NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 5/5/22
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
Jacob Markstrom ($7,800): The Calgary Flames are -235 home favorites against the Dallas Stars and looking to post another strong performance in Game 2. To say the Flames played well in Game 1 would be an understatement -- it was essentially perfect. They won Game 1 by a score of 1-0 and allowed a total of 16 shots on goal. An NHL squad taking an average of 5.3 shots on goal per period is laughably bad. Do I expect that to continue? No. Do I expect the Flames to win this game? Yes.
The level the Flames are playing at -- and have played at throughout the season -- is far greater than the level of the Stars, who are a team that crawled into the playoffs in the final week of the season. Markstrom is on point right now, allowing three goals or fewer in each of his last five starts -- a run which should continue tonight en route to a win.
High-Salaried Skaters
Cale Makar ($7,300): A 7-2 win for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 showed what this team is capable of, and getting exposure to their offense is always the right call. Colorado poured in the goals against the Nashville Predators' backup goalie, David Rittich. That's a very real possibility each and every game in this series until Juuse Saros returns from his injury. While Rittich is starting, we want to load up on the Avalanche skaters.
Makar had a huge Game 1 with three NHL points, two shots on goal, and two blocked shots. Seeing that level of production from this year's likely Norris Trophy winner -- the award for the best defender in the league -- is what we've come to expect. It should be no different today.
Aleksander Barkov ($9,000): The Florida Panthers didn't look good in Game 1, and they need to bounce back in a big way tonight versus the Washington Capitals. The Panthers were the best team in the league in the regular season, with the highest-scoring offense, and that wasn't on display in Game 1. The Capitals allowed 2.87 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations in the month of April, which was 14th in the league and 0.50 goals worse than their season average. The Capitals' D overperformed in Game 1, and we should expect them to regress a bit.
Barkov had no points in Game 1 but is capable of much more given the fact he posted 88 NHL points in 68 games this season, averaging of 3.1 shots on goal per game. The first forward line and the first power-play role will always be there for him, putting him in a spot to get back on track tonight.
Value Skaters
Artturi Lehkonen ($5,200): Lehkonen is now on the second forward line for the Avalanche. The Avs hold a 4.19 implied total tonight, which is the second-highest on the slate. He's not seeing any power-play time but still has good consistency with 2.6 shots on goal per game over his last five and three total NHL points. Given the fact he isn't on either power-play unit, Lehkonen shouldn't be too popular, making him a nice tournament option.
T.J. Oshie ($5,100): The Capitals showed some good offense in Game 1, and considering this game has a 7.0-goal over/under, there should be plenty of offense. Of all the games on the slate, this is the one with the most back-and-forth scoring potential, making it the spot to look for a few extra options. Oshie had a goal in Game 1 while seeing time on the second forward line and the first power-play unit. If you're looking for value with scoring upside, Oshie is a strong option.
