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RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Saturday, April 15 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.
Who isn't excited for the first Saturday of playoff hockey? We have seen some close, low-scoring games so far and I would expect the trend to continue as teams have tightened up defensively.
The day starts out with a matchup between the Bruins and Senators in the afternoon and is followed by three more games starting at 7:00 pm tonight. DraftKings has split the day into two slates while FanDuel is offering an All-Day slate. Let's take a look at a few top plays for the day.
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NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Saturday, April 15
For those that are new to this, each day we'll be providing you with a few of our top DFS lineup picks for daily league cash games on FanDuel and DraftKings. We will also provide you with one of our favorite teams to stack for GPPs. You can grab the rest of our Premium DFS lineup picks and stacks through the NHL Cheat Sheet and DFS Premium Pass below.
Nicklas Backstrom (C, WSH)
DraftKings - $7,400, FanDuel - $6,900
After a quiet game one from an offensive standpoint, I expect the top line in Washington to come alive vs. the worst defensive team in the playoffs. Backstrom had his best offensive season in eight years and while the shot volume and floor are low, the upside is very high playing alongside Alex Ovechkin.
Brad Marchand (W, BOS)
DraftKings - $7,300, FanDuel - $7,700
If you are playing the all-day or early slate, the Bruins top line makes a very high upside play at a possible lower ownership. The Capitals will be the clear chalk on the smaller slate and the Ducks could be right there as well leaving the Bruins with some nice value. Marchand scored in game one and would love nothing more than to help his team take a 2-0 lead back to Boston.
Kevin Shattenkirk (D, WSH)
DraftKings - $6,200, FanDuel - $6,000
He was a beast in game one for the Caps, picking up an assist on 22 minutes of ice time. He also provided a very high floor with a whopping nine shots on goal. After a close call in game one, look for the Caps to come out flying out of the gates.
Stacking Option
Washington Capitals - Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson
The Capitals were definitely the chalk and will be once again. With most of the defensive attention geared towards the top line, the second line should once again have some extra room to get things done. The best part is their affordable stacking price which allows you to grab another top line stack from the other three games.
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Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool
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Premium NHL DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet
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Bonus: General NHL DFS Strategy Notes
For cash games, look at players who can contribute to your score even when they are not providing offense. Some examples are guys who take a ton of shots and defensemen who block a lot of shots. Also, look for guys who get power play time. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury, or just get a promotion and more ice time. It is also recommended to spread out your exposure to three or four different lines, and not put all your eggs in one basket.
For large field tournaments (GPPs), find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. If you want to stack the most upside in your forwards, a common strategy is to punt the defense position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone - try and look for a defenseman who will get power play time, or a playing time boost due to an injury. For a contrarian approach, paying up at the defense position can be a great strategy - but it also comes with more risk. GPPs bring a great opportunity for goaltenders in the value price range - you can look for backups on good teams.
