DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks (12/14/23): Today's Top NHL DFS Lineups

1 year ago by Brandon Wampler

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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, December 14, 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!

NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 12/14/23

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!

The currently live top-three highest implied team totals are: Toronto with 4.2, Edmonton with 3.7, and Minnesota with 3.7. I will do my best to guide you through this eight-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 PM 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

Alex Lyon - DK $6.9K || FD $7.8K

Opponent - Carolina Hurricanes

Lyon is the overall goalie in terms of raw saves per price on the slate tonight and it is expected that he will see quite a bit of shots his way. Detroit’s defense was already a giving defense to begin with, and now Detroit as a whole is down a few players. In Lyon’s last five starts, he has a 4-1 record with a 1.93 Goals Against Average and a 0.938 Save Percentage with the one loss coming at the weekend when he was pulled after giving up four goals in a 5-1 loss to Ottawa. Lyon is also the top goalie in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 for all goalies playing 120 minutes or more this season. As one of the bargain goalies on the slate, expect Lyon’s ownership to see north of 15 percent in most contests tonight.

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

Daccord (DK $8.4K || FD $6.9K)
Hart (DK $8.1K || FD $8.5K)

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

John Tavares - DK $6.6K || FD $8.1K

Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets

Things can’t get any better when you look at the matchup, form, and salary for John Tavares. The center is on a five-game point streak where he has accumulated 1 goal, 5 assists, 19 shots, and 3 blocked shots. Remember that the only ‘decent’ matchup in that stretch was Ottawa. Otherwise, he played: Rangers, Islanders, Predators, and Bruins. Tonight, he gets the best matchup in this time frame, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus is still in the bottom five in Shots Against, Scoring Chances Against, and Goals Against -- all Per 60. For $3K less on DraftKings and the same form and less ownership than that of teammate Auston Matthews, Tavares is the key to unlocking other big names in your lineups tonight.

Matty Beniers - DK $4.2K || FD $4.5K

Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks

Seattle rarely makes it in the articles this season and for good reason. They are extremely inconsistent and even at their best, it has not been good enough. Nevertheless, here we are with Seattle tonight. Beniers and company get to welcome Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks into Climate Pledge Arena tonight. Over the last five away games, Chicago has conceded 23 goals, and over the season, they are in the bottom three in Shots Against, Scoring Chances Against, and High Danger Chances Against – all Per 60.

Seattle is not an overbearing offense though, ranking as the fourth-worst in both Goals For Per 60 and High Danger chances Per 60 over the season. Despite their inefficiencies, they have shown that against the worst of the worst, they can produce -- check matchup against San Jose. With many big names on the slate tonight and the respective matchup, Seattle will be a high-owned stack due to potential and cost.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

McDavid (DK $9.4K || FD $10.1K)
Norris (DK $5.2K || FD $6.4K)

DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks

Mitch Marner - DK $6.9K || FD $7.5K

Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets

DraftKings must have it out for Toronto’s second line and there will be very little complaining because of it. Marner is the next victim of being underpriced despite his recent form. Over his last five games, he has 3 goals, 3 assists, 8 shots, and 3 blocked shots. Yes, his shot volume is nowhere compared to his career average; however, no time better than the present for him to kick-start it. As mentioned, Columbus is below league average in just about everything and Toronto is blazing through teams right now -- just beating the Rangers 7-3 at MSG. Like Tavares, Marner is also much more ‘affordable’ than his teammate William Nylander and he should see less ownership, too.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - DK $5.4K || FD $6.4K

Opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning

Nugent-Hopkins goes and scores a goal, takes four shots, blocks one shot, and records 15.8 points on DraftKings and his salary moves up $200….PERFECT! Edmonton gets yet another juicy matchup tonight against Tampa Bay. Although Andrei Vasilevskiy has made his return to the net, Tampa Bay’s defense is still suspect at best.

Over the season, they are just outside the bottom 10 in Shots Against Per 60 and they are the third-worst in Goals Against Per 60. Keep in mind that Victor Hedman may also be out again tonight, eliminating their best defender. Throughout RNH’s last five appearances, he has 1 goal, 6 assists, 10 shots, and 4 blocked shots. As mentioned in the Tuesday article, the winger/center hybrid is a pass-first player and he will be looking to feed linemate and center Connor McDavid as much as possible.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

Tkachuk (DK $7.7K || FD $8.6K)
Eberle (DK $3.9K || FD $4.5K)

DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks

Mikhail Sergachev - DK $4.9K || FD $5.8K

Opponent - Edmonton Oilers

On the other end of the ice is Sergachev and the Lightning. As mentioned above, Victor Hedman may miss yet another game tonight and that would leave Sergachev in charge of the top power-play unit again. In Tampa Bay’s last game -- a 4-1 loss in Vancouver -- Sergachev had 1 assist, 2 shots, and 2 blocked shots. In an expected fast-paced matchup with the Edmonton Oilers, Sergachev and the Lightning defense will be plenty busy.

Ryker Evans - DK $3K || FD $K

Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks

Ryker Evans may be the highest-owned player at any position on the slate tonight. The rookie defenseman in four games has 1 assist, 8 shots, and 4 blocked shots. He instantly fit in with the Seattle blueline, recording two shots and two blocked shots in his debut, a game they lost 2-1 to the Devils. Since debuting, Evans has taken over as quarterback for the second power-play unit and plays on the third pairing. As aforementioned, Seattle has a great matchup tonight against Chicago’s poor defense, setting up Evans for a potential early career night.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):