Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, 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, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season 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 Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. 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 [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 2/26/22
We get to celebrate the weekend by kicking it off with a solid seven-game slate. Value spots will be hard to come across, however, the Montreal and Ottawa game should make up for it with plenty of goals. I will do my best to guide you through this pickem slate, starting at 7 p.m. EST with a few teams in prime matchups.
We will have a few teams on a back-to-back: Colorado, Vegas and Los Angeles. The Canadiens and their league-worst goals against (3.73) will travel to rivals Ottawa, while the Avalanche and their league second-best goals for (3.94) will hope to defeat the struggling Golden Knights.
DISCLOSURE: The slate may not be the same at puck drop as it is during the writeup due to COVID-19. Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk.
NHL DFS Goalies
Jeremy Swayman- DK $8.2K || FD $8.1K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Coming in as the third highest-priced keeper on DraftKings, Swayman leads the charge with a soft matchup against the lifeless Sharks. They surprisingly beat the Islanders two nights ago, but the Bruins are a much different style of play. Over the season Swayman is sporting a solid 0.925 save percentage and a great 0.477 goals saved above expected. Swayman will also have the best chance for a shutout on the slate.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Petersen(DK $8.1K || FD $7.8K), Markstrom(DK $7.9K || FD $7.9K), Kuemper(DK $7.7K || FD $8.4K), Forsberg(DK $7.4K || FD $7.1K), Saros(DK $7.3K || FD $8.2K), Hammond(DK $7.2K || FD $6.9K)
NHL DFS Centers
Austin Matthews-DK $9.2K || FD $10.2K
Opponent - Detroit Red Wings
Matthews is unstoppable at this point -- until tonight after I talk about him --. Over his last five games, he has a 4-3-7 line with 21.0 shots. He is solely carrying the majority of the offense for the struggling Maple Leafs and he will once again be relied on against an inconsistent Red Wings team.
Tim Stuetzle- DK $4.1K || FD $4.8K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
Stuetzle has shined in an elevated role at his natural position. The centerman was forced to play wing at moments this season. However, when teammate Nick Paul was injured, Stutzle anchored the top-line and power-play. In his last five games, he has 4.0 goals and 11.0 shots. Going against a hapless Canadiens team who is slightly picking up steam, Stutzle will be given every chance to prove himself in one of the most famous Canadien rivalries.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kadri(DK $7.2K || FD $9.4K), Bergeron(DK $6.8K || FD $6.6K), Tavares(DK $6.7K || FD $7.4K), Stamkos(DK $6.1K || FD $8.5K), Suzuki(DK $5K || FD $5.7K), Suter(DK $4K || FD $5K), Haula(DK $2.8K || FD $4.2K)
NHL DFS Wings
Cole Caufield- DK $4.7K || FD $4.9K
Opponent - Ottawa Senators
There is no reason Caufield should be under $5K in salary on DraftKings still. The youngster is on an absolute heater with a 4-4-8 line over his last five appearances. He also has 16.0 shots in that span. Ottawa has played better defensively as of late, but they are still in the bottom half of the league and Caufield will surely lead the charge for the Canadiens here.
Brad Marchand- DK $7.5K || FD $8.7K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are struggling and Marchand picked his form right back up after returning from suspension. In his first appearance back he had five shots. The Sharks just gave up 3.0 goals to a lackluster Islanders team and Marchand and company will prove a much tougher matchup. Marchand should be able to hit the shot bonus here, as well as, getting a point or two.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Pastrnak(DK $8.3K || FD $8.6K), Marner(DK $8K || FD $8.2K), B. Tkachuk(DK $6.5K || FD $6.8K), Nylander(DK $6.1K || FD $7.2K), Forsberg(DK $6K || FD $8.4K), Hall(DK $5.4K || FD $5.8K), Zadina(DK $3K || FD $4.1K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Thomas Chabot- DK $6.5K || FD $6.1K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
Chabot, Chabot, Chabot. More like Chabang. The young defenseman continues to anchor the offense for Ottawa and he showed no sign of rust after his time away from the team on IR. In his first and his only game back thus far he had 2.0 goals, 1.0 assists, 6.0 shots and 2.0 blocked shots against a strong Minnesota team. Now he gets a soft against the Canadiens and their league-worst goals against (3.75).
Mikhail Sergachev- DK $4.6K || FD $5.3K
Opponent - Nashville Predators
Surprisingly enough, Sergachev is under $5K in salary on DraftKings. The defenseman has been elevated to the top-pairing with teammate Victor Hedman and in Sergachev’s first game in the new role, he dished out 2.0 assists and blocked one shot. Yes, he is on a heater right now with four of his twenty-four assists this season in his last five games. However, in the small sample size since the move, his floor has shrunk dramatically. He is certainly worth the shot though playing alongside Hedman and Tampa Bay’s top-line in a high-paced matchup with the Predators.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Burns(DK $6.2K || FD $6.6K), Pietrangelo(DK $5.8K || FD $6.3K), Seider(DK $5.7K || FD $6.5K), Petry(DK $4.3K || FD $4.8K), Tanev(DK $3.3K || FD $4.8K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- TOR1
- MTL1
- OTT1
- BOS1
Brandon’s Stacks of the Day
- OTT: Stuetzle-Tkachuk-ChabotChalk Stack
- TOR: Nylander-Matthews-Marner
- Sneaky Stack
- BOS: Marchand-Haula-Pastrnak