X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

NHL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings (5/31): Value Plays, Goalies, Stacks

Welcome, RotoBallers. Hockey season has now entered the postseason which is the most exciting time to watch and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the stats and info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

If you are new to playing NHL DFS, there are several things to know that will help you get caught up to speed. The first thing to know is that stacking lines is important and correlating your plays can pay off. In hockey, if someone scores a goal, there's a good chance that some on his team will receive an assist on that goal, so you want to build lineups around players skating together.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

In the image above, you'll see that Sidney Crosby is skating in-between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust and this line has skated together for most of the year. The idea behind staking forward lines is that if Crosby gets a goal, there is a higher percentage and chance that either Rust or Guentzel would get credited with an assist, therefore, resulting in more fantasy points.

The second thing is to make sure you look at the two sites and see the different ways to obtain points. On DraftKings, you get bonus points for 5+ shots or 3+ blocked shots so someone like Alex Ovechkin who is a volume shooter tends to be a better play on that site just because he can rack up additional points based on his style of play.

Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel for Monday, May 31th, 2020 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! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @jorgepucks as I am happy to engage with readers and try to answer your questions. Good luck RotoBallers!

 

NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 5/31

    • Montreal Canadiens (-105) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (-210) - 5.5U
    • New York Islanders (-105) vs. Boston Bruins (-105) - 5.5O

 

NHL DFS Goalie Analysis Matrix

The matrix above takes the averages of four categories and creates a rating scale to help you decide which goalies to use, which goalies to target against, and conversely which teams could be viable from a stacking standpoint. It looks at four categories: Goals Allowed (GA), Shots Allowed (SA), Goals For (GF), Shots For (SF). The higher the overall rating in the total column indicates that it is a more dangerous matchup for that team's goalie while it might be beneficial to stack against him. If the total is low, that means he is in a good matchup from a fantasy perspective and should be considered for your goalie selection. I match and sync this every day to the actual opponents that they are facing every slate so this is always slate specific.

 

NHL DFS Power Play Matrix

The Power Play matrix is to help locate matchups that can be exploited should there be an odd-man advantage during the game. Just like the goalie matrix above, the teams are matched up based on their own power play percentage rank and their opponent's penalty kill percentage rank. When looking at this matrix, you will want to look for teams that succeed in the power play rank (lower the rank the better they are) while their opponent has a poor penalty kill rank (the higher the rank, the worse their penalty kill is).

 

Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium NHL DFS subscriptionLike what you read today? You can show your support for Jorge by using the promo code JORGEPUCKS when purchasing an NHL DFS Premium Pass. You get 10% off, and exclusive access to all of our Premium NHL cheat sheets, DFS research tools, Premium Slack Chatrooms, Stack Builder, Correlation Matrix, and Lineup Optimizer!

 

NHL DFS Core Plays

The Core plays below are the players that you should focus on incorporating into your cash game builds and tournament builds. When it comes to cash games, you want guys that offer high floors that rack up peripheral stats (shots, blocks, etc).

When it comes to tournaments, it is best to take a core play and see who their linemates are and build line stacks based on that. I will give a preferred play (varies on slate size) at each position and then other options at different price points so that you can have a variety of plays to choose from when building your cash builds or needing cornerstones for your tournament builds.

 

NHL DFS Center Picks

  • Auston Matthews, TOR ($9,200 DK / $8,800 FD) - This is a big night for the Leafs and Matthews as they have let a nice lead slip away so we can expect Matthews to give it his all as their season is on the line. While Matthews did not record a point against Montreal on Saturday, he did take seven shots on goal while blocking three shots.

Other centers to consider based on my preference: 

  • High Priced- Bergeron
  • Mid-Tier- Barzal, Krejci, Nelson
  • Value-  Kerfoot, Pageau, Danault, Kotkaniemi

 

NHL DFS Forward Picks

  • David Pastrnak, BOS ($7,900 DK / $7,900 FD) - Pastrnak had a dominant showing in their opening game of the second round against the Islanders. He recorded a hat-trick while taking seven total shots on goal. Pastrnak has now recorded five goals in three games and is in top-tier form as he looks to be the top winger option on the slate.

