NHL DFS Power Play for FanDuel, DraftKings, SuperDraft: DFS Value Plays, Goalies Matrix, Stacks (1/16)

Welcome, RotoBallers. Hockey season is back and I am thrilled to be covering this sport over at RotoBaller! As always, I will do my best to give you the stats and info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on 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. 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 there 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 Saturday, January 16th, 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 1/16

• Montreal Canadiens (-110) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-110) - 6.5U
• New York Islanders (-115) vs. New York Rangers (-105)- 5.5O
• Carolina Hurricanes (-220) vs. Detroit Red Wings - 5.5U
• Toronto Maple Leafs (-200) vs. Ottawa Senators - 6.5O
• Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Nashville Predators (-120) - 5.5U
• Minnesota Wild (-140) vs. LA Kings- 5.5U
• Anaheim Ducks vs Vegas Golden Knights (-225)- 6U
• Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames (-135)- 6U

NHL DFS Goalie Analysis Matrix

Goalie 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 last column indicates that it is a more dangerous matchup for that team's goalie while it might be beneficial to stack against him. I match and sync this every day to the actual opponents that they are facing every slate so this is always slate specific.

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. When looking at this matrix, you will want to look for teams that succeed in the power play rank while their opponent has a poor penalty kill rank.

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 2-3 plays at each position at different pricing ranges so that you can have a variety of plays to choose from when building your cash builds.

Center Picks

• Connor McDavid ($ 8,500 DK/ $ 8,800 FD) - This slate is loaded with good center options but if looking to spend up, it is really hard to not lock in McDavid at home. Connor is coming off of a hat-trick effort while also taking nine shots and also notching an assist so he is already in peak McDavid form just a few games into the season.
• Sean Monahan ($ 5,500 DK/ $ 6,800 FD) - The price on Monahan is just too good to pass up. He is riding a three-game point streak against the Canucks and has scored seven points in his last eight games against Vancouver. In the opening game against Winnipeg, Monahan notched a power-play assist while also taking five shots throughout the game.
• Josh Norris ($ 2,500 DK/ $ 3,700 FD) - Norris is min priced yet again and should be considered in all formats. He is skating on the top line for the Sens while also being involved on their top powerplay line as well. In the opening game against Toronto, Norris collected two assists while also recording two blocked shots as well. The pace should once again be fast against Toronto which means opportunities will come for this top line of the Senators.

Other centers to consider: Draisaitl, Aho, Larkin, Kopitar, Strome, Dubois, Stephenson, Danault

Forward Picks

• Max Pacioretty ($ 7,300 DK/ $ 7,700 FD) - From a fantasy perspective, Pacioretty is one of the safest wingers to roster in any format. The Golden Knights are once again a heavy favorite and just hung five goals on the Ducks on Thursday night. Pacioretty played a part in that offensive showing as he recorded one goal on five shots taken. Pacioretty has done well against Anaheim, especially since he joined the Golden Knights. He has faced the Ducks nine times and has scored two goals and nine assists in that nine-game stretch.
• Brady Tkachuk ($ DK/ $ 7,700 FD) - Tkachuk is one of the best young talents in the league and he is shining as I write this article. In the opening game against Toronto, Tkachuk has accrued three points on the night as he assisted two goals while also scoring a goal himself. Tkachuk has been a thorn in the Maple Leafs side as he has faced them in seven total games and has scored eight total points in that seven-game stretch.
• Kirill Kaprizov ($ 4,200 DK/ $ 6,400 FD) - Kaprizov had a standout game against the Kings on Thursday night and with his price still relatively low, he should be considered once again in all formats. Kaprizov notched two assists throughout the game and knocked home the game-winning goal in overtime. Kaprizov will see plenty of ice time as he skates on both the top line and top powerplay line for the Wild which means he could see extra scoring chances throughout games.

Other wings to consider: RNH, Stone, Teravainen, Fiala, Marner, Bjorkstrand, Atkinson, Niederreiter, Parise, Anderson, Hoglander, Lafreniere

Defenseman Picks

• Alex Pietrangelo ($6,400 DK/ $ 6,400 FD) - Pietrangelo had a great debut with his new team as he filled the stat sheet by collecting an assist, blocking three shots, while also taking three shots himself on the offensive end. Pietrangelo is covering the point on the top power-play unit while also skating on the top defensive pairing so for his price point, he is viable in all formats.
• Thomas Chabot ($5,600 DK/ $ 5,200 FD) - Chabot is a really talented young offensive defenseman and there is no ceiling to how good he can be on the offensive end. Chabot led the Senators last season with 33 assists while also being the team leader in power-play points (11). On the opening night for the Senators, Chabot took three shots while finding the back of the net once for his first goal of the season.
• Matt Dumba ($ 4,600 DK/ $ 4,200 FD) - Dumba had a very strong opening night as he registered an assist while also taking five total hots against the Kings. He was aggressive in the offensive end and should get plenty of scoring opportunities as he skates on the top d-line pairing while also being apart of the top power-play unit as well.

