Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Brandon and I write both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer, respectively. If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season, which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Today, I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel on Thursday, November, 30, 2023, at 7:00 PM EDT. Be sure to also check out our awesome NHL tools, including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, Projections, and DFS Cheat Sheets!
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, cash game strategy, or anything else, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected], via Twitter/X @df_solutions, or in our premium Slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 11/30/23
We have finally made it! The 2023-2024 season is upon us and we welcome the next generational talent, Connor Bedard, to the front and center! With many big moves over the offseason -- Karlsson to Pittsburgh -- and many signings during free agency, this season will make for yet another interesting race to Lord Stanley!
Tonight we have a mega 14-game slate and a few teams playing on a back-to-back: Montreal, Chicago & Washington. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Boston with 4.3, Detroit with 4 and Florida with 4. I will do my best to guide you through this fourteen-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the NHL news feeds for the latest player status and injury news.
DraftKings and FanDuel Goalies - NHL DFS Picks
Semyon Varlamov - DK $7.2K || FD $9K
Opponent - Carolina Hurricanes
There are plenty of boom/bust options in net tonight with Islanders netminder, Semyon Varlamov leading the way. In his most recent five starts, he has a 2-2-1 record with a 2.61 Goals Against Average and a 0.915 Save Percentage and over the season in six starts he has the fourth-best Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 – 1.14 –. The Islanders have another tough inner-division matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Carolina takes the second-most Shots For Per 60 over the season and they are projected to register the most shots on net tonight. As one of the ‘cheapest’ goalies, Varlamov is expected to hold some glimpse of value with the potential of reaching the Save Bonus on DraftKings.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):
- Gibson (DK $7.6K || FD $7.1K)
- Primeau (DK $6.8K || FD $6.5K)
Want more NHL DFS tools and content? Our NHL Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Lineup Optimizer and access to our VIP Discord Chatrooms. Doug Shain (@BanksterDFS) joins the NHL team in 2023 with his proven track record - join in on the winning!
Back to back @DraftKings Fantasy Hockey World Championship trips! Let’s get the main prize this year! Thank you to @banksterdfs for the amazing daily fantasy content! @NHL pic.twitter.com/dONSvJMtIR
— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NHL DFS Picks
Pavel Zacha - DK $5.3K || FD $6K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Once again we have someone playing the San Jose Sharks and it will be hard to pass on the Boston Bruins, even on a 14-game slate. Pavel Zacha is the most optimal value play on the team—the center slots in between Brad Marchand – below – and David Pastrnak. In Zacha’s last five appearances, he has 1 goal, 2 assists, 5 shots and 5 blocked shots. As typical, his peripherals are slim to none, but his chances of registering at least a point tonight are some of the highest on the slate. In what is expected to be a routine win, Zacha will have every opportunity to get on the score sheet.
John Tavares - DK $6.9K || FD $8K
Opponent - Seattle Kraken
Tavares and the new-look second line come into this meeting with Seattle as the top Maple Leafs line. His production has slowed down recently and may still continue the downward slope with playmaker William Nylander moving to the top line. However, Seattle is struggling all over the ice right now and the second line is a carousel of players forming little to no chemistry. In his last five games, he has 1 goal, 3 assists, 14 shots and 3 blocked shots. The one bonus with Mitch Marner joining Tavares on the second line, is that Tavares should see more of the shot volume now.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- McTavish (DK $6K || FD $7.5K)
- Bennett (DK $4.4K || FD $4.3K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks
Brad Marchand - DK $6.9K || FD $8.7K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
Staying with the Bruins, we have winger Brad Marchand – mentioned above –. Marchand is easily one of the best ceiling/price players on the slate. At $6.9K on DraftKings, his ceiling is limitless against the hapless Sharks. The visitors are the second-worst in High Danger Chances Against and they are the worst in every other metric and Marchand over his last five games has 1 assist, 12 shots and 5 blocked shots. His shot volume is still hanging around unlike his point production. Although, there is no better time than now to break his four-game point drought.
Carter Verhaeghe - DK $5.7K || FD $6.3K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are playing on the second half of their back-to-back after pulling off a late 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. The fact that Columbus was able to score two goals against Montreal should tell you everything you need to know about Carter Verhaeghe coming into this matchup. In his most recent five appearances, he has 2 goals, 1 assist, 15 shots and 1 blocked shot. The hosts are the sixth-worst in Shots Against Per 60, the fourth-worst in Scoring Chances Against Per 60 and the seventh-worst in High Danger Chances Against Per 60. Furthermore, expected starter Cayden Primeau is the fourth-worst goalie in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 out of all goalies this season with at least 120 minutes.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Marner (DK $6.6K || FD $6.9K)
- Skinner (DK $5.6K || FD $6.5K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks
Pavel Mintyukov - DK $3.8K || FD $4.7K
Opponent - Washington Capitals
Mintyukov is a far cry away from his former self who started the season with a bang. However, that doesn’t mean he has completely stopped producing. The defender has 2 assists, 10 shots and 5 blocked shots in his last five games. He is also still on the top power-play unit for the Ducks and is playing the Washington Capitals who are traveling to Anaheim on the second half of a back-to-back. This is the perfect opportunity to jump on the rookie now that he has fallen out of the $4K range on DraftKings.
Vince Dunn - DK $4.3K || FD $6.3K
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs were already mentioned above so now the Seattle Kraken are up. This is as perfect a game as you can get for defender Vince Dunn. The two-way defenseman does exactly what his title says…he plays both ends of the ice. Dunn quarterbacks the top power-play unit and also helps on the Penalty Kill with the PK being more vital in a matchup against the Leafs. He also is a big shot blocker with seven in his last five games. With Toronto expecting to control much of the game, Dunn is a strict peripheral play.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Hronek (DK $5K || FD $6.7K)
- Hughes (DK $3.8K || FD $4.6K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- TOR1
- PIT1
- TB1
- FLA1
- BOS1
- COL1
- ANA1
NHL DFS Stacks of the Day
Brandon's Stack
- FLA: Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk
Chalk Stack
- TOR: Nylander-Tavares-Marner
Sneaky Stack
- BUF: Skinner-Mittelstadt-Tuch
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis