RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and FantasyAces. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Friday, October 21st of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

Tonight we have a small three game slate with the Coyotes vs. the Islanders, Blackhawks vs. the Blue Jackets and the Predators vs. the Red Wings. The Coyotes are also playing on back to back nights on the road after losing to the Habs 5-2 on Thursday. Let's take a look at a few top plays for the night.

For those that are new to this, each day we'll be providing you with a few of our top DFS lineup picks for daily league cash games on FanDuel, DraftKings, and FantasyAces. We will also provide you with one of our favorite teams to stack for GPPs. You can grab the rest of our Premium DFS lineup picks and stacks through the NHL Cheat Sheet and DFS Premium Pass below.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NHL Premium Pass (DFS Cheat Sheets) for free, a $99.99 value. Just email info@rotoballer.com with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Friday, October 21st 

John Tavares (C, NYI)

DraftKings - $7,600, FanDuel - $7,500, FantasyAces - $5,550

On a small slate it will important to get some exposure to the best center on the slate. He and the Islanders have started of the season slow with just one win in their first four games scoring just nine goals with a -3 goal differential. Look for things to change at home tonight as the Coyotes come to town on their second of back to back games on the road. Tavares has picked up points in two straight games and will get a great shot to add t it tonight as the Coyotes have allowed 15 goals in their first three games. He is safe in all formats.

Tomas Tatar (W, DET)

DraftKings - $4,600, FanDuel - $4,800, FantasyAces - $4,750

Ride the value with Tatar tonight as the price has not caught up with the Red Wings line adjustments over the last couple games. After starting the season with a  -2 rating in the Wings first two games he was moved up to the top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Dylan Larkin increasing his ice time and fantasy value. To remain there he will have to produce and while he has just one assist on his last two games he has recorded five shots in each game. Buy low while you can.

Connor Murphy  (D, ARI)

DraftKings - $3,100, FanDuel - $3,600, FantasyAces - $3,800

The young Coyotes D man, in his 5th season, will look to take on a bigger role this season. He is a former first round pick back in 2011 and while he has not produced much offense since entering the league he is getting Top 4 minutes and also some usage on the powerplay. The best part is he is extremely cheap on all the sites and had a decent floor averaging over two blocks per game.

Stacking Option

Chicago Blackhawks - Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov

If there is one line to hitch your wagon to tonight it's going to be the Blackhawks top unit. They are coming off an explosive effort against the Flyers where all three of them recorded three or more points in a 7-4 winning effort. Kane was the league leader and only player in the '15/'16 season to record over a 100 points and ended up winning the MVP award. The Hawks will keep the same line together which is good news from a fantasy perspective as Anisimov gives enough of a salary relief so easily stack the lien in GPP with a strong goalie and a value stack from another team. Looking at the matchup the Hawks get another juicy one against the Blue Jackets who have allowed nine goals in their first two games and look like a hot mess defensively.

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Sample NHL Premium DFS Cheat Sheet

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Bonus: General NHL DFS Strategy Notes

For cash games, look at players who can contribute to your score even when they are not providing offense. Some examples are guys who take a ton of shots and defensemen who block a lot of shots. Also, look for guys who get power play time. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury, or just get a promotion and more ice time. It is also recommended to spread out your exposure to three or four different lines, and not put all your eggs in one basket.

For large field tournaments (GPPs), find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. If you want 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 defenseman who will get power play time, or a playing time boost due to an injury. For a contrarian approach, paying up at the defense position can be a great strategy - but it also comes with more risk. GPPs bring a great opportunity for goaltenders in the value price range - you can look for backups on good teams.