Other wings to consider based on my preference: 

  • High Priced- Marner, Marchand, Nylander, Hyman
  • Mid-Tier-  Beauvillier, Hall, Toffoli
  • Value-  Eberle, Bailey, Spezza

 

NHL DFS Defenseman Picks

  • Charlie McAvoy, BOS ($5,500 DK / $5,800 FD) - McAvoy has really turned it on since the playoffs began as he is getting it done in all facets of the game. When looking at his last five games, McAvoy has recorded five points while managing to take 12 shots on goal and blocking nine shots over that span. He checks in at a very good price point and is viable in all formats.

Other defensemen to consider based on my preference: 

  • High Priced- Rielly, Petry
  • Mid-Tier-  Pulcok, Weber
  • Value-Grzelcyk, Chiarot, Reilly, Brodie

 

NHL DFS Goalie Picks

  • Tuukka Rask, BOS ($8,300 DK / $8,400 FD) - If you're looking for the safest play on the board at the goalie position, look no further than Rask. He has rattled off five straight wins while only allowing a total of nine goals in that five-game stretch. Rask has scored over 15+ DK points in four of those games and is 3-2 with a 1.88 goals allowed average in five starts against the Islanders this season.

Other goalies to consider based on my preference: 

  • High Priced- Campbell
  • Mid-Tier-  N/A
  • Value- Price

 

Note: If you do roster a goalie listed above, it is sometimes best to make a hedge lineup in tournaments and take the opposing offense against them in case he gives up a few goals while that opposing team carries lower ownership. Also, make sure that the goalie listed above is starting and if not, make sure to pivot!

 

Favorite NHL DFS Line Stacks 

  • BOS 1  
    • Marchand/ Bergeron/ Pastrnak (McAvoy, D-men add on) 
      • The top Bruins lineup had an extremely dominant game against the Islanders as they generated 16 scoring chances and four high-danger chances while recording a 5v5 goal. In just 12 minutes of ice time, they sported a very strong corsi rate of 79.31 which means they were able to maintain puck possession throughout the majority of the time they were on the ice. While a lot of people might gravitate towards the Toronto top line in tournaments, the Boston line as a whole presents the most upside and would be the preferred option to pay up for.

Other Stacks to consider in order of preference: TOR 1, MTL 1, BOS 2

 

Key Abbreviations:

xGF/60= expected goal for per 60 minutes of ice time

GF/60= goals for per 60 minutes of ice time

SC/60= Scoring Chances per 60 minutes of ice time

 

If you have any additional questions, make sure to reach out to me on Twitter or in our NHL room at the RotoBaller slack chat!

NHL Player News and Updates

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cleveland Browns55 mins ago

Myles Garrett Preparing To Sit Out
Jaison Chourio1 hour ago

Will Play In Spring Breakout Game
Detroit Lions1 hour ago

Derrick Barnes Signs Three-Deal Extension
Chris Godwin1 hour ago

Expected To Draw Significant Attention
Jack Leiter1 hour ago

Sharp In Relief Outing
Luis Perales2 hours ago

Assigned To Minor-League Camp
Las Vegas Raiders2 hours ago

Raiders Exploring Veteran Quarterback Options
Alex Freeland2 hours ago

Sent To Minor-League Camp
Buffalo Bills2 hours ago

Terrel Bernard Gets Four-Year Extension
Cam Collier2 hours ago

Dealing With Thumb Injury
Bubba Chandler2 hours ago

Assigned To Minor-League Camp
Bryan Woo3 hours ago

Tallies Six Strikeouts On Thursday
Bo Naylor3 hours ago

Goes Deep Twice On Thursday
Robert Garcia3 hours ago

Tosses Shutout Frame In Spring Debut
Marcus Stroman3 hours ago

Expected To Start Season In Rotation
Nick Loftin3 hours ago

Exits On Thursday With Illness
Sam Long4 hours ago

Throws Bullpen On Thursday
Jake Guentzel4 hours ago

Nets Hat Trick On Thursday
Cale Makar4 hours ago

Has Career Game On Thursday
Jordan Greenway4 hours ago

Exits Early On Thursday
Victor Hedman4 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Contest Early
Jake Walman4 hours ago

