RADIO
Its been an exciting first few days of playoff hockey! Tuesday has six scheduled Stanley Cup Qualifier games featuring Winnipeg-Calgary and Minnesota-Vancouver while there here are no planned round-robin games.
Remember, when looking around for plays, an over/under of 6 dictates offense, but an over/under of 5 or sometimes 5.5 tilts towards the goalies. There are several games at 6.5, as that has become the new norm in hockey now more offense in the league than ever before.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/4/20. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @awlenn. Let's go!!
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DFS Forwards to Consider
Auston Matthews - C, TOR vs. CLS (DK - $8,500)
It's only a matter of time before Auston Matthews finds his footing against the Blue Jackets. Matthews had six shots on net and had 24:38 minutes of ice time. He plays more minutes than any player on the Leafs. You can only hold a player like Auston Matthews off the scoresheet for so long.
Andrei Svechnikov - W, CAR vs. NYR (FD - $6,900, DK - $6,300)
It is genuinely fantastic 20-year-old Andrei Sevechnikov already has played in eleven NHL playoff games. He also now has his first playoff hat trick as he notched three of the four goals Hurricanes goals on Monday. The Hurricanes defeated the Rangers 4-1. Svechnikov is now the 8th player under the age of 21 to score a hat trick in the playoffs. Svech is on fire right now as he has three goals and one assist in two Carolina playoff games. Andrei Svechnikov would be an excellent addition to any DFS team, especially if the Hurricanes continue to outplay the Rangers in Game 3.
Also Consider:
Speaking of being on fire, Andrei Sevechnikov's teammate Sebastian Aho has been on top of his game. Aho had three assists against the Rangers. He now has a goal and four assists in two games against New York.
Taylor Hall should be a player to be considered. Hall has two assists in his first playoff game with Arizona. Hall has only played in six playoff games in his ten year NHL career.
A player that might bring some bang for your buck is Minnesota forward Kevin Fiala. Fiala had a breakout regular season, and he played particularly well late in the season for the Wild. His strong late-season play has seemed to transfer into the playoffs as Fiala notched a goal and had five shots against the Canucks on Sunday.
DFS Defenders to Consider
Jared Spurgeon - D, MIN vs. VAN (FD - $5,300, DK - $5,200)
Not sure why Jared Spurgeon still doesn't receive the credit he deserves? Year after year, he provides Minnesota with excellent play in both the defensive end and the offensive end despite being an undersized defenseman. Minnesota handled the Vancouver Canucks fairly easily in Game 1 of their series, winning 3-0. Spurgeon had a massive night with a goal and assist on two separate Minnesota power plays. He also scored an empty-net goal late in the game. Spurgeon will continue to log a ton of ice time minutes as he is on the Wilds top D pairing with veteran Ryan Suter.
Roman Josi - D, ARZ vs NSH (DK - $7,200)
Despite Nashville losing on Sunday, Predators defenseman Roman Josi still had two assists, including one on the power play. Arguably the most offensively gifted defenseman in the league adding Josi to your DFS team is never a bad choice. In just 69 games this regular season, Josi had a career year with 16 goals and 49 assists for 65 points. On any given Nashville power play, you can bet Josi will be buzzing around the ice.
Sami Vatanen has three points in two games for Carolina and is still a nice value on each site.
Other choices for Tuesday may include Mark Giordano, Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, and Keith Yandle.
DFS Goalie to Consider
Darcy Kuemper - G, ARZ vs NSH (FD - $?, DK - $7,200)
Darcy Kuemper and the Arizona Coyotes started fast in their first qualifier game against the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes notched three goals in the first period and were able to manage a late Predators push to win 4-3. Kuemper made some big saves throughout the game as he made 40 saves on 43 Predators shots. Kuemper had an impressive 2.22 goals-against average with a .928 save percentage during the regular season. He started once against the Predators in the regular season and earned a win for the Coyotes.
With the Hurricanes up 2-0 and playing very well, look for them to sweep the Rangers. Peter Mrazek has started and won both games allowing only three goals.
