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 for Thursday, February, 8, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. EST. 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!
NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 2/8/24
We have finally made it! The 2023-2024 season is halfway complete and the All-Star festivities have come and gone! We are now entering the final stretch with many teams having an idea of where they stand for the rest of the season. This will also open up the slew of trades to be made, with Calgary and Montreal kicking things off. The race to the Stanley Cup is heating up!
Tonight we have a seven-game slate and one team playing on a back-to-back, Tampa Bay. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Florida with 3.7, Carolina with 3.5 and New Jersey with 3.5. I will do my best to guide you through this seven-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
Jacob Markstrom - DK $7.2K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
This is by far one of the worst goalie slates there has been in quite some time. Not a single goalie outside of Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers is ‘safe’. This will lead many to paying down in hopes of finding the top value goalie in terms of raw saves and Jacob Markstrom is looking like he is the guy. Throughout his last five starts, he has a 3-2 record with a 2.01 Goals Against Average and a 0.930 Save Percentage. Furthermore, out of 55 goalies to play 120 or more minutes in their respective team’s last ten games, Markstrom is the third best goalie on the slate in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 with a 0.59. The Devils are not the most ideal team when it comes to value in terms of Shots Per Goal Per 60, however, their numbers without Jack Hughes continue to plummet. Markstrom is coming off a big outing at TD Garden. Can he do it again?
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):
- Bobrovsky (DK $8.5K || FD $8.8K)
- Ersson (DK $7.2K || FD $7.1K)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NHL DFS Picks
Brayden Point - DK $7.3K || FD $8.1K
Opponent - New York Islanders
Brayden Point and the Lightning come into arguably the best matchup on the slate. The Islanders over their last ten home games are being outscored 14 to 23 and expected starter Ilya Sorokin is in the bottom ten in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60. After Point went on a streak of inconsistency, he has blown up, amassing 4 goals, 3 assists, 13 shots and 1 blocked shot throughout his last five games. As the fifth-most expensive center on the slate on DraftKings, Point is one of the higher-cost value options to pay up for.
Sam Bennett - DK $5.1K || FD $6.4K
Opponent - Washington Capitals
After Washington’s mind-blowing performance at home against Montreal on Tuesday, Florida is another team coming into a premium matchup. Excluding splits in their last ten games, the Capitals are in the bottom ten in both Goals Against Per 60 and High Danger Chances Against Pet 60. Furthermore, in their last ten away games, they are being outscored 13 to 26. After a small run of form, Sam Bennett has cooled off recently and in his last five games he has 1 goal, 4 assists, 12 shots and 7 shots blocked. Despite Florida’s poor form, it would be astonishing for them to not score at least three goals.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Karlsson (DK $5K || FD $6.8K)
- Sharangovich (DK $4.8K || FD $5.9K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks
Elias Lindholm- DK $4.9K || FD $6.6K
Opponent - Boston Bruins
Elias Lindholm may be one of the higher-owend players at any position in the majority of contests due to his first game as a Canuck. In his debut, he had 2 goals, 2 shots and 2 blocked shots, putting up an all-around performance. In his final five games as a Flame, he had 1 goal, 2 assists, 15 shots and 3 blocked shots. The major difference between his Flames/Hurricanes career compared to his Canucks career is his position. Lindholm has played as a center up until now and it may very well unlock his true potential. The Bruins were just taken outside by the Flames at TD Garden on Tuesday. Can Lindholm and company make it a second Bruins rout?
Andrei Kuzmenko - DK $3.5K || FD $3.8K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
Following the aforementioned Lindholm is his ex-teammate Andrei Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko was a very promising player and still is, but he desperately wanted out of Vancouver, to the point that he waived his No-Movement Clause (NMC). In Kuzmenko’s Calgary debut, he had 1 goal and 2 shots. Not the most ideal showing to impress your new staff and fan base. However, in fantasy terms, he is extremely affordable for someone who is on the top line and power-play unit and in a prime matchup. Excluding splits in their last ten games, the Devils are in the bottom three in High Danger Chances Against Per 60 and Goals Against Per 60 and they are in the bottom ten in Shots Against Per 60 and Scoring Chances Against Per 60. For $1K above the minimum salary on DraftKings, this is a ‘BARGAIN’.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Kucherov (DK $9.9K || FD $10.1K)
- Verhaeghe (DK $6.9K || FD $8.6K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks
Noah Hanifin - DK $4.3K || FD $5.6K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
Turning back to Calgary and we have another potential player who has had his fair share of trade rumors, Noah Hanifin. Hanifin is no longer a stranger to this article after his jump in form. Throughout his most recent five games, he has 2 goals, 12 shots and 7 blocked shots. Hanifin remains on the top pairing and the top power-play unit for the Flames and that is a rarity, when considering his salary for tonight.
Adam Pelech - DK $2.9K || FD $3.8K
Opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning
Adam Pelech is nothing more than a peripheral play in hopes that his role on the top penalty-kill unit for the Islanders will get him three or more blocked shots. In his last five outings, he has 1 assist, 8 shots and 7 blocked shots and had a stellar performance in his return from an absence in the 3-2 loss to Florida last week. In what is expected to be a fast-paced matchup with Tampa Bay seeing a few power-play opportunities at a minimum, Pelech will have every chance to maintain and exceed value.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Martinez (DK $5.1K || FD $5.3K)
- Ekblad (DK $4.1K || FD $4.7K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- FLA1
- TB1
- VGK1
- VAN1
NHL DFS Stacks of the Day
Brandon's Stack
- CGY: Huberdeau-Sharangovich-Kuzmenko
Chalk Stack
- FLA: Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk
Sneaky Stack
- VGK: Rondbjerg-Karlsson-Amadio
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis