RADIO
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 Saturday, December, 9, 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!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 12/9/23
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!
Tonight we have a nine-game slate and just one team playing on a back-to-back, St. Louis. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Buffalo with 3.8, Toronto with 3.8 and Colorado with 3.7. I will do my best to guide you through this nine-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
Thatcher Demko - DK $7.5K || FD $8.2K
Opponent - Carolina Hurricanes
Demko is the optimal goalie when considering value and shot volume tonight. The netminder is priced far below his talents and it is due to the matchup against the Hurricanes. Although, Carolina did not strike much fear into Dustin Wolf and the Calgary Flames a few days ago after Andrei Svechnikov became a late scratch. Without him in the lineup, they do not have as many dangerous chances on net. With him in the lineup, they have more shot volume and dangerous chances on net.
Either way, Demko is in for a busy night that could see him reach the Save Bonus on DraftKings – 35+ saves –. In his most recent five outings, he has a 3-2 record with a 3.01 Goals Against Average and a 0.903 Save Percentage. Over the season, he is in the top twenty goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 – 0.63 –.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):
- Vasilevskiy (DK $8K || FD $8.1K)
- Talbot (DK $7.9K || FD $8.4K)
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
Vincent Trocheck - DK $6K || FD $6.4K
Opponent - Washington Capitals
Trocheck and the Rangers have a potential big night ahead of them as they clash at the Capital. Coming in as the second best line matchup of the slate, the trio of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere will see the bottom six for the Capitals, the majority of the game. Over the center’s last five performances, he has 1 goal, 5 assists, 24 shots and 3 blocked shots. Expected Capitals starter, Darcy Kuemper, is coming off a putrid showing, losing 6-0 to the Arizona Coyotes. Expect big things from the Blue Shirts tonight.
Ryan O’Reilly - DK $5.9K || FD $6.7K
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are in a serious predicament right now. Both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll are expected to miss this meeting with the Predators, leaving Martin Jones to tend the twine. Jones has played once this year as a reliever. In the 4-3 win over the Senators on Tuesday, he made nine saves and conceded one goal. In prior seasons, Jones either split netminder duties or he was the majority starter. During that time, he was poor, always averaging a negative Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60.
This leads us to the top line of Nashville which happens to have the best line matchup of the night. O’Reilly is coming off a mediocre night in the 5-1 win over Tampa Bay. In that victory, he had three shots. However, dating back to his last five games and he has 2 goals, 1 assist, 16 shots and 2 blocked shots. This will be a relatively fast-pace game and O’Reilly should see his fair share of chances, as well as, setting up others. Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Danault (DK $4.9K || FD $5.5K)
- Schenn (DK $4.7K || FD $5.2K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Wings - NHL DFS Picks
Tanner Pearson - DK $2.8K || FD $3.5K
Opponent - Buffalo Sabres
Pearson has since cooled off from his heater of a start to the season, however, in his last feature in the article he did not disappoint. In the winger’s most recent five games, he has 1 goal, 13 shots and 3 blocked shots. Over the season, Buffalo is still quite a bit away from being a playoff team as they are in the bottom ten in both High Danger Chances Against and Goals Against – both Per 60 –. As one of the better line matchups on the slate and for almost minimum salary on DraftKings, Pearson is worth the dart throw. Especially considering all of the more expensive options to pay up for.
Patrick Kane - DK $5.5K || FD $5.8K
Opponent - Ottawa Senators
Patrick Kane makes it back into the article after his successful debut where he registered three shots and almost had a goal. Ottawa is the complete opposite of a defensive juggernaut even when completely healthy. Over the season they are in the bottom ten in Shots Against, Scoring Chances Against, High Danger Chances and Goals Against – all Per 60 –. Kane couldn’t get his first goal of the season against the Sharks in a thriller, so why not try again against a weak Senators defense.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Kyrou (DK $5.6K || FD $6.5K)
- Lafreniere (DK $4.7K || FD $5.6K)
DraftKings and FanDuel Defensemen - NHL DFS Picks
Owen Power - DK $3.7K || FD $4.9K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
Power is nothing but a straight speculative play with teammate Rasmus Dahlin missing the last game. During the 3-1 win over Boston, Power had 5 shots and 2 blocked shots, racking up the peripherals. In comparison, the prior five games, he had 3 assists, 5 shots and 11 blocked shots. His offense has seen an uptick in Dahlin’s absence, however, his defense may decline because of it. Nevertheless, it is Montreal and they still concede the sixth-most Shots Against, the fourth-most Scoring Chances Against and the tenth-most High Danger Chances Against – all Per 60 –.
Jake Sanderson - DK $4.4K || FD $6.2K
Opponent - Detroit Red Wings
Somehow Sanderson had a great night on Tuesday, notching 1 assist, 4 shots and 3 blocked shots and his salary drops by $100 on DraftKings. Either way he is extremely ‘afordable’ right now and unsure why. The defenseman continues to pour out peripherals like its nothing with 13 shots and 14 blocked shots in his last five performances. Detroit is not a walk in the park, however, they are not the most bunkered-down defense either. As a top pairing defenseman who also quarterbacks one of the top power-play units in the league, this is a no-brainer.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):
- Hronek (DK $4.9K || FD $6.7K)
- Doughty (DK $4.7K || FD $5.4K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- TB1
- NYR1
- BUF1
- VAN1
NHL DFS Stacks of the Day
Brandon's Stack
- NAS: Forsberg-O’Reilly-Nyquist
Chalk Stack
- TB: Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Sneaky Stack
- MTL: Pearson-Dvorak-Gallagher
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
