RADIO
It is October 12th, 2022, the first proper-sized slate of the NHL season and I am here to bring you my thoughts on the slate as it pertains to NHL DFS. If you are new to hockey DFS, it is similar to baseball. It is a high-variance game, the scoring is mainly event-driven, and correlation is something that is always great to have in your lineup.
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. 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 hit me up via Twitter @Mark_Kieffer or in our NHL discord. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 10/12/22
This is a six-game slate tonight. There are teams implied for as low as 2.2 goals and as high as 4.5 goals. Colorado, Edmonton, and Toronto are some big teams on this slate, which makes it pretty fun and exciting.
You can check out the latest here: Vegas Odds for the Day
As always, make sure the goalie in your lineup is confirmed before lineup lock! There is nothing worse than having a great lineup but taking a zero at goalie. This has happened to me before and it stinks!
NHL DFS Goalies
John Gibson- DK $7.6K || FD $7.1K - DK Recommended
Opponent - Seattle Kraken
On DraftKings, John Gibson is my recommendation for cash games. Anaheim is one of six teams favored and is less expensive than the heavy favorites on the slate. Gibson had a down year last year, but this is the season to turn things around. He did have an upper-body injury in preseason on Saturday, so check for the morning skate news and make sure Gibson is confirmed prior to lock.
Alexandar Georgiev- DK $8.7K || FD $7.5K - FD Recommended
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
The Colorado Avalanche are -435 favorites, and the Blackhawk are implied for 2.2 goals -- the lowest on the slate. Georgiev is one of the cheapest goalies on the slate on FanDuel, while he is the most expensive goalie on DraftKings. He is playable anywhere, but at his DraftKings price point, does not have the upside (saving a lot of shots) that some of the other goalies have.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Campbell (DK $8.0K || FD $7.8K), Demko (DK $7.2K || FD $8.2K -- Leverage against EDM stacks in large GPPs)
NHL DFS Centers
Connor McDavid -DK $7.9K || FD $10.0K
Opponent - Vancouver Cancucks
Connor McDavid is far too cheap on DraftKings. Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, and McDavid are the three top centers by far and McDavid is the third most expensive of the three. We have seen him at $8K-$9K on DraftKings. He has a solid floor and has as much upside as anyone else on the slate. This is someone that averaged 1.54 points per game in the regular season last year and is the best in the game.
John Tavares- DK $6.3K || FD $6.9K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
John Tavares centers the second line and is on the top power-play unit for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He averaged 0.96 points per game last season and is a good value at his price. Toronto is a heavy favorite and implied for 4.2 goals. Anytime one can get a piece of one of the better offenses and power plays for this price, it's a good move to make.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): S. Aho (DK $6.2K || FD $8.1K), Newhook (DK $4.2K || FD $4.6K)
NHL DFS Wings
Evander Kane- DK $7.2K || FD $6.9K
Opponent - Vancouver Canucks
There are many great plays at Wing and they cannot all be listed for the purpose of the article. Because I chose Connor McDavid as my top Center, it only makes sense to correlate to Evander Kane. Kane averages 0.91 points per game and 3.53 shots on goal per game. With wings, it is ideal to have one that shoots over three times per game, especially when paying at the midrange or top.
Valeri Nichushkin- DK $5.4K || FD $5.9K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
Valeri Nichushkin came into his own during the playoffs and leveraged that into a nice contract for him this year. Last year he averaged 2.9 shots/game, and 0.84 points/game. He will now be playing on the second line and top power play, especially while Gabriel Landeskog is injured.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Terry (DK $3.7K || FD $5.8K), Boeser (DK $4.5K || FD $6.2K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Evan Bouchard- DK $4.7K || FD $5.6K
Opponent - Vancouver Canucks
Evan Bouchard gets a little bit overlooked. He averaged 2.51 shots on goal per game last year. For a defenseman that is great. He plays on the second power-play unit which gives him some upside. Anytime I can get a cheap defender that takes shots, I am interested. Of course, if you have a lot of salaries and want to pay up, I have no problem with Cale Makar. With my recommendations, he would not fit into my current build.
Alec Regula- DK $2.6K || FD $3.7K - DK recommend
Opponent - Colorado Avalanche
Alec Regula doesn't do much other than block shots. He has hit the blocked shots bonus on DK in three of his 15 career games played. That said, Colorado is the type of team that is going to shoot the puck a lot. If I am going to punt at any position, I need to punt at a place the player can get a bonus and Regul is a threat to get the blocked shots bonus on DK on a regular basis.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Byram (DK $3.8K || FD $5.2K), Klingberg (DK $4.5K || FD $5.5K)
NHL DFS Top Stacks
- Colorado 1 or Colorado 2: These will be popular and if you choose to stack Colorado, try to get different somewhere else.
- Carolina 1/PP1: Carolina is implied for 3.8 goals but behind Colorado, Toronto, and Edmonton, they could be a high total team with little ownership.
- Montreal 1: This is my sneaky stack of the slate. Montreal is a huge underdog in this one but is at home. This is a leverage spot to consider in a large-field GPP as Toronto will be popular. I would not use this one for a small tournament as the probability of bust is high. Montreal should be better than people expect this year.
