Welcome back to hockey season, RotoBallers! For those first-time readers, my name is Brandon and I write both “The First-Serve” and “The Kick-Off” for Tennis and Soccer, respectively. If you have not checked those out then make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL which means it's time to sharpen our MLB 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 Monday, October 25th, 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 at bmwvolleyball94@gmail.com or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 10/25
Good Evening and welcome back! We will be back to the typical medium-sized slate, after having a much smaller 3-game slate last night. There are some heavy favorites, namely, Florida vs Arizona and Tampa Bay vs Buffalo. However, if nobody has been paying attention, Buffalo has been holding their own and they happen to sit in the Top 10 for most stats with the small sample size we have for data.
Players Out
Drew Doughty - D - LA Kings
Shane Pinto - C - Ottawa Senators
Brandon Saad - W - St. Louis Blues
Matt Murray - G - Ottawa Senators
Players Expected Back
Pavel Buchnevich - W - St. Louis Blues
John Klingberg - D - Dallas Stars
Kaapo Kakko - W - New York Rangers
Ryan Strome - C - New York Rangers
NHL DFS Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky- DK $8.5K || FD $8.3K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
We will continue the theme of picking on the Coyotes here. Arizona continues to throw a lineup together and say go play. After two different teams came in via the Expansion Draft, they both have better lineups than the Coyotes who have been in the league for years. Arizona ranks dead last in the league with 8 goals scored through five games. They are not the heaviest shooting team, which could limit Bobrovsky’s ceiling. However, this is the best chance at a shut-out on the slate and for a premium price, you are getting a premium matchup. Smash spot here.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Samsonov(DK $8.1K || FD $8K), Shesterkin(DK $8K || FD $7.7K), Anderson(DK $7.7K || FD $7.8K)
NHL DFS Centers
Aleksander Barkov-DK $7.6K || FD $8.1K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
Rinse and repeat. Barkov is the fourth highest salaried center on both DraftKings and Fanduel today. How is this possible you ask? I am not sure, but don’t say anything! Florida is third in the league in scoring right now with 22 goals and they are in the Top 10 for shooting per game as well. Barkov is currently on pace for 82 points with 2 goals and 3 assists in five games. This could not be any better of a matchup for him to pad his stats.
Radek Faksa- DK $3K || FD $4.4K
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
Faksa has always been an under-valued center in the league with his physical presence and shutdown mentality on the penalty kill. He also thrives when given quality teammates. Per DailyFaceoff, Faksa is currently slated on the second line with Tyler Seguin and Michael Raffl. If this line holds true in-game tomorrow, I would be surprised if Faksa does not hit 3x or 4x.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Zibanejad(DK $7.9K || FD $7.9K), Kuznetsov(DK $7K || FD $7.6K), Point(DK $6.2K || FD $7.7K), Strome(DK $5.3K || FD $5.7K), Trochek(DK $5K || FD $5.6K), Lundell(DK $3.4K || FD $4.8K)
NHL DFS Wings
Teuvo Teravainen- DK $6.5K || FD $3.9K
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
Did you watch the Maple Leafs vs Penguins game? If not, well they lost 7-1 to Pittsburgh who was without Crosby, Malkin, Carter and Letang. Now they have to travel to Carolina. The Hurricanes picked right back up where they left off last season and they also added to their firepower. Teravainen is starting to round into top form and he is showing off the skills he tried to show in Chicago, but everyone turned their heads. Teuvo now has a 2-4-6 line playing alongside Sebastian Aho against a leaky defense. Say no more.
Vladamir Tarasenko- DK $5.3K || FD $4.9K
Opponent - LA Kings
The Russian has been the center of rumors since the offseason, but yet he still manages to rep the Blue Sweater every night. Tarasenko has found a new home on the third-line, but that has not stopped him. He is averaging over four shots a game and he has a 1-3-4 line so far. Even if he manages to not make the score sheet, he will still take enough shots to hit value.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Ovechkin(DK $ 8.7K || FD $9.1K), Svechnikov(DK $ 7K || FD $8.5K), Brown(DK $5.1K || FD $5K), Duclair(DK $3.9K || FD $5.1K), Perry(DK $2.7K || FD $3.9K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Matt Roy- DK $2.8K || FD $6.6K
Opponent - St. Louis Blue
With Drew Doughty out, Roy and teammate Sean Walker have stepped it up in more ways than one. However, Roy is the lucky candidate to play on the first power-play with Kopitar and company. Roy has yet to register a point this season, but he continues to make value game in and game out. With the elevated role and special teams opportunity, there is no reason to not lock and leave.
Aaron Ekblad- DK $7K || FD $4K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
Ekblad has yet to truly show his potential since he was granted special permission into the CHL as a 15-year-old and selected first overall in the NHL draft. However, we may very well be witnessing his breakout season. The power-play quarterback has only registered single-digit DK points once in five games. He also has a 2-3-5 line just like his fellow center Alex Barkov. I am hesitant to pay for his price, but in a matchup like this, it is hard to not.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Werenski(DK $6.4K || FD $5.1K), Heiskanen(DK $4.8K || FD $6.1K), DeAngelo(DK $4.4K || FD $4.9K), Walker(DK $4.1K || FD $3.8K), Stralman(DK $3.9K || FD $3.6K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- FLA1
- WAS1
- CAR1
- TB1
- CBJ1
Brandon’s Stack of the Day
CAR: Svechnikov-Aho-Teravainen
Chalk Stack: FLA: Huberdeau-Barkov-Bennett
Sneaky Stack: FLA: Reinhart-Lundell-Montour
NHL Player News and Updates
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis