NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 4/14/23
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 and 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 and take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.
Goalie to Target
Pavel Francouz ($8,300): There are four teams on tonight's slate and only one of them has the motivation to play and win -- the Colorado Avalanche. With a win tonight, the Avalanche would move into first place in the Central Division, securing home-ice advantage, and they would play a Wild Card team in the first round. With a loss, they still have a home-ice advantage through just the first round and would play the third-place team.
Alexandar Georgiev was in net last night for the Avalanche, so it's almost certain we will Francouz tonight. The Avs are -230 road favorites against the Nashville Predators, which presents one of the easiest matchups to end the season. Since the start of April, the Predators are scoring 1.75 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-lowest in the league. This is a very straightforward matchup for the Avs and should see them will full effort.
High Salaried Skaters
Nathan MacKinnon ($9,500): With the motivation to secure home ice, the Avalanche shouldn't be taking their foot off the gas tonight and the Predators. MacKinnon is also sitting on 39 goals this season, giving him one final chance to hit the 40-goal mark. Since the start of April, the Avalahce's offense has been firing on all cylinders, scoring 3.48 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-best in the league.
With MacKinnon skating on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, he has played a big hand in that offensive production. Over his last 10 games, MacKinnon has piled up 14 NHL points, 48 shots on goal, and 8 blocked shots. Between him and his linemate, Mikko Rantanen ($8,600), they are the two high-upside options on tonight's slate.
Alex Tuch ($6,900): My hot take for the night is that Tuch posts multiple points to close out the season for the Buffalo Sabres. This shouldn't be too much of a shock; they lead the slate with a 4.17 implied goal total against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a game that features a massive 7.5-goal over/under.
Tuch has 10 NHL points and 37 shots on goal over his last 10 games, but that doesn't tell the full story. Over his last six games, the has 21 shots on goal and no goals. With Tage Thompson likely out of the lineup tonight, Tuch is the clear best offensive player on the Sabres and should be a primary shooter for them.
The Blue Jackets have continued to struggle on defense by allowing 2.74 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 12th-worst mark in the league since the start of April.
Value Skaters
Casey Mittelstadt ($4,200): Mittelstadt has taken over the top-line center and power-play role for the Sabres with Thompson out of the lineup. He's only $4.2K, which makes him an obvious value option to close out the regular season.
His salary doesn't match the role he currently has -- especially considering the Sabres have the slate-high 4.17 implied goal total. Mittelstadt has looked good recently with 15 NHL points and 22 shots in his last 10 games. That's a level of production not many players at his salary can match.
J.T. Compher ($5,200): Compher is another Avs player we're turning to because of their motivation to come away with two points tonight.
As noted above, Colorado has their offense cookin' right now, and getting any type of exposure to it brings a path to fantasy upside. With some line shuffling to close out the season, we now see Compher on the second forward line and the first power-play unit. This has been beneficial for him en route to 4 NHL points, 16 shots on goal, and 6 blocked shots in his last 10 games, making him a solid point-per-dollar play tonight.
