NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 12/16/21
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
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,600): The Tampa Bay Lightning are strong -275 home favorites tonight, and it puts Vasilevskiy in a spot to come away with the win over the Ottawa Senators. To the credit of the Senators, they have been playing teams much closer than we would've anticipated at the beginning of the season, but they're still overmatched in this game. The Lightning have one of the league's best defenses, allowing only 1.87 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the is fifth-lowest in the league.
This has led to Vasilevskiy allowing two goals or fewer in six of his last 10 starts while picking up 26 saves or more in seven of those. He is certainly expensive but provides a high win equity tonight, which is perfect for cash games.
High-Priced Skaters
Connor McDavid ($9,900): I'm not saying this is a must-win game for the Edmonton Oilers but this is a game they need to win. After a hot start to the season, the Oilers have lost six games in a row, and their offense has scored a total of nine goals in those games. Previously, they were a top-five offense in the league but now only scoring 2.35 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations (17th in the league). Luckily, they have a very favorable matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight to get things back on track.
The Blue Jackets are allowing the second-most (2.99) Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations and a 59.06 Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed), which is the fifth-worst in the league. To say the Blue Jackets' defense is bad would be an understatement, and it puts McDavid in one of the best matchups on the slate to get his offense going again.
Kirill Kaprizov ($7,900): With a 4.03 implied goal total, the Minnesota Wild top the slate in a soft matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. The Wild are scoring the second-most Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations (3.14) while the Sabres are allowing the fifth-most (2.87) goals. That puts these two teams at the opposite ends of the spectrum. It's the ideal matchup for the Wild and that makes Kaprizov a top target tonight.
He skates on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, which has led to him posting 14 NHL points and 39 shots on goal in his last 10 games. He can be used in either cash games, or look to stack him with Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello for tournaments tonight.
Value Skaters
Moritz Seider ($5,300): The Detroit Red Wings are in a spot to win tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. It may sound like a hot take since the Canes are -200 home favorites, but the Canes have several players in the COVID protocols, and their lineup is far weaker than normal. Seider is an emerging young talent for the Red Wings and is skating on their top power-play unit this season. He has a solid 7 NHL points, 21 shots on goal, and 24 blocked shots in his last 10 games. That's a consistent floor of points at a very affordable salary.
William Karlsson ($4,800): Karlsson is one of the easiest answers when it comes to roster construction on tonight's 10-game slate. He is under $5,000 on the second forward line for Vegas -- who have a 3.69 implied goal total. He is also on the first power-play unit. He checks every box tonight, and a matchup against the New Jersey Devils -- allowing the eighth-most (2.73) Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations -- makes him a great option.
