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 Thursday, February 23 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

We are back with mid-sized slate with six games tonight. There are only four of the Top 10 offenses in action but some really nice matchups as four of bottom 10 defenses are also in action. Let's dive in and look at a few value plays for tonight.

NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Thursday, February 23

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.

Nazem Kadri (C, TOR)

DraftKings - $6,200, FanDuel - $7,100

The price has definitely come up over the last few weeks but for good reason. He has recorded points in 20 of his last 23 games with a whopping 68 shots on goal. The matchup isn't the best vs. the Rangers 11th ranked defense but they have given up three or more goals in two of their last three games. Kadri is safe in all formats.

Richard Panik (W, CHI)

DraftKings - $4,700, FanDuel - $4,300

Panik has been on an absolute tear lately and somehow still has a salary under $5K on both sites. He has tallied points in four straight and five of his last six games including three multi-point efforts and is also getting nearly a minute and a half on the powerplay. He is safe on his own and a great low-cost stacking option with Toews and Schmaltz.

Dougie Hamilton (D, CGY)

DraftKings - $5,400, FanDuel - $5,600

He comes in the mid $5K range on both sites and should be considered in all formats tonight. He is well on pace to set career highs in goals, assists, and points and has already tallied 11 points on the powerplay. Hamilton also provides value for cash games with a safe floor, recording 31 shots and 17 blocks over his lat 10 games.

Stacking Option

Tampa Bay Lightning - Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov

The Lightning top line has a been multi-point machine lately and with the Blackhawks and Predators in excellent positions, could be fairly under-owned as well. Kucherov has been consistent all season averaging a point per game and has 13 multi-point efforts. His linemates have also backed him up lately as Johnson has  points in his last 10 games while Palat has eight.

NHL & DFS Premium Subscription

Get an edge on your NHL DFS competition, every single night of the week:

• DFS Cheat Sheets and Lineup Picks: Access to 10 deeply researched lineup picks, and sample lineups. Includes advanced stats to unlock NHL player values, and boost DFS success.
• DFS Optimizer Tool: Generate optimal DFS lineups in seconds. Use advanced features and stats for including/excluding players, cash games vs. GPPs, stacks and more.
• DFS Value Picks: Our Optimizer helps you find, sort and filter the best lineup values and DFS sleeper picks. Premium stats like "DvP" and "Points/$1K" give you a leg up on the DFS competition.
• Daily NHL Projections: Our secret sauce - the Optimizer Tool provides DFS points projections for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo scoring.

Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool

Click image to see a full size version of the tool

Click image to see a full size version of the tool

Click image to see a full size version of the tool

Premium NHL DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet

Want to know what the Premium NHL DFS Cheat Sheets looks like? Below is a sample. We go above and beyond standard daily fantasy hockey analysis.

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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.