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Hello, RotoBallers! The NHL season is in full swing, and we have an action-packed eight-game slate on Saturday, March 15.
In this piece, I will discuss my favorite forward lines to target, defensemen, and goalies in tonight's action. Keep updated with any injury notes on our newsfeed before setting your lineup.
If you have questions about further strategy and managing the slate, please chat with me on X @A_Smith_FS. All player salaries will be listed as ($DK/FD).
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Forward Lines To Target - NHL DFS Picks
Florida Panthers L1 - Carter Verhaeghe ($6.2K/$6K) - Aleksander Barkov ($6.7K/$7.5K) - Sam Reinhart ($7.1K/$7.7K)
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
The Florida Panthers have the best matchup on the slate, facing the Montreal Canadiens, who have allowed the third-most Expected Goals Against Per 60 according to MoneyPuck.
Across 308 minutes of shared ice time, this top line has generated an impressive 2,78 xGoals Per 60 with a strong 59.1 percent xGoals.
Over his last four contests, Sam Reinhart has tallied six points with four of them coming on the power play. Aleksander Barkov has scored three goals and added three helpers over his past six contests.
Vancouver Canucks L2 - Drew O'Connor ($4K/$4K) - Filip Chytil ($5.5K/$5.6K) - Brock Boeser ($6.1K/$5.8K)
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
The Vancouver Canucks will be facing the Chicago Blackhawks, who have allowed the fourth-most Expected Goals Against Per 60, according to MoneyPuck, during 5-on-5 play. The Vancouver second line has been quiet over their past few games, but carry impressive underlying metrics that suggest they could be due for a breakout game.
According to MoneyPuck, this forward line has generated an excellent 55.6 percent xGoals with 2.58 xGoals Per 60.
Even though this line has been quiet on the scoresheet, they are poised to get on the scoresheet facing a weak Chicago defense.
Columbus Blue Jackets L1 - Dmitri Voronkov ($4.7K/$6.2K) - Adam Fantilli ($6.3K/$6.6K) - Kirill Marchenko ($5.7K/$6.7K)
Opponent - New York Rangers
The Columbus Blue Jackets will face the New York Rangers, who they recently dismantled by a score of 7-3 on March 9. In this contest, Adam Fantilli scored a hat trick while Kirill Marchenko tallied one assist and Dmitri Voronkov tallied two.
Overall, this line has generated a solid 2.43 xGoals Per 60 according to MoneyPuck.
Over his last 10 games, Fantilli has only been held off the scoresheet twice. Marchenko has found the back of the net four times in his last nine games while Voronkov has dished out six helpers in his last nine. Facing a New York defense that has allowed the fifth-most Expected Goals against Per 60 during 5-on-5 play should provide this line with opportunities for another productive showing.
THE ADAM FANTILLI !!!!
FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK 🧢🧢🧢@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/EQXyKBkga3
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 23, 2025
New York Rangers L1 - Artemi Panarin ($7.5K/$8.2K) - Vincent Trocheck ($6K/$6.4K) - Will Cuylle ($4.2K/$5.3K)
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
I would also suggest targeting the other top forward line in this contest. According to MoneyPuck, this unit has generated an eye-catching 3.64 xGoals Per 60 during their limited shared ice time.
This should play well against a weak Columbus defense that has allowed the sixth-most Expected Goals Against Per 60 during even strength play.
Artemi Panarin is currently riding a seven-game point streak. During this stretch, he has found the back of the net five times and added five helpers. Vincent Trocheck has tallied five points over his last six while Will Cuylle has tallied four in his last six.
Other Lines To Target (Cash/GPP):
- TOR L1
- LAK L3
- CAR L1
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— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
Defensemen To Target - NHL DFS Picks
Jared Spurgeon - Minnesota Wild ($4.5K/$5.2K)
Opponent - St. Louis Blues
Even though Jared Spurgeon plays on the second power-play line in Minnesota, he is worth targeting on this evening's slate. He will face the St. Louis Blues who have allowed the third-most Expected Goals Against Per 60 while shorthanded.
Over his last five contests, the 35-year-old has tallied five points (four helpers) with three of his assists coming on the power play. During this stretch, he tallied 12 blocked shots and added six shots on goal. Spurgeon is an elite quarterback on the power play and could be in store for a productive evening facing a St. Louis defense with the fourth-lowest penalty-kill success rate.
Power play goal for Minnesota!
Scored by Frederick Gaudreau with 11:18 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Ryan Hartman and Jared Spurgeon.
Minnesota: 2
New York: 2#NYRvsMIN #mnwild #NYR pic.twitter.com/SeAuFXSZCs— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 14, 2025
Jake Sanderson - Ottawa Senators ($6.3K/$6.4K)
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
Jake Sanderson will face the Toronto Maple Leafs who have allowed the sixth-most Expected Goals Against Per 60 while shorthanded.
Sanderson has been quite productive on the scoresheet over the previous two weeks. Over his last seven, Sanderson has tallied nine helpers with four of them coming on the man advantage. During this seven-game stretch, he has averaged just under four minutes of power-play time in each game.
Seth Jones - Florida Panthers ($5.6K/$5.8K)
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
My final defenseman is a great stack to pair with the top Florida offensive line. Even though Seth Jones has only tallied one point during his first five games as a Panther, he is slated to operate as their top power-play quarterback, with Aaron Ekblad (suspension) sidelined for using performance-enhancing substances.
Over his last two contests, Jones has tallied one helper (on the power play) and has tallied five blocked shots with four shots on goal.
During this stretch, he has averaged four minutes of power-play time in each contest and just over 28 minutes of total ice time, a significant increase compared to the 21 minutes he averaged per game during his first three contests as a Panther.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Toronto Maple Leafs ($3.6K/$4.6K)
- Shayne Gostisbehere - Carolina Hurricanes ($4.6K/$5K)
- Quinn Hughes - Vancouver Canucks ($6.6K/$6.8K)
Goalies To Target - NHL DFS Picks
Kevin Lankinen - Vancouver Canucks ($8.5K/$7.6K)
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
Kevin Lankinen has the best matchup on the slate for a goaltender, facing the Chicago Blackhawks, who have generated the fewest Expected Goals For Per 60, according to MoneyPuck. In his last outing, Lankinen turned aside 20 of the 23 shots he saw en route to defeating the Calgary Flames in a shootout.
Over his last five, he has held an inconsistent .901 save percentage with a 2.38 GAA, but fantasy managers should expect him to enjoy a strong showing when facing a struggling offense.
Kevin Lankinen with a great sliding save #Canucks pic.twitter.com/3HPXtNDqIR
— Lucasparmenter23 (@Lucasparmenter0) March 10, 2025
Filip Gustavsson - Minnesota Wild ($7.9K/$7.7K)
Opponent - St. Louis Blues
My other goaltender to target is Filip Gustavsson who plays behind on the league's top defensive units. According to MoneyPuck, the Wild have allowed the sixth-fewest Expected Goals Against Per 60. This evening, they will face the St. Louis Blues who have generated the seventh-fewest Expected Goals For Per 60 during 5-on-5 play.
Gustavsson has held a stellar 1.77 GAA with a .937 save percentage over his last five games and should be in prime position to continue this impressive stretch.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Darcy Kuemper - Los Angeles Kings ($8.1K/$7.8K)
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