Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for April 16th of the 2015/2016 NHL season. Each day we'll be providing you with a handful of forward, defensemen, and goaltender picks for DraftKings and FanDuel GPP and cash games.
The first Saturday of the NHL playoffs gives us one afternoon and three evening games. All teams should be well rested from game 1 with at least one day of rest.
There are some key injuries to watch for before finalizing your lineups on Saturday. First is the goalies in the Rangers/Pens series. Marc-Andre Fleury didn't dress in game one with a concussion and with no news out yet about his availability expect Jeff Zatkoff to get another start. The Rangers Henrik Lundqvist left after the first period and did not return after being poked in the eye with a stick. He skated at practice Friday but no announcement has been made yet.
The Philadelphia Flyers playoff chances took a major hit with the loss of Sean Couturier for two weeks with an upper body injury after being blown up by Alex Ovechkin.
The Minnesota Wild are another team in trouble as Zach Parise will miss another game. They will get Erik Haula back which helps a ton up the middle. In the same game, the Dallas Stars will get their star forward Tyler Seguin back for game two.
Be sure to check LeftWingLock to confirm the starting goalies prior to lineup lock.
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NHL DFS Picks for Saturday, April 16th
A couple strategy notes. For cash game construction look for players who can contribute to your score when they are not providing offense. Examples are guys who take a ton of shots, defensemen who block a lot of shots(DraftKings). Also, look for guys who get powerplay time and especially Top 6 forwards. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury or just get a promotion and more ice time.
For large field tournaments (GPP's) you want to find payers who have multi point upside and can grab double digit fantasy points. To stack the most upside in your forwards a common strategy is to punt the defense position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone. Try and look for a D man who will be playing more PP time or might get a boost in overall playing time due to an injury.
Let's take a look at some solid plays for today's action.
Kari Lehtonen - Goaltender, Stars (Draftkings - $7,500 FanDuel - $8,800)
After a 22 save shutout in game one his price came up a few hundred dollars but is still a bargain, especially on DraftKings, against a short handed Wild team. The Stars will also get a boost with the return of their superstar forward Tyler Seguin. Expect another strong game from the Stars as they try to take a strangle hold on the series.
Evgeny Kuznetsov - Center, Capitals (DraftKings - $6,600 FanDuel - $6,100)
Although he didn't score or pick up a point in game one, he tallied seven shots on goal in 15 minutes of ice time. The Flyers loss of Sean Couturier could really hurt as he played a huge role in shutting down the other teams top players. Look for Kuznetsov to get on the score sheet in game two.
Patric Hornqvist - Winger, Penguins (DraftKings - $7,200 FanDuel - $7,800)
He had a monster game for the Penguins in game one recording a hat trick and adding an assist. The Penguins looked like the better team and fed off the home crowd on Wednesday. We should see much of the same on Saturday afternoon, especially if the Rangers Henrik Lunqvist doesn't return between the pipes.
Tanner Pearson - Winger, Kings (DraftKings - $3,700 FanDuel - $4,300)
He makes a great value play skating on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic. He doesn't have much upside as he doesn't get PP time but he picked up an assist in game one paying off his salary.
Jake Muzzin - Defense, Kings (DraftKings - $5,700 FanDuel - $4,500)
He is very close to the top points per dollar option on the slate as he provides value in multiple categories and has a very affordable price. In game one he picked up a goal on four shots and added three blocked shots.
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