Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (4/27/23): 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 Thursday, April, 27th, 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!

NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 4/27/23

The 2022-2023 National Hockey League regular season has come and gone. We had our fair share of surprise teams failing and succeeding, as well as, a few big trade splashes throughout the season. With the closure of the regular season, we welcome another run of postseason play and content. During the playoffs, it is much more common to find low-scoring and heavy-hitting games. Keep in mind that teams that showcase a high aptitude to score goals, will play much tighter and be a bit pickier with their shots. Tonight we have a 3-game slate with no teams playing on a back-to-back. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Toronto with 3.7, Vegas with 3.2 and Tampa Bay with 3. I will do my best to guide you through this three-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

Playoff Series Standings:

Tampa Bay Lightning 1 at Toronto Maple Leafs 3

New York Rangers 2 at New Jersey Devils 2

Winnipeg Jets 1 at Vegas Golden Knights 3

Goalies

Akira Schmid - DK $7.8K || FD $7.8K

Opponent - New York Rangers

After Vitek Vanecek conceded a total of 10 goals through two performances in the series, Schmid took over in net for the Devils, conceding just two goals. In a potential series-altering game tonight in New Jersey, all eyes will be on Schmid to back the Devils to a third consecutive win. Although it is a small sample size, through Schmid's two games, he is the best goalie in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 in the playoffs – 1.32 – with two or more starts.                                                                      

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Samsonov (DK $8.2K || FD $8.2K), Hellebuyck (DK $7K || FD $7.3K)

Centers

Pierre-Luc Dubois - DK $6.1K || FD $6K

Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights

Winnipeg’s playoffs are on the line tonight and they do not have Mark Scheifele. This puts the weight of Winnipeg on Dubois’s shoulders with acquired center/winger Vladislav Namestnikov performing poorly in any advanced role. In the four games this series, Dubois has 2 goals, 2 assists, 10 shots and 3 blocked shots. With several other top-tier centers on the slate, Dubois could be under-owned tonight, giving leverage and salary to spend elsewhere.                                                                          

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Matthews (DK $9.3K || FD $9.8K), Chytil (DK $4K || FD $4.1K)

Wings

Mitch Marner - DK $6.9K || FD $7.8K

Opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning

To put it plainly, Marner is a man on a mission. The Maple Leafs winger has 2 goals, 8 assists, 11 shots and 2 blocked shots in 4 appearances in the series. That is good for first in the playoffs with the most points. Now Marner and the rest of Toronto have the chance to break the first-round curse and clinch the series tonight in Toronto. This is going to be the biggest game of the slate and it would not be surprising if there is a flurry of goals with both teams desperate for the win for different reasons. As the second-highest-priced winger on the slate, it is well worth the price. Out of 180 different forward lines and defensive pairings, the first line for Toronto is the 13th-best line in Expected Goals Percentage in the playoffs – 70.6% –.                                    

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Connor (DK $6.7K || FD $7.2K), Stone (DK $5.4K || FD $5.5K)

Defense

Morgan Rielly - DK $4.8K || FD $K

Opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning

Morgan Rielly is too inexpensive on a 3-game slate. The Toronto defender may not be on the first pairing anymore, but he still quarterbacks the top power-play unit and in his four games this series, he has 2 goals, 4 assists, 7 shots and 9 blocked shots. As mentioned above, this game is expected to see plenty of events with both teams needing to win. With Rielly excelling in the peripheral department right now, this narrative will play perfectly into him maintaining value and potentially exceeding it once more.  

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Sergachev (DK $5.7K || FD $6K), Pionk (DK $4.7K || FD $5K)

NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks

• TOR1
• VGK1

Brandon's Stack of the Day

• VGK: Eichel-Stephenson-Stone

Chalk Stack

• TOR: Jarnkrok-Matthews-Marner

Sneaky Stack

• WPG: Barron-Namestnikov-Wheeler