RADIO
Welcome back to hockey season, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Chris and I write a little about several sports (including NASCAR, PGA, NCAA Football, NHL, and more). If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel for Wednesday, October 13th, 2020 at 7:00 PM. Be sure to also check out our awesome NHL tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, 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 email me stevens8204@gmail.com or via Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Intro & Overview
If you are new to playing NHL DFS, there are several things to know that will help you get caught up to speed. The first thing to know is that stacking lines is important and correlating your plays can pay off. In hockey, if someone scores a goal, there's a good chance that some on his team will receive an assist on that goal, so you want to build lineups around players skating together.
The idea behind stacking forward lines is that if when one skater scores there is a higher percentage and chance that either of his linemates would get credited with an assist, therefore, resulting in more fantasy points. You can then take the stack even farther and correlate it with the power-play, which at times provides even more rewards.
Not only will you get even-strength points, when another player from the opposing team is in the box for a penalty, but you will also get power-play points too. These same ideas can tie right into MLB DFS if you are familiar with order stacking.
NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 10/13
We will kick-start the season with a modest five-game slate, featuring teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, and the Chicago Blackhawks among others.
There is some news worth mentioning. The big news is that Nathan MacKinnon is out for Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks due to testing positive for COVID. He will be out at least until the weekend. That evens the Colorado-Chicago matchup at the very minimum. Please also watch for goalie confirmations and last-minute news. These are issues that seem to pop up more often during the early portion of the season.
The goal will be to keep things as simple as possible. Our focus will be as much on interactions on social media and in chatrooms. This is because news and numbers have become that fluid now. Everything changes at a breakneck pace now.
NHL DFS Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck - DK $7.9K || FD $8.4K
Opponent - Anaheim Ducks
The Winnipeg Jets goaltender in his first matchup of the season draws the low-scoring Anaheim Ducks. Coming off another stellar season last year with a 0.919 save percentage, Hellebuyck will try and shut down the Ducks. There could not be a better chance on the slate for a win and the possibility of a shutout. Anaheim barely averaged over two goals a game for most of last season. Little has improved.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Samsonov (DK - $7.7K, FD - 7.7K), Campbell (DK - $8.1K, FD - 8.1K)
Marc-Andre Fleury - DK $7.5K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Colorado Avalanche
The Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender faces life backstopping one of the worst defenses in the Chicago Blackhawks. That has knocked down his salary significantly on Wednesday night. The good news is that Fleury still could face 30-35+ shots even against a Colorado offense that does not have Nathan MacKinnon. Fleury's chances of a win do go up and the save bonus for DraftKings may be in play as well.
NHL DFS Centers
Connor McDavid - DK $8.3K || FD $8.8K
Opponent - Vancouver Canucks
The idea is to keep things simple and stack around one of the main fantasy hockey studs in Connor McDavid. Ideally, the player came close to averaging two real-world points a game last season for the Edmonton Oilers. He was over two points a contest throughout the second half. Playing against the Vancouver Canucks and their bottom-third penalty kill makes McDavid an easy play. With Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon both out, the decision is easier more than likely. It will be more about differentiating lineups surrounding McDavid.
Trevor Zegras - DK $5.9K || FD $5.1K
Opponent - Winnipeg Jets
Zegras will be one of the top options from the lopsided game on one of the late games of Wednesday night's slate. The center had a solid rookie campaign. By the end of the season, the Anaheim Ducks' center was averaging nearly three shots a game. Also, Zegras had two goals and eight points over his final nine games. He will be the main focus as Winnipeg will have a tough time slowing down the Anaheim center.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Toews (DK $6.0K || FD $5.5K), Suzuki (DK $5.1K || FD $6.1K), Horvat (DK $4.8K || FD $5.8K), Lowry (DK $2.9K || FD $3.7K)
NHL DFS Wings
Conor Garland - DK $5.6K || FD $5.3K
Opponent - Edmonton Oilers
There are just several different ways to look at the structure on Wednesday evening as the Vancouver Canucks could be a surprise team to look at. Edmonton was around .500 at home last season and at times looked lost. Garland is one of those players, when healthy, that is a shot magnet. He can easily shoot four or five times on the net and generate a bunch of scoring chances. His salary is reasonable considering his likely continued deployment on the top line. The early part of the season features taking a few more risks and Garland could be a profitable one.
William Nylander- DK $6.2K || FD $6.6K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
This is one of the more intriguing plays of the slate. Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs have been clamoring for revenge ever since they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal is not quite the same team and will be without Carey Price and Shea Weber for starters. Nylander was Toronto's best player in last year's playoff against the Canadiens as well. Most forget how good Toronto's power play was early in the series and that was mostly due to Nylander creating time and space.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Draisaitl (DK $ 7.7K || FD $8.7K (Center)), Ehlers (DK $6.5K || FD $6.8K), Ovechkin [Questionable] (DK $7.2K || FD $8K), Caufield (DK $4.9K || FD $5.6K), DeBrincat (DK $6.8K || FD $7.3K), Puljujarvi (DK $4.4K || FD $4.2K), Bunting (DK $4.7K || FD $4.2K), Chiasson (DK $2.9K || FD $3.6K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Neal Pionk - DK $5K || FD $4.8K
Opponent - Anaheim Ducks
The Winnipeg Jets' defenseman will start the season on the top power-play unit and gets a prime matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. This expects to be an intriguing play all year long. Some project Pionk to have single-digit goals on the season but do not be surprised if the Winnipeg defender scores more goals. 40-50+ assists are not out of the realm of possibility. Expect Pionk to play more and more in offensive situations over Josh Morrissey and that honestly will prove to be more fun and good thing for DFS owners.
Dmitry Orlov - DK $4.3K || FD $3.8K
Opponent - New York Rangers
Orlov is just one of those value plays of the night that could be a first-week wonder. He had seven assists over his last nine games last season while averaging nearly two shots a game and 1.5 blocks per contest. If Orlov sees 22-24 minutes a night to start the season, his floor will go up. Sadly, so will his salary but the Russian is a vital cog on both sides of the ice. Again, for his point-per-dollar potential, Orlov is worth taking a look on Wednesday night.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Fox (DK $6.1K || FD $6.5K), Makar (DK $6.6K || FD $6.9K), Jones (DK $5.8K || FD $6.2K), Muzzin (DK $5.5K || FD $4.3K), Nurse (DK $6.3K || FD $5.5K), Fowler (DK $3.2K || FD $3.8K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- EDM1
- CHI2
- TOR2
- VAN1
Chris’s Line Stack of the Day
WSH: Ovechkin-Wilson-Carlson (provided Ovechkin plays)
Obvious Stack
WPG: Ehlers-Wheeler-Pionk (If Power Play units hold)
Sneaky Stack
ANA: Zegras-Comtois-Fowler*
Please keep in mind that there will be many shifts in lines with most teams especially early.
NHL Player News and Updates
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