Oilers Acquire Jake Walman
Brock Nelson4 hours ago

Traded To Colorado
Lawrence Butler11 hours ago

Athletics, Lawrence Butler Agree To A Seven-Year, $65.5 Million Extension
Ethan Salas11 hours ago

Padres Reassign Ethan Salas, Leodalis De Vries To Minor League Camp
José Devers12 hours ago

Braves Reassign Jose Devers To Minor-League Camp
Agustin Ramirez12 hours ago

Drills First Home Run Of The Spring
Robert Hassell III12 hours ago

A Threat To Jacob Young?
Carson Whisenhunt12 hours ago

Giants Reassign Carson Whisenhunt To Minor-League Camp
Dairon Blanco13 hours ago

Should See Game Action Soon
Noah Schultz13 hours ago

Chicago Reassigns Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith To Minor-League Camp
Kyle Wright13 hours ago

To Throw A Bullpen On Saturday
Jakob Poeltl13 hours ago

Inactive On Friday
RJ Barrett13 hours ago

To Be Rested On Friday
Malik Monk13 hours ago

To Remain Out On Friday
Jacksonville Jaguars13 hours ago

Jaguars Release Ronald Darby
Cason Wallace13 hours ago

Won't Play Against Trail Blazers
Luguentz Dort13 hours ago

Unavailable Friday
Chet Holmgren13 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Isaiah Hartenstein13 hours ago

To Sit Out Friday's Game
Devin Duvernay13 hours ago

Jaguars Release Devin Duvernay
Jalen Williams13 hours ago

Will Not Play On Friday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander13 hours ago

Resting On Friday
Precious Achiuwa14 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Mitchell Robinson14 hours ago

Active Against Lakers
OG Anunoby14 hours ago

Ready To Take On Lakers
Jordan Mason14 hours ago

Drawing Trade Interest
Alec Burks14 hours ago

Questionable For Friday Due To Back Issue
Jaime Jaquez Jr.14 hours ago

Questionable To Play On Friday
Kel'el Ware14 hours ago

Not Ready To Return Against Minnesota
Brandon Aiyuk14 hours ago

49ers Unlikely To Trade Brandon Aiyuk?
Andrew Wiggins14 hours ago

Iffy For Friday's Game
Sam Darnold14 hours ago

Vikings Continue To Want Sam Darnold Back
Tyler Herro14 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Friday
DK Metcalf14 hours ago

Seahawks Talking To A "Ton Of Teams" About DK Metcalf
Austin Reaves14 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Ben Simmons14 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Luka Dončić14 hours ago

Luka Doncic Upgraded To Available Thursday
Washington Commanders14 hours ago

Commanders Re-Sign Bobby Wagner
Derrick Jones Jr.15 hours ago

Returning On Friday
Evan Engram17 hours ago

Jaguars Release Evan Engram
Dougie Hamilton17 hours ago

Remains Under Evaluation
Mattias Ekholm18 hours ago

John Klingberg Out Against Canadiens
Brandon Tanev18 hours ago

Will Not Play On Thursday
Atlanta Falcons18 hours ago

Nate Landman Won't Receive Tender Offer From Falcons
Colton Parayko18 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Regular Season
Cincinnati Bengals18 hours ago

Bengals Grant Trey Hendrickson Permission To Seek A Trade
Nico Sturm18 hours ago

Picked Up By Panthers
Christian Kirk18 hours ago

Texans Acquiring Christian Kirk From The Jaguars
Reilly Smith18 hours ago

Returns To Vegas
Seattle Seahawks20 hours ago

Seahawks Re-Sign Josh Jobe
Atlanta Falcons21 hours ago

Cornerback Dee Alford Will Hit The Open Market
Minnesota Vikings21 hours ago

Theo Jackson Agrees To Two-Year Extension With Vikings
Tennessee Titans21 hours ago

Mike McCoy Joins Titans Coaching Staff
Buffalo Bills21 hours ago

Mitch Morse Announces Retirement After 10 Seasons
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen22 hours ago

Starting on Thursday
Mackenzie Blackwood22 hours ago

Facing Former Team On Thursday
Josh Manson22 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Jason Zucker22 hours ago

