NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 3/19/19

Chris Wassel  —  @ChrisWasselDFS Mar 19th, 2019
On a 10-game slate, Johnny Gaudreau is a near must-have against Columbus. Which other players should you be targeting in NHL DFS?

A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?

It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel, because it's a ton of fun. And our analysis and projections can help you win.

To help, let's take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.

Goalie to Target

Jimmy Howard ($7,200): The Detroit Red Wings are projected to start Howard against the New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist on Tuesday night. The Red Wings' goalie has struggled during the second half of the season but did just beat the Rangers recently, stopping 34 of 36 shots, and his price is that of a punt-play goalie. Just make sure Jonathan Bernier is not starting. There are other options, including Henrik Lundqvist at $7,600. Philipp Grubauer of the Colorado Avalanche ($7,500) is another cheap choice to consider on this larger slate.

High-Priced Skaters

Leon Draisaitl ($8,400): Draisaitl just keeps on scoring goals and generating chances at a rate a notch lower than Connor McDavid. His shooting percentage over the last 10 games is just 16.7%, which is below his season average of 21.5%. This streak of 15 real-world points in 10 games puts the forward within striking distance of 100 points for the season. Playing against the St. Louis Blues had been a risky matchup but lately, but the Blues have been a bit more vulnerable; they just gave up four goals to the Buffalo Sabres of all teams. Tyler Seguin ($7,900) and Sebastian Aho ($7,200) present good backup choices on Tuesday night.

John Gaudreau ($8,200): The Calgary Flames score 4.26 goals per game at home. Columbus yielding nine goals in their last five games seems to be an ominous sign. However, this is Calgary, who draws opponents into their pace at home better than most anyone. Think of it as Chicago Northwest, if you will. There is a reason why Calgary is 23-7-5 at home, and Gaudreau has 51 points with 17 of them coming on the man advantage. The Flames convert at nearly a 24% clip at home. If they can draw a few extra penalties against Columbus, then look out. Alex Ovechkin ($9,000) is nearly impossible to fade against the AHL version of the New Jersey Devils, while Filip Forsberg ($7,600) should exploit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have allowed nearly four goals a game since Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott went down to injury.

Value Skaters

Andrei Svechnikov ($3,800): Svechnikov will be even more dangerous next year, but if he stays on the top-six, he will drive Pittsburgh nuts this evening. He has four real-world points in his previous three games and has generated eight scoring chances in that span. It is Svechnikov's speed and shot angles that can cause havoc at any turn. The Carolina Hurricanes' biggest game in years is against a Penguins team that has lost two straight contests while giving up too many chances -- particularly early against the St. Louis Blues. A team like the Hurricanes thrives on moving the puck and shooting often. Ryan Donato ($3,900) and Michael Frolik ($3,900) are solid options on Tuesday night against bad depth.

Valeri Nichushkin ($3,100): Nichhushkin is a high-risk punt play on Tuesday even against Florida. The Russian forward vanished throughout much of the season, but something changed against Vancouver. No one is sure what it was, but the old Nichushkin appears to be back. Last game, he hit the net four times and generated four scoring chances. Will this start to become a trend or mirage? Florida gives up 3.69 goals per game on the road and lost a nasty game after winning four straight contests. Dallas is a team that can thrive at home and Nichushkin could find opportunities against Florida's porous depth that is fourth worst in high-danger chances allowed per 60. Jamie McGinn ($3,100) is another punt play option from Florida on Tuesday night.


Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.