NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 1/28/21

Hockey is officially back! NHL DFS is similar to MLB in terms of how you build lineups, how you view stacking, and how to value players.

Two main points to always focus on in NHL DFS are what lines the players are on and making sure the goalies you are rostering are confirmed as the starters. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com or DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team, along with which goalies are confirmed as the starters.

Let's jump in to take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.

[Editor's note: The St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights game has been postponed.]

Goalie to Target

Kaapo Kahkonen ($7,700): The Minnesota Wild are strong -172 home favorites tonight, and that should make their goalie a solid cash game option tonight. Since Cam Talbot isn't going to be in action, that should make Kahkonen the likely starter. Given how large of a favorite the Wild are, Kahkonen is very affordable and in a solid matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings come into this game with 48.33 Corsi For (Shot Attempts Created) Per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-lowest in the league. The Kings aren't an offensive threat by any means and that should put Kahkonen in an easier situation while having strong win equity.

Darcy Kuemper ($7,500): Kuemper is also a decent option in net tonight, and given the fact this is a 14-game slate, he shouldn't be too popular. His salary is also very appealing when you are trying to pay up for several of the top skaters tonight. He is up against the Anaheim Ducks, who have a low 2.55 implied goal total.

High-Priced Skaters

Nathan MacKinnon ($8,500): The Colorado Avalanche hold a slate-high 3.87 implied goal total and is one of the clear teams to be rostering tonight. MacKinnon is the center on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, which should make him one of the most popular players on the slate. He is up against the San Jose Sharks, who come in allowing 3.50 Goals Against Per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-worst in the league.

MacKinnon has totaled four shots or more in six of his seven games this season while piling up a total of nine real-world NHL points. That trend should continue tonight with the Sharks in the bottom-six of the league in Corsi Against (Shot Attempts Allowed). Pay up for MacKinnon tonight -- it's that simple.

Brendan Gallagher ($7,100): Gallagher has two goals in his last three games and is in a spot to continue this hot streak. The Montreal Canadiens are at home to host the Calgary Flames, where the over/under is set at 5.5 goals. This is setting up to be a very fantasy-friendly game environment because both teams are in the top nine for the highest Corsi For Per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this season.

With Gallagher seeing time on the first forward line and the second power-play unit, he is in a spot to have plenty of chances in what should be a very back and forth game.

Value Skaters

Conor Garland ($4,600): The Arizona Coyotes are underperforming right now and you should look to buy-in before they get hot. What do I mean by underperforming? They currently hold the ninth-lowest (1.90) Goals For Per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. However, they have the second-highest (2.55) Expected Goals For (xGF) Per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. This is due to the fact they have the fifth-highest (58.47) Corsi For this season. Their offense is getting plenty of chances on offense, they simply aren't converting them. They should be scoring more goals compared to what they've produced and are due for positive regression.

Rasmus Andersson ($4,600): Andersson skates on the first power-play unit for the Flames, which is a stack you should consider rostering tonight. As noted above with Gallagher, both of these teams are generating plenty of offensive pressure, which should make this a great game for fantasy production. His role on the first power-play gives him plenty of offensive upside while being under $5,000.