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 Thursday, 9th, 2023 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 3/9/23
The trade market has officially come and gone and teams are gearing up for a tough stretch of very meaningful games and playoffs in hopes of a date with Lord Stanley. Tonight we have a 10-game slate with no teams playing on a back-to-back. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: New York with 4.2, Carolina with 4.1 and Boston with 3.7. 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
Goalies
Frederik Andersen- DK $8.5K || FD $7.7K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
Despite Pyotr Kochetkov getting called up on an emergency basis, Andersen is expected to start here. The netminder is on fire through his last five games, conceding just 8 goals and both of his losses were the only games he produced a Save Percentage lower than 0.900. This is arguably the best matchup at goalie tonight. Carolina is playing lights out in general and more specifically at home, outscoring opponents 20 to 5 in their last five games. Furthermore, Philadelphia has been outscored 10 to 25 while playing away in their last five games and over the season, they are the fifth-worst team in Goals For Per 60 – 2.18 –. Look no further and plug-in Andersen.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Saros (DK $8.2K || FD $8.5K), Kahkonen (DK $7.6K || FD $6.7K)
Centers
Sebastian Aho-DK $6.9K || FD $7.5K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are not a bad defensive team, however, they are also not great. The most concerning part of their game though are the amount of High Danger Chances Against Per 60 – bottom ten in the league with 12.63 –. The Hurricanes are the best team in the league in High Danger Chances For Per 60 – 15.11 – and as aforementioned above, they have scored 20 goals in their last five games. In that span, Aho has 2 goals, 1 assist and 15 shots. It is only a matter of time until he starts to put the puck in the net again and this is the ideal spot for a big bounce-back game.
Nico Hischier- DK $6.9K || FD $7.7K
Opponent - Washington Capitals
Hopefully many will be off the Devils after they got stymied in an impressive game by the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, however, this is a great spot for them in Washington. The Capitals have been outscored 14 to 19 in their last five games at home and expected starter Darcy Kuemper has conceded 16 goals in his last five games. Through that same span, Hischier has 3 goals, 2 assists, 19 shots and 5 blocked shots. Hischier and winger Dawson Mercer have become a formidable duo on the top line – 6 goals, 7 assists, 35 shots and 7 blocked shots in the last five games – and it is expected that they will continue that tonight.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Trocheck (DK $5.4K || FD $7K), Thomas (DK $4.4K || FD $5.9K)
Wings
William Eklund- DK $3.1K || FD $3K
Opponent - St Louis Blues
Eklund is nothing more than ‘a fingers crossed and hopes it works out play’. The rookie is getting a true look in a top-six role now that Timo Meier has been moved. In three games, Eklund has 1 assist, 5 shots and 2 blocked shots. His overall offensive game is not there yet and it shows on the ice, however, that is expected and this is a big matchup that should see a plethora of goals. In the last five games for St Louis at home, they have been outscored 12 to 17 and expected starter Jordan Binnington has conceded 19 goals in his last five appearances. Despite it being in Arizona, remember that the Blues just lost 6-2 to the Coyotes on Tuesday night. A similar goal total is expected in this game and Eklund will have numerous chances to be involved in the scoring.
Andrei Svechnikov- DK $6.5K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
To finish the Hurricanes off, we have Svechnikov who is yet another player that has dropped in form recently. In his last five appearances, he has 1 goal, 2 assists and 15 shots. As mentioned in Aho’s highlight, the Flyers are a bad team when it comes to High Danger Chances Against Per 60 and Svechnikov loves to get in tight with close-proximity shots. This should bode well for the winger who is in need of a big bounce-back game.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kane (DK $6.4K || FD $7.5K), Killorn (DK $4.5K || FD $4.7K)
Defense
Rasmus Sandin- DK $3.7K || FD $4.9K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
Sandin is the addition the Capitals needed that they didn’t know they needed. The defenseman has 1 goal, 4 assists, 1 shot and 1 blocked shot in two games with Washington. As stated in a previous article, his peripherals are not where we need them to be and surprisingly they are low for how involved he is. However, he has cemented a spot on the top pairing and top power-play unit for the Capitals. For under $4K on DraftKings, this is as close to a ‘lock’ as you can get for a defenseman tonight. The meeting with the Devils is expected to be a high-event and fast-paced matchup, providing multiple chances for Sandin to maintain value.
Torey Krug- DK $4.4K || FD $5.7K
Opponent - San Jose Sharks
The second defenseman on the roster tonight is up in the air and DFS players can go a few different routes. However, we will target an expected high-goal total in St Louis. Krug has been a shell of his former self since leaving Boston. Despite having his best season in terms of points with St Louis last year – 48 points in 64 games –, he has not been the same peripheral player. In his last five games, he has 1 assist, 9 shots and 5 blocked shots. The Sharks have been outscored 9 to 15 in their last five away games and over expected starter Kaapo Kahkonen’s last five games, he has conceded 21 goals – the highest on the slate –. Krug will have multiple chances to hold value tonight.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Orlov (DK $4.7K || FD $5.5K), Gostisbehere (DK $5.2K || FD $5.9K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- NJ1
- CAR1
- COL1
- BOS1
- TB1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- NJ: Meier-Hughes-Hischier
Chalk Stack
- CAR: Svechnikov-Aho-Teravainen
Sneaky Stack
- TB: Kucherov-Point-Killorn