RADIO
Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Mark and I write NFL, MLB, and NHL on Rotoballer. I play NHL DFS almost daily, and am excited to bring you my thoughts on today's slate!
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel on Friday, April 8th, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. Be sure to also check out our awesome suite of NHL DFS lineup tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Projections, and DFS Cheat Sheets!
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else don’t hesitate to hit me up on Twitter @Mark_Kieffer or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 4/8/22
We have a five-game slate tonight. We have games starting at both 7:00 pm Eastern and 8:00 pm Eastern. Be aware of when the games start for your stacks, one-offs, and goalie. The best thing you can do is check 20-30 minutes before the puck drops for each game to ensure everyone in your lineup is playing! Nothing is more frustrating than having a great lineup and getting a zero from any position but especially goalie!
NHL DFS Goalies
Darcy Kuemper - DK $8.2K|| FD $8.1K
Opponent - Winnipeg Jets
This is a slate with a lot of tough matchups. Colorado faces Winnipeg, Tampa Bay faces Boston, and Minnesota faces Saint Louis out of those five games. As stated in the past, I want a goalie that will see some shots, and Winnipeg is No. 12 in shots on goal per game (32.38). Darcy Kuemper is 33-9-3 with a 2.40 GAA, five shutouts, and a .925 SV%.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Bobrovsky (DK $8.4K || FD $8.6K), Vasilevskiy (DK $8.0K || FD $8.4K), Husso (DK $7.7K || FD $7.7K), Sorokin (DK $7.3K || FD $7.4K - GPP only and could still be injured so check his status. He should be back either tonight or tomorrow). As with all small slates, any goalie can be a GPP option depending on how large of a tournament you are playing.
NHL DFS Centers
When rostering a Center you have to decide if you are going to pair or stack with a winger. If pairing or stacking, you can go for a pass-first center that will be a little less expensive in hopes of them getting an assist to the winger(s) you have. If you are looking for a Center as a stand-alone player, I recommend rostering Centers that are expected to take a lot of shots on goal. Below you will find recommendations that fall into both camps.
Nathan MacKinnon - DK $8.2K || FD $9.8K
Opponent - Winnipeg Jets
Not accounting for salary, I really like Aleksander Barkov but he is priced $200 less than MacKinnon on DraftKings and actually $100 more than MacKinnon on FanDuel. I think that is crazy, and think MacKinnon is priced appropriately on the slate. He averages 1.37 points per game and 4.63 shots on goal per game. If I am spending up at Center, MacKinnon is my first choice despite Florida being in an arguably better spot against Buffalo.
Robert Thomas- DK $4.7K || FD $5.6K
Opponent - Minnesota Wild
Robert Thomas averages one point per game but just 1.53 shots on goal per game too. He does not have a high ceiling but he has a solid floor due to the fact he averages one point per game. Saint Louis is implied for 3.1 goals; Thomas could have a productive game. This slate does not offer a lot of value at center and he is the least expensive one I would consider rostering in cash on the slate.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Barkov (DK $8.1K || FD $9.9K), Scheifele (DK $6.4K || FD $7.7K), Bennett (DK $5.6K || FD $6.4K), Schenn (DK $4.6K || FD $6.0K), O'Reilly (DK $4.5K || FD $6.0K), Trocheck (DK $3.9K || FD $5.3K)
NHL DFS Wings
Generally, with wingers, I want players that are likely to take many shots on goal at a reduced price. I play tournaments and generally stack, but if I am playing a winger as a one-off I want a guy that is going to shoot a lot and hopefully score.
Jonathan Huberdeau - DK $7.1K|| FD $8.8K
Opponent - Buffalo Sabres
Jonathan Huberdeau averages 1.46 points per game and 2.79 shots on goal per game. Florida is implied for 4.8 goals against Buffalo. Most of Huberdeau's points come in form of assists so he is a better stacking option with a Barkov or Duclair (depending on price and contest). He is priced appropriately on the slate and in cash games, getting some Florida exposure would be good.
