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Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Mark and I write NFL, MLB, and NHL on Rotoballer. I play NHL DFS almost daily, and am excited to bring you my thoughts on today's slate!
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel on Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. Be sure to also check out our awesome suite of NHL DFS lineup tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS 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 hit me up on Twitter @Mark_Kieffer or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 4/22/22
We have a four-game slate tonight. We have games starting at 7:00 pm Eastern staggered to starting at 10:30 pm Eastern. Be aware of when the games start for your stacks, one-offs, and goalie. The best thing you can do is check 20-30 minutes before the puck drops for each game to ensure everyone in your lineup is playing! Nothing is more frustrating than having a great lineup and getting a zero from any position but especially goalie!
NHL DFS Goalies
Elvis Merzlikins- DK $7.8K|| FD $7.4K
Opponent - Ottawa Senators
Elvis Merzlikins at times can look pretty good. He will have two or three pretty good games and then a few bad ones. It's difficult to predict. On the season he is 25-21-6 with a 3.31 GAA, two shutouts, and a .905 SV%. Columbus is second in the league in shots allowed per game, so Merzlikins will have opportunities to rack up saves. Some of the bigger favorites are expected to have lower shot volume, so I would rather pay down and get someone that will get decent volume and hope they hold up, while allowing me to spend up on some of my skaters.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Fleury (DK $8.5K || FD $8.2K), Vanecek (DK $8.2K || FD $8.4K), Kuemper (DK $8.0K || FD $7.9K), Smith (DK $7.7K || FD $8.0K - GPP)
NHL DFS Centers
When rostering a Center you have to decide if you are going to pair or stack with a winger. If pairing or stacking, you can go for a pass-first center that will be a little less expensive in hopes of them getting an assist to the winger(s) you have. If you are looking for a Center as a stand-alone player, I recommend rostering Centers that are expected to take a lot of shots on goal. Below you will find recommendations that fall into both camps.
Connor McDavid - DK $9.2K || FD $9.9K
Opponent - Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton has more to play for at this point in the season than Colorado does. Edmonton has not yet clinched a playoff spot. Colorado might be resting guys. When a team needs someone to step up, it's often the star player. I don't have to go through his credentials, we know he has as high of an upside as anyone else on the slate. You don't have to spend up for him, but if you are going to spend up on one spot, I would choose this one.
Evgeny Kuznetsov- DK $6.2K || FD $6.7K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
Washington is going to take on Arizona and they will be implied for 4-5 goals. Kuznetsov averages 1.05 points per game and 2.67 shots on goal per game. A textbook example of a cash game play: midrange in price, consistent fantasy point scorer, limited upside, in a highly favorable position.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): MacKinnon (DK $9.4K || FD $9.7K - GPP), Draisaitl (DK $8.6K || FD $9.6K), Kadri (DK $7.2K || FD $7.9K), Norris (DK $6.0K || FD $7.0K), McCann (DK $4.1K - Winger on DK|| FD $6.0K), Backstrom (DK $3.7K || FD $4.8K)
NHL DFS Wings
Generally, with wingers, I want players that are likely to take many shots on goal at a reduced price. I play tournaments and generally stack, but if I am playing a winger as a one-off I want a guy that is going to shoot a lot and hopefully scores.
Alex Ovechkin- DK $8.4K|| FD $9.2K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
You probably don't need to spend up for Ovechkin on this slate, but if you want to, go for it. Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season in his last game. They are playing a bad Arizona team. Nobody likes racking up goals in favorable situations more than Ovechkin. He's 21 goals behind Gordie Howe on the all-time list for No. 2 in goals scored. I'm sure he wouldn't mind picking up two or three here to get closer to Howe.
Kevin Fiala - DK $5.9K || FD $7.6K
Opponent - Seattle Kraken
The Wild are coming off a 6-3 win over Vancouver in which Fiala had two goals on three shots on goal. I am not point chasing here; Minnesota is playing a bad team and should score 3-4 goals at least in this game. Fiala is too cheap on DraftKings. He is a point per game player, going against a bad team where Minnesota should score goals. If you want to fade because of the big game last night, I don't blame you. At the same time, he's probably a better value than any of the names on the list below.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kaprizov (DK $8.0K || FD $9.0K), B. Tkachuk (DK $6.3K || FD $6.9K), Kane (DK $5.6K || FD $6.5K), Zuccerello (DK $5.5K || FD $7.1K), Nichushkin (DK $5.4K || FD $6.6K), Batherson (DK $4.9K || FD $6.9K), Boldy (DK $4.6K|| FD $6.1K), Puljujarvi (DK $3.6K || FD $4.8K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
My general rule of thumb with Defensemen is if I am spending up at the position, I want that player to be on the Powerplay with a chance to score a goal. This is also a position I will punt quite a bit at. If I am punting, I want a player that is projected to get a good amount of ice time and has a chance to get a blocked shot bonus on DraftKings. I also try to find defensemen on a power play (might be the 2nd one) if I can.
This slate does not have a lot of great defenseman value at the top of the salary and I would advise to either punt here or add a power-play defenseman to a stack if playing a GPP.
John Carlson- DK $6.7K || FD $6.6K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
At the risk of sounding like a broken record: Washington is good, Arizona is bad. Carlson averages 0.93 points per game, 2.41 shots on goal per game, and 1.47 blocked shots per game. He probably should be more expensive than he is. He can score fantasy points in a variety of ways, his team is favored, and he is on the power play.
Evan Bouchard - DK $5.0K || FD $4.8K
Opponent - Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton has quite a few defenders to choose from as they are all priced somewhat appropriately. I chose Bouchard for this because he shoots a lot. He averages 2.49 shots on goal per game, and he has had 22 shots on goal in the last six games. Generally, Colorado is not a team to target, but they are going to start managing these players more to get ready for the playoffs. I'll take an inexpensive shot taker against a potentially unmotivated team.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Makar (DK $7.9K || FD $6.8K - GPP), Werenski (DK $7.0K || FD $6.6K - Injured, check status before lock), Barrie (DK $4.7K || FD $4.9K), Dunn (DK $4.5K || FD $5.0K), Larsson (DK $3.8K || FD $4.2K), Middleton (DK $3.1K || FD $3.7K)
NHL DFS GPP Strategy
This will come as no surprise, I am a single entry and 3 max DFS player, but I will look to fade all of those lowest implied total teams and try to target stacks in the high implied total games.
I will continue to emphasize this but your strategy for GPPs depends on what kind of contest you are playing in. Because it is such a small slate, the only way to get to the top in large-field tournaments is to roster the goalie against the popular stack (i.e. play Mike Smith) and also stack a team that is going against a popular goalie (Arizona, Edmonton, Seattle come to mind).
Here are some stacks that I like:
In a single-entry tournament and three max, I am considering combinations of Columbus, Ottawa, and Edmonton, especially Edmonton. The Oilers have not yet clinched a playoff spot and Colorado at some point is going to start resting players to prepare for the playoffs. The local media here in Denver have stated that they are going to rest guys in lieu of pushing to try to win the Presidents' Trophy.
