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 Sunday, 3rd, 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 4/3/22
Last night involved goals from every which corner and a heavy favorite falling to top things off. Tonight will be much harder to find value and you will have to make lineups you do not like in order to give yourself the ownership advantage if a stack pops off. I will do my best in guiding you through this six-game slate on DraftKings starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.
There are only three teams playing on the second-half of a back-to-back: Philadelphia, Minnesota and Dallas. The Coyotes and their league fifth-worst 3.54 GA will travel to the Windy City to face the Blackhawks, while the Wild and their league fourth-best 3.55 GF will hope to continue their run of form when visiting the Nation’s capital.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk
NHL DFS Goalies
Igor Shesterkin - DK $8.5K || FD $8.6K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
Unsurprisingly, the Flyers managed to put up quite the goal tally on Jack Campbell’s return from injury in the close loss to the Maple Leafs last night. However, they will be playing against a much higher-caliber defense and goalie on the second-half of their back-to-back. Shesterkin is a different tier than Campbell even with his slight falter in form lately. Plus, the Rangers are no slouch defensively and the Flyers have struggled here and there to score since the remake of their team. If you are not confident that Shesterkin can provide value, you can also check out Robin Lehner who is returning from injury DK $7.8K and FD $7.8K.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Smith (DK $8.2K || FD $8.1K), Oettinger (DK $8K || FD $7.5K
NHL DFS Centers
Andrew Copp - DK $5.4K || FD $5.1K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
We will stay with this matchup and highlight the next Blue shirt, Copp. Copp has been a revelation since his arrival from Winnipeg and he could possibly be one of the best acquisitions leading up to the trade deadline. With that aside, Copp has been tearing it up in an elevated role for the Rangers, tallying 2 goals, 3 assists and 13 shots over his last five games. Some may be hesitant to play him with the possibility of teammate Ryan Strome coming back, but that will only boost Copp’s value if anything.
Dylan Strome - DK $5K || FD $6K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
Did someone mention the Strome bloodline? Let’s take a look at the second to youngest of the Strome hockey genes with Dylan Strome. The young pivot has struggled since his debut in the NHL. However, he seems to have found a home finally on the top-line with teammate Patrick Kane and junior hockey teammate Alex DeBrincat. This line has generated the bulk of Chicago’s offense and there is no slowing down for them in a plus matchup. Stromer also has 1 goal, 4 assists and 7 shots in his last five appearances.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): McDavid (DK $9.4K || FD $10.3K), Miller (DK $7.3K || FD $8.2K), Hintz (DK $6.6K || FD $6.8K), Backstrom (DK $4.2K || FD $5.1K), Galchenyuk (DK $2.6K || FD $3.6K)
NHL DFS Wings
Frank Vatrano - DK $3.7K || FD $4.1K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
If you can’t figure it out yet, it is clearly Pick on Philadelphia Day. All jokes aside, Vatrano is yet another revelation that the Rangers happened to pick up at the trade deadline. The ex-Panther winger has shined since his arrival to the Big Apple and in his last five games, he has 4 goals, 1 assist and 13 shots. Playing on the top-line, with an excellent salary and a soft matchup is a recipe for perfection that we cannot pass up.
Zach Hyman - DK $5.5K || FD $6.7K
Opponent - Anaheim Ducks
Hyman has been quietly racking up 3 goals, 3 assists and 13 shots in his last five competitions, while everyone else is focused on his teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Which makes Hyman that much more intriguing to play. He is also in a plus matchup with the potential of a few bodies from Anaheim not playing in this meeting.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Ovechkin (DK $8.4K || FD $9.5K), DeBrincat (DK $7.2K || FD $8.3K), Pavelski (DK $5.8K || FD $7.3K), Zuccarello (DK $5.7K || FD $6.9K), Dadonov (DK $4.1K || FD $5.4K), Gurianov (DK $2.7K || FD $4.1K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Seth Jones - DK $6.2K || FD $6.4K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
One would have thought that when Jones moved to Chicago he would be a lethal offensive weapon for the Blackhawks whether 5v5 or the man advantage, but it has not seemed that way. Luckily, the Blackhawks have a great matchup against the Coyotes who are missing a ton of players. There could be no better time than now for the defenseman to rack up some points. In his last five games, he has 1 goal, 3 assists, 13 shots and 12 blocked shots.
Ryan Suter - DK $3.1K || FD $4.3K
Opponent - Seattle Kraken
Teammate Esa Lindell looks to be missing this meeting with the Seattle Kraken so the veteran defender, Suter, will take a step into the man advantage. Suter has provided exactly what Dallas wanted when they got him and for such a low salary all we need is one lucky puck bounce. He has even been producing some solid peripherals and over his last five games, he has 1 goal, 8 shots and 6 blocked shots.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Fox (DK $6.5K || FD $6.5K), Theodore (DK $5.9K || FD $5.5K), Heiskanen (DK $4.5K || FD $4.7K), Spurgeon (DK $4.3K || FD $5.1K), Drysdale (DK $3K || FD $4.3K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- NYR1
- EDM1
- CHI1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- NYR: Panarin-Strome-Copp
Chalk Stack
- CHI: DeBrincat-Strome-Kane
Sneaky Stack
- SEA: McCann-Eberle-Dunn