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Chris Wassel's top DraftKings and FanDuel NHL DFS value plays and research for October 20th, including DFS analysis for goalies, power plays, and stacks.
The NHL season has hit week number two! Some hockey trends have established themselves but many are still to come. 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 for Wednesday, October 20th, 2020 at 7:30 PM. 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 [email protected] or via Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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We feature just a two-game slate, featuring the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers, and St. Louis Blues.
There is some news worth mentioning. Martin Jones will be starting for the Philadelphia Flyers versus the Boston Bruins. The Vegas Golden Knights are still without Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone as they face St. Louis.
The goal will be to keep things as simple as possible. Our focus will be as much on interactions on social media and in chatrooms. This is because news and numbers have become that fluid now. Everything changes at a breakneck pace.
NHL DFS Goalies
Jordan Binnington - DK $7.1K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
The question is where does one go with goaltending on Wednesday night. Most anyone is scared to death at seeing Martin Jones on this slate or any for that matter. Now, Jordan Binnington is risky as well. St. Louis' starting goaltender has allowed seven goals on 58 shots. That is a concern but Vegas is still missing so many regulars.
Jeremy Swayman - DK $7.9K || FD $8.0K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
The Boston goaltender faces the Flyers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Swayman keeps rolling when it comes to quality starts. He has ten in his first 11 starts. That is a staggering number. Swayman also knows that Linus Ullmark is waiting and that he must play well. Swayman stopped all but one shot on Saturday against Dallas. Boston is well-rested. This is only their second game of the season.
NHL DFS Centers
Patrice Bergeron - DK $6.2K || FD $7.2K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
The idea is to keep things simple and stack the top Boston line against Martin Jones and the Philadelphia Flyers. Boston may be a bit rusty but managed to hold on against Dallas without much help from Patrice Bergeron and that "perfection line". As we said, Martin Jones has a .896 save percentage over the past three seasons with an increasing goals-against average over three. Bergeron did very little in Game 1 against Dallas. He had one shot on goal with one scoring chance and several missed opportunities. Boston had a top-five power play last year and that may find success against a Philadelphia penalty kill that is in the bottom third.
Chandler Stephenson - DK $5.9K || FD $5.1K
Opponent - St. Louis Blues
Stephenson will be one of the top options from this game that could feature some elevated scoring. The center had an excellent year last season and has gotten off to another good start. He has three points in his first two games with three shots and four blocked shots as well. Can that continue without Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty? No one knows. Then again, Stephenson plays in a way that could be successful against an equally rugged St. Louis team.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): O'Reilly (DK $6.6K || FD $6.8K), Brassard (DK $4.8K || FD $3.6K)
NHL DFS Wings
Jordan Kyrou - DK $4.6K || FD $4.6K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
There are just a few different ways to look at the structure on Wednesday evening as the two-game slate feels more like a playoff slate. However, this feels like an annual question. Can Jordan Kyrou stick in the top-six? Has Craig Berube turned over a new leaf finally? Will he allow Kyrou a longer leash? Those are the three main questions. One undeniable answer so far is that Kyrou has gotten off to a great start. His value is paramount on such a short slate as his ownership does continue to rise. Does Vegas have the defense to slow St. Louis down? That is questionable.
Jake DeBrusk - DK $3.9K || FD $3.7K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
This is one of the more intriguing plays of the slate. Jake DeBrusk was thought to be out the door in the offseason and even before training camp. He seemed to find whatever in his game was missing during the preseason. While he is not playing a ton of minutes, DeBrusk is playing effective minutes. He scored a goal on Saturday, had two shots on goal, and created three scoring chances. If the winger can continue to create, he should get more opportunities and perhaps on that top-10 power-play unit. Philadelphia may focus too much on the top line and forget about the lesser ones on Wednesday.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Atkinson (DK $5.7K || FD $5.5K, Pastrnak (DK $7.3K || FD $8.3K), Barbashev (DK $2.9K || FD $3.9K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Justin Faulk - DK $5.4K || FD $4.5K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
The St, Louis Blues' defenseman will cool off eventually but he seems to start seasons off pretty well. If he keeps hitting the net (four shots in each game), then Justin Faulk will carry value. When he begins to miss the net erratically, the offense usually goes down right with that. Again, Vegas is vulnerable to unblocked shot attempts from the point. They are thin down the middle and every team knows it right now. It is easy to take advantage here and at a good price (especially on FanDuel). Faulk will not hit 73% of his shot attempts on the net all season but his first-month rate is very high.
Charlie McAvoy - DK $5.6K || FD $6.4K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
Charlie McAvoy on the top power-play will take some time to get used to. It will for Boston as well. The good news is that Boston is facing a penalty kill that was 25th or worse for the last two seasons. Again, Carter Hart is getting the night off for load management. That is not the official explanation but somewhat true at least. This means Boston should be able to generate chances and may get a fluky one or two by Martin Jones. McAvoy fired five shots on net in Game 1. The expectation is he does near the same in Game 2 with better results potentially.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Ellis (DK $6.1K || FD $5.5K), Martinez (DK $5.1K || FD $4.9K), McNabb (DK $3.0K || FD $3.6K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- BOS1
- STL2
- VGK1
- PHI1
Chris’s Line Stack of the Day
STL: Kyrou-Schenn-Tarasenko (Buchnevich suspended)
Obvious Stack
BOS: Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak (If Power Play units hold add McAvoy)
Sneaky Stack
BOS: Debrusk-Haula-Foligno*
Please keep in mind that there will be many shifts in lines with most teams especially early.
NHL Player News and Updates
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