Other defensemen to consider: Josi, Theodore, Hamilton, Hughes, Jones, Barrie, Romanov

Goalie Picks

• Robin Lehner ($ 8,500 DK/ $ 8,500 FD) - The Golden Knights are the biggest favorites on the slate which means Lehner should be the odds on favorite to notch a win at the goalie position. Lehner had a solid performance Thursday night against Anaheim as he allowed two goals in on 22 total shots as he picked up his first win on the season. Head Coach Peter DeBoer said that he will not release the starting goalie news until warmups so you will need to monitor goalie news prior to puck drop of this game to see if either Lehner or Fleury will be in net.
• Jacob Markstrom ($ 7,900DK/ $ 7,800 FD) - Markstrom could be tasked with facing his former team come Saturday night as the Flames host the Canucks. Markstrom was roughed up a bit in his Flames debut as he allowed four goals on 34 total shots which resulted in an overtime loss. Facing his former team could be what the doctor ordered for Markstrom as he will know all of the shooting tendencies of the skaters on Vancouver and what the offensive strategy could be for the Canucks.
• Juuse Saros ($ 7,800 DK/ $ 6,900 FD) - Saros had a very impressive opening night for the Predators as he stopped 30 out of 31 total shots as Nashville went on to win 3-1. Saros got the nod ahead of Pekka Rinne so it remains to be seen who will be in net for Saturday's game against the Blue Jackets. Both goalies are viable options on this slate and carry a very reasonable price tag for any format.

Note: If you do roster a goalie in cash games, it is sometimes best to make a hedge lineup in tournaments and take the opposing offense against them incase he gives up a few goals while that opposing team carries lower ownership.

Favorite Line Stacks

• VGK 1
  • Pacioretty, Stephenson, Stone (Pietrangelo, D-men add on)
    • The top line for Vegas is in one of the best spots on the slate. Vegas Line 1 generated two goals and four assists in that game and they dominated the Duck's top line as they matched with them for a good chunk of the game. Vegas 1 generated six scoring chances and five high-danger opportunities while they themselves held their opposing lines to just one scoring chance. While Stephenson doesn't skate on a power play, he offers a great value piece that gets exposure to some big names in that Vegas lineup.
• CAR 1
  • Niederreiter/ Aho/ Teravainen (Hamilton, D-men add on)
    • The Canes are another heavy favorite on this slate and they get a rematch with Detroit whom they just faced off against Thursday night. The Canes won by the score of 3-0 with the Canes top line kicking off the game with the first goal of the game. The Canes have scoring ability throughout their team but their top line played great as they generated nine scoring chances and three high-danger opportunities. Detroit line matched their top line with the Canes top line which created a well-paced game that also created plenty of opportunities. If they match again, the Canes top line could be in for another high-event night that could result in several goals.
• EDM 1
  • Nugent-Hopkins/McDavid/ Kassian (Barrie, D-men add on if trying to stack top power play)
    • Edmonton's top line had a monster night against Vancouver on Thursday as the combination of McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins combined for all five goals in an Edmonton win. Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid generated eight total points and seemed to be in top form for it being the second game of the season. They generated two power-play goals and face Montreal who struggled last season on the penalty kill. If you're wanting to be different, dropping Kassian and adding in Barrie as your power-play defenseman could be the way to go.
• OTT 1
  • Batherson/ Norris/ Tkachuk (Chabot, D-men add on)
    • The Sens had themselves a great opening night against Toronto as they lit the lamp five times and kicked off the 2021 NHL season with a win. The top line for Ottawa really shined as they combined for eight total points on those five goals scored. Tkachuk and Chabot both netted goals while Batheron and Norris both recorded two assists. The Sens will line match again and will most likely take their top line and match them with Toronto's second and third lines like they did Friday night so we could see the Sens put up some goals yet again.

Other Stacks to consider: NY1 1, CGY 1, LAK 1, NYR 2, NSH 2

SuperDraft Picks

C: McDavid (1X),  Strome (1.4X), Larkin (1.55X),  Monahan (1.7X), Carter (1.85)

W: Panarin (1.2X), Pacioretty (1.3X),  Tkachuk (1.35X), Svechnikov (1.35X),  Stone (1.4X), Marner (1.65X),  Gallagher (1.65X),

D: Slavin (1.25X), Hamilton (1.25X),  Pietrangelo (1.3X), Josi (1.35X),  Dumba (1.55X), Chabot (1.7X)

G: Talbot (1.2X), Markstrom (1.3X), Lehner (1.35X)

*Core 4 for SuperDraft are Bolded

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!

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