Welcome back RotoBallers! For those first-time readers, 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 then make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL which means it's time to sharpen our MLB 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 for Tuesday, December 7th, 2021 at 7:00 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 at [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 12/7/21
If you read the article at all last night, you would have gone perfect besides two matches. Tonight we will look to make that similar again with a massive 10-game slate starting at 7:00 PM EST. Teams that are playing on the second-half of a back-to-back are as follows: Anaheim and Ottawa. There will be a few big plus matchups as well, namely Maple Leafs, Lightning and Panthers.
Ottawa will host their league’s worst goals against (3.9) against the struggling Islanders and Florida will travel to the Blue with their league’s second-best goals for (3.76).
NHL DFS Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy- DK $8.4K || FD $8.3K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
Vasilevskiy is once again making his name known in the league with the fourth-best Goals Saved Above Expected at 12.4. It also helps that his opposition sits at fourth-worst in Goals For at 2.25 and sixth-worst Goals For Expected at 2.5. Tampa Bay has been on fire making changes on the fly when injuries pop up and there is no reason that Vasilevskiy does not concede one or fewer goals here.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Campbell(DK $8.5K || FD $8.1K), Markstrom(DK $8.3K || FD $7.6K), Georgiev(DK $8.1K || FD $7.9K), Bobrovsky(DK $8K || FD $8.4K)
NHL DFS Centers
Austin Matthews-DK $8.7K || FD $9.9K
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
It is almost impossible to fade Matthews at this point. After starting the season completely out of form, the top pivot of the Leafs has set the ice on fire. Through 23 appearances he has a solid 14.42 shot to goal percentage and in his last five appearances, he has a 7-1-8 line with 24 shots as well. He is clearly playing at an elite level and he will be amped up after he got manhandled by Pierre-Luc Dubois on Sunday.
Ryan Strome- DK $5K || FD $5.7K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
Stromer’s salary is an absolute crime. The second-line pivot for the Rangers is starting to heat up once more and he continues to skate alongside the most dynamic winger they have, Artemi Panarin. In Strome’s most recent five appearances, he is a 3-3-6 line and 10 shots.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Stamkos(DK $7.2K || FD 8.5K), Lindholm(DK $6.5K || FD $7.8K), Hartman(DK $6.4K || FD $6.4K), Barzal(DK $6.1K || FD $6.2K), Granlund(DK $5.4K || FD $5.1K), Norris(DK $5.1K || FD $6.4K), Colton(DK $2.7K || FD $4K)
NHL DFS Wings
Wings
Filip Forsberg- DK $6.8K || FD $6.7K
Opponent - Detroit Red Wings
We once again will highlight Forsberg here. The winger has been dynamic since his season debut. In his last five appearances, he has a 5-2-7 line and 17 shots. His line in general has posted 7-11-18 and 45 over the last five matches. The Red Wings may be playing better, but it will be hard for them to stop the high-flying Preds.
William Nylander- DK $6.7K || FD $8.1K
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
Typically I will stray from highlighting players in the same price range, but it is impossible to not do so here. Nylander is just as hot as Forsberg is right now if not hotter. Over Nylander’s last five performances, he has a 3-4-7 line along with a crazy 28 shots. That is 5.0 shots per game! In a fast paced-matchup against a struggling defense, this is an excellent matchup.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Draisaitl(DK $9.4K || FD $10.2K), Panarin(DK $7.2K || FD $8.4K), Duchene(DK $6K || FD $6.9K), Ehlers(DK $6K || FD $7.1K), Tkachuk(DK $5.3K || FD $7.3K), Necas(DK $4.3K || FD $5.3K), Kakko(DK $3.4K || FD $4.4K), Raddysh(DK $2.5K || FD $3.8K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Defense
Darnell Nurse- DK $6.2K || FD $6.1K
Opponent - Minnesota Wild
Nurse did not disappoint in his return to play at the weekend. The defender posted one goal, five shots and two blocked shots. Now he gets to go against a trigger-happy Wild team from who he can get plenty of blocked shots. Nurse also happens to play on the second power-play unit with McDavid and Draisaitl. No matter what he will get plenty of value and he may be undervalued compared to the rest of the bunch above him.
Jamie Drysdale- DK $3.7K || FD $4.1K
Opponent - Buffalo Sabres
Drysdale will be playing his second game in as many days, but that should not impact his value at all. The rookie has slowed down over the last handful of matches, however, he now has a 1-2-3 line in his last two matches along with one shot and five blocked shots. For under $4K you may need to punt at a spot and this would not be a bad spot to do it.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Hedman(DK $7.3K || FD $7.2K), Fox(DK $7.2K || FD $7.1K), Reilly(DK $5.4K || FD $6.2K), Dobson(DK $4K || FD $4.2K), Ekholm(DK $3.1K || FD $3.9K), Aho(DK $2.7K || FD $3.8K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- TB1
- TOR1
- NYR1
- EDM1
- NSH1
Brandon’s Stack of the Day
TOR: Matthews-Nylander-Reilly
Chalk Stack:
TB: Stamkos-Joseph-Hedman
Sneaky Stack:
CAR: Niederreiter-Aho-Teravainen