Valeri Nichushkin - DK $4.0K || FD $6.5K
Opponent - Winnipeg Jets
Valeri Nichushkin is coming back from injury. He will be either on the first or second line and be on a power play. He averages 0.78 points per game and 2.76 shots on goal per game. Colorado is implied for the second-most goals on the slate and getting a skater in the Top 6 in a game like that for what Nichushkin is priced at is a deal.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Connor (DK $8.5K || FD $8.5K - GPP), Kaprizov (DK $7.0K || FD $9.1K), Rantanen (DK $6.7K || FD $8.3K), Tarasenko (DK $6.3K || FD $7.7K), Giroux (DK $4.9K || FD $6.6K), Kyrou (DK $4.8K || FD $6.0K), Fiala (DK $4.7K || FD $6.7K), Duclair (DK $4.2K || FD $5.7K), Burakovsky (DK $3.2K || FD $4.9K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
My general rule of thumb with Defensemen is if I am spending up at the position, I want that player to be on the Powerplay with a chance to score a goal. This is also a position I will punt quite a bit at. If I am punting, I want a player that is projected to get a good amount of ice time and has a chance to get a blocked shot bonus on DraftKings. I also try to find defensemen on a power play (might be the 2nd one) if I can.
This slate does not have a lot of great defenseman value at the top of the salary and I would advise to either punt here or add a power-play defenseman to a stack if playing a GPP.
Cale Makar - DK $7.0K || FD $7.1K
Opponent - Winnipeg Jets
So yes it's clear I like Colorado tonight. He averages 1.12 points on goal per game and 3.10 shots on goal per game. I think he is a little underpriced on this slate; he would be closer to $8K based on his scoring. If you want Colorado exposure in a different way than their Line 1, this is another way to do it.
Jonas Brodin - DK $3.5K || FD $4.4K
Opponent - Saint Louis Blues
Jonas Brodin is on the first defensive pairing and on the second power play. He averages 0.45 points per game, 1.72 shots per game, and 1.75 blocked shots per game. He also averages 24 minutes of time on the ice per game too. He is very inexpensive, on one of the power-play units in a high-scoring game, and has a good chunk of ice time than many other defenders in this price point (typically they are more like 18-20). He is a great value/punt type of a play in any format.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Hedman (DK $6.4K || FD $7.0K), Weegar (DK $5.8K || FD $5.8K), Toews (DK $5.1K || FD $6.2K), Spurgeon (DK $4.1K || FD $5.2K), Greene (DK $2.5K || FD $3.7K)
NHL DFS GPP Strategy
This will come as no surprise, I am a single entry and 3 max DFS player, but I will look to fade all of those lowest implied total teams and try to target stacks in the high implied total games.
I will continue to emphasize this but your strategy for GPPs depends on what kind of contest you are playing in. We have a small slate, so the teams that stand out will be very popular and will need to be a hard fade if trying to win.
Florida is implied for 4.8 goals followed by Colorado with 3.8 goals. My sense is the top six skaters and the top power-play on Florida will be too popular. Colorado will be popular as well, however, stay on top of their injury news for Nichushkin and corresponding line changes as people may not be as on top of that.
Some other stacks I like:
Saint Louis PP1: The Blues have the No. 3 Power Play and the Wild have the No. 24 Power Play. Additionally, the Wild are No. 2 in penalties per game (4.33)
Florida 3: While Florida 1 and 2 will be popular, it is Florida 3 that has 19 even-strength goals (No. 19 out of all forward combinations)
Tampa Bay 1: This is more of a feel play. I think Tampa and Boston could get a little overlooked. I also couldn't be opposed to Boston PP1 as Tampa Bay is No. 3 in penalties per game.
If you are looking to get sneaky anywhere stack-wise, find a high-owned goalie and choose the most productive stack against that goalie's opponent for leverage, especially in a large field GPP.
