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 for Saturday, March 19th, 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!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 3/19/22
With the trade deadline looming teams are starting to scratch players making it a tad bit harder to maneuver each slate, however, I will do my best in guiding you through this large eleven-game slate tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.
There are two teams playing on the second-half of a back-to-back: Ottawa and Calgary. The Canadiens and their league-worst 3.8 GA will host the inconsistent Senators, while the Maple Leafs and their league’s third-best 3.64 GF will look to continue their resurgence with a visit to Smashville.
DISCLOSURE: Things may not be the same at puck drop due to COVID-19 and injuries. Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk.
NHL DFS Goalies
Erik Kallgren- DK $7.9K || FD $8.1K
Opponent - Nashville Predators
Is there anything else to really say? Kallgren dominated since night one – excluding his rotation game against the Coyote –. Since his starting debut, he has conceded two goals and made 67 saves. Those are insane numbers, considering the team he is playing on and the number of goals they have been conceding over their last 10 – 3.81 goals per game –. Nashville’s offense has all but dried up outside of a few players and they are scoring 0.69 goals less in their last 10 games. This is a perfect opportunity for the newly found Maple Leaf's defense and Kallgren to keep the streak going. Oh, yea and there is this guy named Austin Matthews who is expected back from suspension too.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Vasilevskiy(DK $8.2K || FD $8.5K), Allen(DK $8.1K || FD $6.5K, Nedeljkovic(DK $7.6K || FD $7.3K), Gustavsson(DK $7.3K || FD $7.7K), Shesterkin(DK $7.2K || FD $8.4K)
NHL DFS Centers
Christian Dvorak-DK $3.4K || FD $3.9K
Opponent - Ottawa Senators
The Canadiens are finally getting back all of their injured players and one of them was a key acquisition in the off-season. Dvorak showed little signs of rust in his first game back since the end of January, winning 11 out of 15 faceoffs and taking 3.0 shots. Ottawa will be playing in the second-half of a back-to-back away and they are holding a few players out for potential trades while losing others to injury – Thomas Chabot –. The physicality of Dvorak and winger and linemate Brendan Gallagher will prove to be a hard duo to match up against and it will also generate very little ownership. Just need a few shots and one puck bounce.
Steven Stamkos- DK $6.7K || FD $8.3K
Opponent - New York Rangers
Stammer is back in his natural position and also playing alongside teammate Nikita Kucherov. Stamkos has proven he can be matchup proof and we are looking for exactly that when expected opposing netminder Shesterkin takes the ice Saturday night. In one game since this new line was created, Stamkos has a 0-3-3 line with 2.0 shots and 2.0 blocked shots. Yes, his stats may be slightly pumped because this happened against the Seattle Kraken, but he will be playing against familiar opposition in a fast-paced game.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Matthews(DK $9.6K || FD $10.2K), Larkin(DK $5.8K || FD $8.1K), Suzuki(DK $5.6K || FD $6.7K), McCann(DK $4.7K || FD $5.3K)
NHL DFS Wings
Cole Caufield- DK $4.9K || FD $6K
Opponent - Ottawa Senators
The Canadiens are looking in-form once again and the youngster is in the thick of it. Caufield has a stellar 4-3-7 line and 18.0 shots over his last five games. Ottawa’s defense would also be a problem, but their star player Thomas Chabot is out for the rest of the season and it will only provide Caufield a bigger chance to produce. The Great North rivalry goes decades back and we should see our fair share of chirping, as well as, goal-scoring with Caufield once again in the middle of it.
Vlasislav Namestiknov- DK $2.5K || FD $3.7K
Opponent - Seattle Kraken
This is by no means a solid option or someone that anyone can rely on. However, he plays on the top-line going against a mediocre at best Kraken defense and he is at the bottom of the salary range. There is not much to ask for here and he has been averaging 2.0 shots over his last five games. He also picked up an assist against the stingy Wild defense and Vancouver’s improving defense. Seattle is playing better defensively as well, however, their star defenseman Mark Giordano is sitting out while he waits to be traded. This is a huge piece missing for the Kraken which opens up the ice a little more for speedy teams like the Red Wings.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kucherov(DK $8K || FD $9.5K), B. Tkachuk(DK $6.7K || FD $7.2K), Nylander(DK $5.7K || FD $7.5K), Garland(DK $4.4K || FD $5K), Schwartz(DK $3.9K || FD $4.6K), Armia(DK $2.5K || FD $3.7K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Erik Brannstrom- DK $2.5K || FD $3.7K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
We are back for another go-around with Brannstrom. The young defenseman continues to sparkle and flounder at the same time while he carries the weight that teammate Thomas Chabot left behind. However, he has not disappointed just yet in his most recent bout starting last night. In 22 minutes of play, Brannstrom had 1.0 assists and 3.0 shots. With Chabot done for the season, this is the perfect chance for Brannstrom to truly show his worth.
Vince Dunn- DK $3.4K || FD $4.4K
Opponent - Detroit Red Wings
Dunn is in a similar position to what was written about Erik Brannstrom. However, instead of him replacing an injured player, he is filling in a void from a potentially traded player – Mark Giordano –. Dunn has been praised since his days as a Blue for his two-way play and it will be on full showcase for the rest of the season as he plays top-pairing minutes and quarterbacks the top power-play. Dunn can offer a moderate floor and for his salary, if we get anything outside of that it is all a bonus.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Josi(DK $8.4K || FD $7.2K), Seider(DK $5.7K || FD $6.1K), Andersson(DK $4.5K || FD $6.1K), Petry(DK $5.1K || FD $5.2K), Zub(DK $3.3K || FD $4K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- DET1
- MTL2
- OTT1
Brandon’s Stacks of the Day
OTT: Tkachuk-Norris-Brannstrom
Chalk Stack
DET: Raymond-Larkin-Seider
Sneaky Stack
MTL: Gallagher-Dvorak-Petry