Not Playing On Thursday
Michael Bunting22 hours ago

Not Expected To Play This Weekend
Brian Dumoulin22 hours ago

Traded To New Jersey
Vincent Desharnais1 day ago

Shipped To San Jose
Adin Hill1 day ago

Extends Winning Streak To Four Games
Luke Schenn1 day ago

Thomas Novak, Luke Schenn Traded To Pittsburgh
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Looking To Keep Spark From Last Event Alive At Bay Hill
Robert MacIntyre2 days ago

An Interesting Play At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Max Homa2 days ago

Hoping His Course History At Bay Hill Can Help Turn Season Around
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Looking To Get Back Into Good Graces At Bay Hill
Michael Kim2 days ago

One Of The Hottest Players In Golf Heading To Bay Hill
Xander Schauffele2 days ago

Making Long-Awaited Start Since Rib Injury At Bay Hill
Sepp Straka2 days ago

Needs Accuracy At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Collin Morikawa2 days ago

Looking For Better Form On And Around The Greens At Bay Hill
Justin Rose2 days ago

May Be Worth Avoiding This Week
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

Tries To Go One Step Further At Bay Hill
Shane Lowry2 days ago

Has Potential To Contend At Bay Hill
PGA2 days ago

Sungjae Im Trying To Snap Out Of Golfing Funk
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

Looking To Build Off Momentum At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Joe Highsmith2 days ago

Steps Up After Cognizant Classic Win
Max Greyserman2 days ago

Be Wary Of Max Greyserman At Bay Hill
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Very Iffy For Arnold Palmer Invitational
Tony Finau2 days ago

And Bay Hill Could Be A Battle
Cam Davis2 days ago

A Question Mark Heading To Arnold Palmer
Sam Burns2 days ago

Could Stick Around At Arnold Palmer
J.J. Spaun2 days ago

Could See Success At Bay Hill
PGA2 days ago

Byeong Hun An Seeks Answers And May Not Find Any
MMA4 days ago

Asu Almbayev Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 103
Manel Kape4 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC Vegas 103
Julian Marquez4 days ago

Loses Fourth Fight In A Row
Kyle Busch4 days ago

Falls Short Of Victory At COTA While Finishing Fifth
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Has A Day To Forget At COTA On Sunday
Cody Brundage4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Continues His Top-10 Streak At COTA With Third-Place Finish
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Has An Eventful Day At COTA That Ends In 20th-Place Finish
Esteban Ribovics4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 103
Noah Gragson4 days ago

Scores His First Career Road Course Top-10 Finish At COTA
Nasrat Haqparast4 days ago

Extends Win Streak At UFC Vegas 103
William Gomis4 days ago

Takes Split-Decision Loss
Hyder Amil4 days ago

Remains Undefeated
Sam Patterson4 days ago

Extends Win Streak To Three
Danny Barlow4 days ago

Suffers First Career Loss At UFC Vegas 103
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins At COTA, Ready To Keep Adding To It
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Finishes Seventh At COTA, Sees Room For Improvement
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Nabs First Top-10 Finish Of Season After Bumpy COTA Race
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Recovers From Lap 1 Spinout To Finish Fourth
William Byron4 days ago

In Battle Between Last Two Race Winners, William Byron Comes Up Short
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Dominates First Two Stages But Fades In Third Stage
AJ Allmendinger4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Runs Well At Austin Until Late-Race Collapse
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Recovers From COTA Penalty To Finish Ninth
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Wins Pole At COTA, Looking To Become First Repeat Winner
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Will Be A Top Threat For The Win At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen the Favorite to Win at COTA
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Will Be A Fantastic DFS Play For COTA Lineups
AJ Allmendinger5 days ago

Struggling At COTA Despite Strong Practice Speeds
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Recommendations For COTA Lineups
Connor Zilisch5 days ago

Making Cup Series Debut This Weekend
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Best Ball Rankings For 2025 (Tiers 4-8)

The most dormant weeks of the offseason have concluded as we steadily advance toward the onset of free agency. Many of you have intensified your involvement in the best ball draft process which provides an opportunity for you to avoid in-season roster management. However, this enhances the importance of constructing rosters that will withstand the […]


