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Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Mark and I write NFL, MLB, and NHL on Rotoballer. I play NHL DFS almost daily, and am excited to bring you my thoughts on today's slate! This is the last week of the NHL regular season so let's make it a profitable one
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel on Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 7:30 PM EST. Be sure to also check out our awesome suite of NHL DFS lineup tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS 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 on Twitter @Mark_Kieffer or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 4/27/22
We have a five-game slate tonight. We have games starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern staggered to starting at 10:00 pm Eastern. Be aware of when the games start for your stacks, one-offs, and goalie. The best thing you can do is check 20-30 minutes before the puck drops for each game to ensure everyone in your lineup is playing! Nothing is more frustrating than having a great lineup and getting a zero from any position but especially goalie!
NHL DFS Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck - DK $8.0K || FD $7.6K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
Connor Hellebuyck has had an up and down year. He is 28-27-10 with a 3.00 GAA, four shutouts, and a .910 SV%. He averages 29.7 saves per game and this is a game that Winnipeg is favored to win. Due to the high number of saves per game and the likeliness of Winnipeg winning this game, Hellebuyck is my favorite play at goalie on the slate.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Wedgewood (DK $8.5K || FD $7.9K), Georgiev (DK $8.4K || FD $8.6K), Quick (DK $7.9K || FD $7.4K). It's a shortlist, there are only a handful of these guys I trust on this slate.
NHL DFS Centers
When rostering a Center you have to decide if you are going to pair or stack with a winger. If pairing or stacking, you can go for a pass-first center that will be a little less expensive in hopes of them getting an assist to the winger(s) you have. If you are looking for a Center as a stand-alone player, I recommend rostering Centers that are expected to take a lot of shots on goal. Below you will find recommendations that fall into both camps.
Mika Zibanejad - DK $7.3K || FD $7.6K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
We are at the point in the season where most teams do not have much to play for. Had the Hurricanes lost to New York last night, then this would be a big spot for New York to potentially have a chance to win their division. But now it is difficult to know what will happen here. New York might rest a guy or two, it's hard to know how motivated they will be. Regardless, Zibanejad is the best center on the slate if he is indeed playing.
Pierre-Luc Dubois - DK $5.6K || FD $6.1K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
This is more of a pick by default. Dubois is a better value relative to his salary compared to most of the options out there. He averages 10.7 DraftKings points and 12.93 FanDuel points per game.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Eichel (DK $7.2K || FD $8.0K), Hintz (DK $7.0K || FD $6.8K - better on FD), Kopitar (DK $6.4K || FD $6.4K), Seguin (DK $5.8K || FD $5.1K), Danault (DK $5.7K || FD $5.6K), Stephenson (DK $3.9K || FD $5.2K)....
NHL DFS Wings
Generally, with wingers, I want players that are likely to take many shots on goal at a reduced price. I play tournaments and generally stack, but if I am playing a winger as a one-off I want a guy that is going to shoot a lot and hopefully scores.
Patrick Kane - DK $7.5K || FD $8.0K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
Patrick Kane averages 1.21 points per game and 3.70 shots on goal per game. This is a tough spot for Vegas, just lost in a shoot-out to Dallas and has to travel to Chicago and play another pivotal game. Even if Vegas wins, this could be high-scoring and sloppy. This is a good spot for Kane.
Joe Pavelski - DK $6.3K || FD $6.7K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
The Stars just got a big win over Dallas to stay in control of their playoff destiny but they need to win this game to clinch a playoff berth. Pavelski averages one point per game and 2.68 shots on goal per game. He presents a good value on the slate.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Pacioretty (DK $7.2K || FD $7.8K), Connor (DK $7.1K || FD $8.8K), DeBrincat (DK $6.8K || FD $7.0K), Ehlers (DK $6.6K || FD $7.7K), Marchessault (DK $6.0K || FD $6.5K), Stone (DK $4.8K || FD $5.6K), Caufield (DK $4.5K || FD $5.5K), Dadonov (DK $3.8K || FD $4.9K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
My general rule of thumb with Defensemen is if I am spending up at the position, I want that player to be on the Powerplay with a chance to score a goal. This is also a position I will punt quite a bit at. If I am punting, I want a player that is projected to get a good amount of ice time and has a chance to get a blocked shot bonus on DraftKings. I also try to find defensemen on a power play (might be the 2nd one) if I can.
This slate does not have a lot of great defenseman value at the top of the salary and I would advise to either punt here or add a power-play defenseman to a stack if playing a GPP.
Alex Pietrangelo- DK $6.4K || FD $6.3K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
Alex Pietrangelo averages 0.56 points per game, 2.82 shots on goal per game, and 2.05 blocked shots per game. As stated before, Vegas will be motivated and I like rostering defensemen that can pick up fantasy points in a variety of ways.
Sean Durzi - DK $5.1K || FD $5.3K
Opponent - Seattle Kraken
Sean Durzi averages 0.44 points per game, 1.82 shots on goal, and 1.82 blocked shots per game. He can score fantasy points in a variety of ways and he also is on the power play. Seattle is not a very good team and Los Angeles should have a good night on the ice.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Fox (DK $6.7K || FD $6.8K), Jones (DK $6.1K || FD $6.0K), Trouba (DK $5.9K || FD $5.3K), Theodore (DK $5.5K || FD $5.8K), Martinez (DK $4.0K || FD $4.2K), Larsson (DK $3.5K || FD $4.2K).
NHL DFS GPP Strategy
This will come as no surprise, I am a single entry and 3 max DFS player, but I will look to fade all of those lowest implied total teams and try to target stacks in the high implied total games.
As stated before, we are at the point in the season where some teams are motivated and some are not. Some individual players are trying to hit milestones (such as Matthews last night with 60 goals) while others are not.
When I look at the context of what is going on in the NHL and the schedule, I want to have players on the Stars, Golden Knights, and the Kings. The Stars will clinch the playoffs with a win, Vegas will be motivated because if they win out and Dallas loses out, they make it in the playoffs. And the Kings are currently the No. 6 seed in the West, however, they are just one point ahead of Nashville and Dallas, and will want to win to maintain a better seed in the playoffs.
This makes me interested in Dallas 1/PP1, Vegas 1 and 2, and Los Angeles 1 and 2. If I were to play multiple lineups, I would mix and match pieces from these teams and roster with different goaltenders.
