Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (12/9/22): 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 Friday, 9th, 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 12/9/22

The wild outcomes continue to flood each slate leading up to the holiday roster freeze. As we approach Christmas, teams will be upset and many will use their current success and failure as a measuring point for their next steps after the freeze is over. This includes roster moves up to the hour prior to puck drop if the player is close enough and it requires Daily Fantasy Players to be more mindful of last-minute news. Tonight we will continue to roll out the large slates with multiple prime matchups. There will be one team playing on a back-to-back, Winnipeg. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Calgary with 4.1, Boston with 4 and Pittsburgh with 3.6 goals. I will do my best in guiding you through this ten-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

NHL DFS Goalies

Igor Shesterkin- DK $7.7K || FD $7.8K

Opponent - Colorado Avalanche

Never did I think I would ever highlight or consider a goalie against the Avalanche, but yet here we are. Shesterkin is playing out of his mind right now despite the Rangers’ defense being subpar. Luckily for them, they get the MacKinnonless Avalanche who got throttled by the Bruins in their first game with MacKinnon. Colorado has struggled this year at times when MacKinnon played and they looked all out of sorts without the star center. The Rangers are also playing much better with their new lineup. This is a great spot for a goalie in a manageable salary range.                

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Swayman (DK $8.2K || FD $8.5K), Vanecek (DK $8.1K || FD $8.1K)

NHL DFS Centers

Tomas Hertl-DK $5.3K || FD $6.6K

Opponent - Anaheim Ducks

There is absolutely zero reason that Hertl should be affordable right now. The center for the Sharks is on a tear and he currently sits next to one of the hottest wingers in the league – Timo Meier –. Hertl in his last five games, has 4 goals, 2 assists, 24 shots and 2 blocked shots. To provide more context, Hertl has scored 2 goals twice and assisted 2 goals once, so all of his points are coming in bunches at the current time. However, he is still averaging 4 shots on goal which is 1 shot shy of the goal bonus on DraftKings. Hertl is playing in one of the better matchups on the slate tonight against the defenseless Ducks who are the worst in the league in Shots Against Per 60 – 37.13 –, Scoring Chances Against Per 60 – 35.68 – and the second-worst in Goals Against Per 60 – 4.07 –.                   

Trevor Zegras- DK $5.7K || FD $5.1K

Opponent - San Jose Sharks

We will look to the other end of the ice with the Anaheim Ducks. Eetu Makaniemi looks to be making his first career start in the NHL tonight with James Reimer still on the IR and Kaapo Kahkonen getting a night off. This could not be any bigger of an opportunity for Zegras and the Ducks. Makaniemi came in to relieve Kaapo Kahkonen two nights ago and he conceded 2 goals on 8 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss. Zegras has slowed down with 1 goal, 1 assist and 11 shots over his last five games. However, this is the ideal bounce-back spot in what should be a shootout.     

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kadri (DK $6K || FD $7.3K), Krejci (DK $4.9K || FD $6.5K)

NHL DFS Wings

David Pastrnak- DK $8.8K || FD $10.2K

Opponent - Arizona Coyotes

Some may agree and some may disagree, but Pastrank is undoubtedly carrying the Bruins’ offense right now. The winger is in incredible form and he has 5 goals, 1 assist and 23 shots over his last five games. What makes this form even better is that he only went one game where he did not score a goal and he currently is on a 3-game goal streak. The Coyotes have improved in all facets of the game, however, they are still conceding too many goals. Pastrnak will have every opportunity to produce in this juicy matchup.            

Alexis Lafreniere- DK $3.5K || FD $4.4K

Opponent - Colorado Avalanche

Lafreniere and the Rangers’ first-line should be seeing the Avalanche’s top-line for the bulk of the game and it is one of the best line matchups on the slate. MacKinnon held the top-line together defensively with both Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen playing little defense. Now MacKinnon is gone and Rantanen is the best defensive option they have. This is providing a plethora of chances for whichever line faces them – 41 Relative Fenwick Against Per 60 to be exact –. In Lafreniere’s first game since his promotion back to the top-line he had 1 goal and 2 shots in a 5-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights.            

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Draisaitl (DK $8.7K || FD $10.3K), Rust (DK $5K || FD $5.3K)

NHL DFS Defensemen

Jeff Petry- DK $5.3K || FD $4.6K

Opponent - Buffalo Sabres

Since Tuesday’s article Petry has barely seen a salary rise despite putting together a solid outing – 3 shots and 5 blocked shots –. As stated in that article, Petry is a peripheral guy through and through and points come second. Nevertheless, Letang is still out for the Penguins and Petry continues to oversee all of his duties, including the power-play. Buffalo is an offense-heavy team and they will be taking plenty of shots for Petry to block. Furthermore, he should also have plenty of chances to shoot as well with this most likely turning into a shootout.          

Rasmus Andersson- DK $5.2K || FD $6.6K

Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets

Andersson has seen a resurgence in form and with it, so have the Flames. The defender who oversees the top power-play and the top-pairing has 2 goals, 4 assists, 11 shots and 12 blocked shots over his last five games. The Blue Jackets are one of the worst defensive teams in the league whether they are healthy or not. They are the second-worst in Shots Against Per 60 – 34.5 –, eighth-worst in Scoring Chances Against Per 60 – 30.7 – and the worst in Goals Against Per 60 – 3.7 –. This is a prime spot for Andersson to lead Calgary’s attack from the blueline while gathering peripherals.  

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Karlsson (DK $8K || FD $8.2K), Morrissey (DK $6.5K || FD $6.1K)

NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks

• ANA1
• SJ1
• CGY1
• WPG1
• PIT1

Brandon's Stack of the Day

• NYR: Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Kakko

Chalk Stack

• CGY: Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli

Sneaky Stack

• NJ: Bratt-Hughes-Mercer