NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 2/18/21

Ryan O'Reilly and the Blues have a fantastic matchup against the Sharks, and you should look to them in all formats tonight. Who else should you build your lineups around?

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.

Goalie to Target

Jordan Binnington ($7,500): The St. Louis Blues come in as -198 home favorites tonight and are set to be a fantastic option in all formats. Surprisingly, Binnington is only $7,500 despite being the third-largest favorite on the slate. This could lead to him being popular since he is $1,000 cheaper than Jaroslav Halak, who is a -240 home favorite. For the record, Halak is a fantastic option tonight, but the savings Binnington offers is fantastic.

In 12 games this season, Binnington has picked up 7 wins and is allowing only 2.33 goals per game while holding a 2.18 save percentage. The Blues comes into this game allowing the ninth-lowest (50.12) Corsi Against (Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which should keep Binnington free of pressure tonight.

High-Salaried Skaters

Ryan O'Reilly ($7,000): As noted right above, the Blues are strong home favorites and come in with a 3.14 implied goal against the San Jose Sharks. O'Reilly skates on the first forward line and the first power-play unit for St. Louis, who should be one of the chalkier teams tonight. The Sharks are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, allowing the third-most (2.96) goals against per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations and hold the sixth-worst (56.52) Corsi Against in the same situations. They are truly horrible on defense and you should look to attack every night.

O'Reilly has looked good to start the season and can certainly be doing a bit more, but this soft matchup should help him accomplish that. He has 14 total NHL points in 16 games while averaging 2.5 shots on goal per game. As fantasy players, we'd like to see those numbers a bit higher and that can certainly be done tonight versus the Sharks.

Filip Forsberg ($7,400): Forsberg is a great option in all formats tonight and is having a sneaky awesome start to the season. He comes in with 14 NHL points in 15 games, which doesn't have him in the top 30 for most points this season. However, Forsberg has 62 shots on goal, which is the sixth-most in the league. He is helping drive the Predators' offense to have the sixth-highest (57.45) Corsi For (Shot Attempts Created) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. He should be producing a bit more than he currently is and he is very much worth a roster spot tonight.

Forsberg's time on the first forward line and the first power-play unit should be beneficial against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are in the bottom 10 of the league in both Corsi Against and goals allowed, both per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations.

Value Skaters

Adam Henrique ($4,200): The Minnesota Wild are a bad defensive team and the Anaheim Ducks aren't a good offensive team. This is the predicament we have tonight, but sticking to the process, we should always be attacking the Wild's defense. The Wild are yet another team who are in the bottom 10 of the league in both Corsi Against and goals allowed, both per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. While the Ducks are at the league average (16th) in Corsi For, the salary relief Henrique brings tonight is fantastic. He is skating on the first power-play unit, which gives him upside in this matchup.

Jakub Vrana ($4,600): We see Vrana on the second forward line and the first power-play unit for the Washington Capitals, who hold the second-highest (3.58) implied goal total tonight. He has managed four points in his last four games while piling up 10 shots on goal in that time. With his time on the first power-play and exposure to Alex Ovechkin, his sub $5,000 salary is very appealing tonight.