Tee Higgins - Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

3 NFL Free Agency Bold Predictions: 2025 Fantasy Football Player Outlooks & Breakout Candidates

There's never a bad day to make bold predictions about the NFL. And since many things happen that shock everyone who follows the league, it stands to reason that some wild predictions could turn out to be true. This season, there are big-name free agents, and what happens to them could end up surprising everyone. […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: 5 Veteran Wide Receivers to Buy Low Now (2025)

Do you think your dynasty fantasy football roster is good enough to compete for a ring? If your answer is yes, then maybe you should start looking at adding some veterans who can help your team right now. Yes, fantasy managers usually target younger players in dynasty leagues, but sometimes you have to make a […]


josh allen fantasy football rankings NFL injury news DFS lineup picks

Beginner's Guide to Dynasty Fantasy Football: Essential Tips and Strategies for New Players

Dynasty fantasy football leagues can seem overwhelming to those who have yet to play. When I started in a dynasty league, I had a million questions. How should I get started? Will I have time to manage a team? How is dynasty different than redraft? The best way to learn how to play dynasty is […]


Anthony Richardson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Top AFC South Team Needs for 2025: Biggest Positional Weaknesses and NFL Draft Targets

The NFL offseason is just around the corner. Free agency begins on March 12 and the NFL Draft follows a little over a month later on April 24. This is a chance for teams to fix the biggest holes they have on their rosters. But what are those biggest holes? Every team has differing needs […]


Kirk Cousins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Free Agency Legal Tampering Period: Fantasy Football Impact, Top Signings and Sleepers

Officially, NFL free agents can’t sign a contract with a new team until the start of the new league year on March 12, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. It is against league rules for players to talk to other teams about a contract while still under contract with their current team. However, the NFL allows […]


Chig Okonkwo - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

3 Fantasy Football TE Breakouts: 2025 Must-Draft Tight Ends Who Outperformed ADP Last Season

In my last article, I highlighted four wide receivers set to break out in 2025. Check it out! This article is all about the tight end position. Which guys outside of the top 10 have a legitimate shot to break out next season? Last season, it was Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and Jonnu Smith leading […]


Baker Mayfield - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football QB Best Ball Rankings: Quarterback Player Outlooks and Draft Strategy

Fantasy football has become a year-round game. Dynasty fantasy players are preparing for their rookie drafts in a few months. Meanwhile, best ball players are getting an early start on their drafts. Much will change between today and the beginning of the regular season. However, let’s look at some of my early favorite quarterbacks to […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

2025 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Prospect Rankings: Post-Combine Top 32 Players and Sleeper Picks

The 2025 NFL Combine is officially complete, and all eyes are now on the NFL Draft, which begins on April 24. While some prospects like Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders did not test at the Combine, we will get the opportunity to see them at their colleges' Pro Days. We now have a better idea of […]


Jaxson Dart - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Quarterback (QB) Sleepers For 2025 - Jaxson Dart, Brock Purdy, J.J. McCarthy

The quarterback position in dynasty fantasy football is one of the most important to nail. It's so much better to find a QB who ends up being perennially in the top 10 than cycling your way through QB after QB, hoping one finally sticks, or busting in rookie drafts and being stuck with a player […]


Malik Nabers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Scott Engel's Fantasy Football Mock Draft - The King's 2025 Offseason One-Man Mock

Throughout the fantasy football offseason, I am constantly revising player outlooks and potential rankings based on the latest news, player movement, and ongoing research. This is the first of my offseason one-man mock drafts, where I pick players for every one of 12 teams in the first four rounds of a projected seasonal PPR draft. […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

DK Metcalf Landing Spots: Best Trade Candidates For Fantasy Football

The news broke recently that current Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf was granted permission to seek a trade away from his team. There were rumors of his discontent earlier in the season, but given that he still played at a very high level before a knee injury disrupted his 2024 season, it was still […]


Matthew Golden - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Draft

Biggest Fantasy Football Rookie Winners Of The 2025 NFL Combine: NFL Draft Prospect Analysis

The NFL Scouting Combine has concluded. Outside of a few poor performances, fans were once again blown away by the level of talent and athleticism displayed by the top NFL Draft prospects. We must analyze these prospect performances to gain a stronger understanding of the fantasy football picture. While we know Scouting Combine results aren't […]