NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 3/31/21

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Mar 31st, 2021
Auston Matthews is producing plenty of fantasy points as of late and has a great matchup. Who else should you look to roster tonight?

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

Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,400): With Fleury expected to start for the Vegas Golden Knights, you can be looking to him in all formats. Vegas comes in as strong -220 home favorites against the Los Angeles Kings, who have taken a large step back in production after their strong start to the season.

Earlier this season, we saw the Kings sitting around the league average when it comes to goals scored per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. However, regression has hit them hard and they are now producing the seventh-fewest (2.07) goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. With their offense struggling, Fleury is in a safe matchup and should pick up the win tonight.

High-Priced Skaters

Auston Matthews ($8,400): Matthews comes in with 9 NHL points and 37 shots on goal over his last 10 games, showing he continues to be one of the most consistent options in NHL DFS. The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the road, but they still carry a slate-high 3.44 implied goal total against the Winnipeg Jets. Matthews skates on the first forward line and the first power-play for the Maple Leafs, either of which would be a good spot to target for a stack.

When it comes to the Jets' defense or lack thereof, they are allowing a 57.16 Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations., which is the fifth-worst in the league. On top of that, the Jets are also allowing 11.91 High-Danger Chances per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the absolute worst in the league. This presents opposing teams with plenty of goal-scoring upside, and we should look to captures that via Matthews tonight.

John Gaudreau ($6,800): Even though Gaudreau has been inconsistent of late, he is in a great spot tonight to reach the higher end of his potential. Over his last 10 games, Gaudreau has scored a low of zero FanDuel points and a high 18.9 FanDuel. That range might not be ideal for cash games, but the variance is fine for tournaments. Gaudreau is in a spot versus the Vancouver Canucks to have a ceiling game since the Canucks are one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

Vancouver comes in allowing a league-worst, 60.51 Corsi Against per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, along with the sixth-most (2.72) goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. With Gaudreau's role on the second forward line and the first power-play unit, the chances he has tonight should be very beneficial for his production.

Value Skaters

Joonas Donskoi ($3,400): Donskoi is on fire right now and is still, somehow, under $4,000. Over his last 10 games, he has 11 NHL points and 23 shots on goal, while on the THIRD forward line for the Colorado Avalanche. Those are numbers you would expect from some of the best players in the league, yet he is a "depth" forward on his team. However, his efforts haven't gone unnoticed, as he has been promoted to the first power-play unit for the Avalanche. If he is going to producing one NHL point per game and remain this cheap, he is an option every night.

Chandler Stephenson ($4,100): As noted above, the Golden Knights are strong home favorites, and that means we should look to them in cash games tonight. Stephenson is on the first forward line and the second power-play unit for Vegas, who hold a 3.21 implied goal total tonight. While his 5 NHL points and 13 shots on goal over his last 10 games are very modest, the $4,100 of salary you are spending for a player in this role cannot be beaten.