Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (12/31/22): Daily Fantasy Hockey

Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, 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, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season 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 Saturday, 31st, 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 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 12/31/22

Happy New Year from myself and the Rotoballer Crew! Sincerely wish everyone a wonderful day and evening and hopefully you are able to enjoy some winnings along with your celebrations. Tonight will be a medium-sized 5-game slate with just one team playing on a back-to-back, Edmonton. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Calgary with 3.9, Dallas with 3.8 and Toronto with 3.5 goals. I will do my best in guiding you through this eleven-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.

DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk

Vegas Odds for the Day

Goalies

Collin Delia- DK $7.1K || FD $6.6K

Opponent - Calgary Flames

Delia has not seen much ice time this season with the big club, but in his 3 games, he has won 2 out of the three, most recently losing 4-2 to the Winnipeg Jets, while saving 35 of 38 shots. The slate offers little to nothing in terms of safety and it may be best to pay down hoping for a safe floor from saves. In 2 of Delia’s 3 games, he has averaged 31 saves.                     

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Oettinger (DK $8.4K || FD $8.2K), Murray (DK $7.8K || FD $8.4K)

Centers

Tim Stuetzle-DK $5.8K || FD $7.1K

Opponent - Detroit Red Wings

The second-year center is finding some form with 2 goals, 1 assist, 13 shots and 4 blocked shots over his last 3 games. Playing between Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux can be intimidating at times, but Stuetzle is loving the opportunity. The Red Wings are also trending in the right direction, however, their goaltending has taken a big hit losing netminder Ville Husso to injury. This provides Stuetzle and the Senators the perfect chance to strike. At his salary and the ceiling potential, this is a must-play.                         

Tomas Hertl- DK $6K || FD $6.4K

Opponent - Dallas Stars

Hertl is back in a familiar position, after being moved down to the second line to ‘spice’ things up with the Sharks’ lineup. The center did not bat an eye at the lineup juggle though, posting 2 goals, 1 assist, 2 shots and 2 blocked shots. Perhaps a move down to relieve some pressure was the perfect decision for the youngster? Either way, Dallas’ second line is one of their worst defensive lines on the team and Hertl should see a fair bit of them in this matchup, in what lies a possible ceiling performance.        

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): McDavid (DK $9.5K || FD $10.4K), Pettersson (DK $7K || FD $9.4K)

Wings

Adam Lowry- DK $2.9K || FD $5.3K

Opponent - Edmonton Oilers

With the injury bug sweeping through Winnipeg, Lowry is getting his first big chance of the season to produce in the top six. In his lone game thus far, he posted 1 assist and 4 shots. At the time of writing, Leon Draisaitl was announced as a late scratch in the Edmonton Oilers’ game against Seattle and he may very well sit this meeting out too. If that is the case, it will only boost Lowry’s value that much more. This is by far the best value play on the slate.                  

Calle Jarnkrok- DK $2.7K || FD $4.3K

Opponent - New York Islanders

We will continue the value trend with Jarnkrok. The center and now converted winger has not missed a beat since returning to the lineup. Jarnkrok has had a rough career to say the very least, finding it difficult to fit in until now. He has found a home on the Maple Leafs' second line with teammates John Tavares and Mitch Marner. In Jarnkrok’s last four games since his return, he has 3 goals, 3 assists and 6 shots. His shot volume is right around where his career average sits and we will most likely not see him produce more than that, however, he will continue to be the main beneficiary of skilled linemates.        

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Toffoli (DK $5.7K || FD $6.7K), Giroux (DK $5.2K || FD $7.2K)

Defense

Neal Pionk- DK $4.2K || FD $4.7K

Opponent - Edmonton Oilers 

Despite not feeling overly confident with the pick, Pionk is possibly the best value play at defense on the slate, barring teammate Josh Morrissey’s news. If Morrissey is not able to play due to the injury he sustained midway through the 4-2 win against Vancouver, Pionk will take over first-pair duties and he will quarterback the top power-play unit for Winnipeg. Edmonton is coming off a 7-2 win without Leon Draisaitl in the lineup and they will not have to travel for the second half of the back-to-back as it is in Edmonton. Pionk will certainly have his hands full. Over his last five games, he has 7 shots and 9 blocked shots.      

Morgan Rielly- DK $4.3K || FD $6.3K

Opponent - Colorado Avalanche

I personally am not a fan of Rielly due to his past, however, I can get past that when his salary is so low and he is producing in all facets of the game. The defenseman returned in what was a rather jaw-dropping 6-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. In that game, Rielly had 1 assist, 4 shots and 2 blocked shots. Rielly is currently quarterbacking the second power-play, however, it is only a matter of time until he finds himself back on the top power play for the Maple Leafs. We need to take advantage of the ‘cheaper’ salary while we have it.       

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Makar (DK $6.9K || FD $7.6K), Chabot (DK $5.8K || FD $5.7K)

NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks

• OTT1
• TOR1
• VAN1

Brandon's Stack of the Day

• WPG: Connor-Dubois-Pionk

Chalk Stack

• OTT: B.Tkachuk-Stuetzle-Giroux

Sneaky Stack

• EDM: Bouchard-McLeod-Yamamoto