NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 4/21/21
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 ($8,500): Expect MAF to be super popular tonight, as the Vegas Golden Knights are -260 home favorites, making them the clear chalk on this four-game slate. The second-largest favorites (-164) are the Minnesota Wild, who are on the road. This makes the Golden Knights the clear option for cash games, which is where you should see Fleury very popular. The Golden Knights are in the top half of the league in both Corsi Against (52.23) (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) and goals allowed (2.12) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. They've shown to have one of the stronger defenses in the league for a few seasons now, and this year is no different. Spend up and take the safety with Fleury.
High-Priced Skaters
Mark Stone ($7,500): As noted above, the Golden Knights are the largest (-260) home favorites, and they also carry the highest (3.31) implied goal total tonight. This shouldn't come as a surprise since they are going up against the San Jose Sharks, who have one of the worst defenses in the league. The Sharks are allowing the fifth-worst (56.60) Corsi Against along with the fourth-most (2.84) goals allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. Anytime you can attack a defense that is this bad, you know you are setting your roster up for plenty of scoring.
Speaking of scoring, that's exactly what Mark Stone has been doing as of late. He comes in with 12 NHL points, 21 shots on goal, and 8 blocked shots in his last 10 games. This is the level of production you want to see from a player on the top forward line and the top power-play unit. If you have the salary available, look to pair him with Max Pacioretty ($8,200) and Chandler Stephenson ($4,600).
Roman Josi ($6,500): It's not often I put a defender as one of the high-salary skaters to consider but Roman Josi continues to be consistent and is an elite option tonight. Josi is and will continue to be an amazing option in NHL DFS every single night. While he doesn't play on the best offensive team in the league, he continues to produce FanDuel points for your lineups. Over his last 10 games, Josi has piled up 7 NHL points, 22 shots on goal, and 14 blocked shots. His floor of points comes from the combined shots and blocked shots every night, while his ceiling potential comes from his time on the first power-play unit.
Value Skaters
Nick Bonino ($4,100): It's a small four-game slate, and that means we are in dire need of some value, so I present to you, Nick Bonino. It pains me to actually write this, but Bonino skates on the FOURTH forward line for the Minnesota Wild. Yes. A fourth-liner is in play tonight because he managed to post 9 NHL points, 13 shots on goal, and 14 blocked shots in his last 10 games. The surge in offensive production has allowed him to see time on the first power-play unit, and simply put, a player who is only $4,100 and on the first power-play unit is always a viable option.
Kailer Yamamoto ($3,800): While the Edmonton Oilers' offensive production has taken a small step backward, we can still look to them for value options. Yamamoto is a value skater to consider from the Oilers because he skates on the second forward line and the first power-play unit with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. While Yamamoto doesn't bring a ton of offensive power on his own, simply sharing the ice with those two elite players could set him up for an easy goal or assist.
