have a big night against Montreal’s bottom-tier defense.
W2: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C – EDM) | DraftKings: $4,100/FanDuel: $4,900
There should be no shortage of goals in Edmonton tonight as the Oilers host the Blue Jackets. Columbus’ defense is one of the worst in the NHL, ranking 30th in both GAA (3.33) and SV% (.878), as well as 28th on the penalty kill (72.73%).
I’ll take a shot on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tonight. It’s been a slow start to the year for the natural centerman, where he has just four goals and eight assists. But, with how poorly the Jackets have played defensively, it could be a breakout spot for Nugent-Hopkins.
W3: Matvei Michkov (RW – PHI) | DraftKings: $3,700/FanDuel: $5,800
I’ll take a flier on Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov tonight. The winger trails only Travis Konecny (30 points) on the team in scoring this year with 19 points. He’s also second on the team in goals (nine). Michkov does lead the team in shooting percentage (20.9%), and that’s the key for this matchup against the Panthers.
Florida has struggled to get saves this year, ranking 29th in SV% (.879). This offense runs through Konecny and Michkov, so I’ll take a shot on the latter at nearly half the price of the former.
D1: Roman Josi (D – NSH) | DraftKings: $7,800/FanDuel: $7,200
The other Predator I have in my lineup tonight is Roman Josi. The veteran defenseman picked up an assist in last night’s 3-2 loss to the Leafs. He’s riding a four-game point streak (three goals, three assists). Overall this year, Josi leads the Preds in scoring with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists). His 85 shots on goal (SOG) are second to only Filip Frosberg’s 90.
Nashville draws a favorable matchup against a Montreal club ranked 31st in both GAA (3.48) and SV% (.875), as well as sitting 32nd in high-danger shots against (112). I don’t mind splurging on Josi tonight.
D2: Moritz Seider (D – DET) | DraftKings: $5,400/FanDuel: $5,600
I’ll ride with Detroit’s Moritz Seider as my second defenseman tonight. Seider has been serviceable on the backend this year, ranking fourth on the team in both scoring (two goals, 11 assists) and SOG (47).
Seider also ranks 20th in the NHL in blocked shots (55). Circling back to the offensive side of things, it’s a good matchup against a Senators squad that’s 28th in GAA (3.08) and 25th on the penalty kill (76.06%).
G: Jordan Binnington (G – STL) | DraftKings: $7,200/FanDuel: $7,300
I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel for value tonight, and I’m locking in Jordan Binnington in net. Coach Jim Montgomery took over the Blues back on November 24th, and they’re 3-0-1, allowing only 1.50 goals per game over the stretch.
Included in that is a 3-0 shutout by Binnington against the Devils on the 27th. He has been a tad shaky in net this year at 7-9-2 with a 2.87 GAA (30th) and .898 SV% (31st), but this is a decent matchup for him.
The Blues goalkeeper will be looking to shut down a Flames side that is 1-3-1 in their last five, averaging 2.2 goals per contest. Let’s take a shot with Binnington tonight.
UTIL: Aleksander Barkov (C – FLA) | DraftKings: $7,200/FanDuel: $8,000
Let’s round out our roster with Florida’s Aleksander Barkov. Despite missing eight games earlier in the season, Barkov is 35th in the league in scoring with 25 points.
Barkov’s six goals and 19 assists rank him second on Florida’s roster. For as scrappy as the Flyers are, they’re still just 25th in GAA (3.04) this year. The Cats, and specifically Barkov, should still find success in this one.