The NHL rolls out a loaded 12-game slate tonight, providing us with plenty of different ways to get some skin in the game. I’m heading the DFS route and below you’ll find the nine-game lineup I’m riding with.
This roster is playable in DraftKings’ classic $50,000 salary format, but I’ve also listed each player’s price at FanDuel’s $55,000 salary equivalent. Here’s who I believe is primed for a big night on the ice.
Our NHL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet assists bettors by comparing lines from leading sportsbooks with our daily projections 
The NHL rolls out a loaded 12-game slate tonight, providing us with plenty of different ways to get some skin in the game. I’m heading the DFS route and below you’ll find the nine-game lineup I’m riding with.
This roster is playable in DraftKings’ classic $50,000 salary format, but I’ve also listed each player’s price at FanDuel’s $55,000 salary equivalent. Here’s who I believe is primed for a big night on the ice.
Our NHL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet assists bettors by comparing lines from leading sportsbooks with our daily projections
Thursday’s NHL DFS Picks & Advice
The lineup below is based on DraftKings, but FanDuel prices are also listed.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the Lightning’s top-six forwards. My strategy is to secure their best top-unit power-play player for the cheapest price, and that happens to be Brayden Point.
Point is third on the roster in scoring (60 points). His 31 goals lead the team. He’s racked up 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) on the power play. The Lightning take on a Flames penalty-killing unit that’s just 28th in the NHL (72.46%).
The Golden Knights have shaken up their lines. Their third line is currently listed as Brandon Saad-Brett Howden-Mark Stone. How can we pass on this value with Howden when he’s playing alongside these veteran wingers?
Howden’s up to 26 points (16 goals, 10 assists) on the season, and he has four assists in his last three games. He’s logged 12 shots on goal (SOG) during the three-game stretch. The Knights welcome in a downward-trending Blackhawks defense tonight, so look for Howden to get in on the scoring action.
Detroit’s Lucas Raymond is emerging as a star in this league. The 22-year-old is 17th in the NHL in points (22 goals, 41 assists). His 41 helpers lead the Red Wings this season. Raymond has four points (one goal, three assists) in three games since the break, so it’s safe to say he’s kept his top-tier form.
Detroit welcomes a Columbus team ranked 29th in GAA (3.16) and 24th on the penalty kill (75.8%). I think we’ll see quite a bit of scoring in this one, and Raymond should prove to be worth his lofty $7,000 price tag.
I am expecting a big night out of Patrik Laine (14 goals, eight assists) and his Montreal offense. They’ll take on a San Jose defense ranked dead last in both GAA (3.44) and high-danger shots against (253), while ranking 28th in SV% (.886).
The Sharks are also just 23rd on the penalty kill (75.98%). Laine has 14 power-play points (11 goals, three assists) this season.
Boone Jenner is back in the mix for Columbus, and I think this is a great buy-low spot. The second-line winger has two points (two assists) in two games back from injury.
The Jackets take on a Red Wings team that has allowed an average of four goals per game across its last five outings. Jenner’s also on the second power-play unit, while Detroit currently ranks dead last on the penalty kill at 69.57%.
Montreal’s Lane Hutson is developing into a superstar offensive-defenseman, racking up 43 points (four goals, 39 assists) this season. All of the anti-Sharks metrics from the Laine section apply here as well, and I believe Hutson will have his hand in at least one goal tonight.
Hutson has a point in each game since the break (one goal, one assist), as well as four points (one goal, three assists) across his last six outings. Montreal’s offense should find plenty of success tonight.
D2: Owen Power (D – BUF) | DraftKings: $4,000/FanDuel: $5,600
Buffalo’s Owen Power (six goals, 25 assists) is on a pretty nice run right now, where he has seven assists in his last eight games.
Power is also averaging 3.6 shots on goal per game (SOG/G) in five games this month. Power is the team’s leader in blocked shots (86) as well and I expect him to pick up a few against a Hurricanes squad ranked third in SOG (1,841) this year.
I’ll ride with Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy in net tonight. The Russian-born netminder is putting together an excellent campaign, coming into this contest 17-15-3 with a 2.29 GAA and .921 SV%.
Vasilevskiy is 6-0-1 in February, boasting a .933 SV%. The Bolts welcome a Flames team ranked 29th in scoring (2.6 goals per game) and 30th in shooting percentage (9.05%). I like Vasilevskiy to stay hot tonight at home.
UTIL: Tomas Hertl (C – VGK) | DraftKings: $6,200/FanDuel: $6,600
Let’s round it out with Vegas’ Tomas Hertl, who’s currently centering the Knights’ second line. Hertl is second on the team in goals (22), and his 44 points are the 73rd-most in the NHL. He also has 144 SOG across 58 games (2.5 SOG/G).
This is an excellent matchup against a lowly Chicago defense ranked 30th in both GAA (3.17) and shots against (1,837). I like Hertl, who boasts a 15.3% shooting percentage, to have a big night in Sin City.
