RADIO
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 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 on Wednesday, May 3, 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], via Twitter @df_solutions, or in our premium Slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 5/3/23
The National Hockey League playoffs have yet to disappoint this season -- depending on who your team is -- as it flaunts its competitive parity with multiple upsets in the first round, notably Presidents’ Trophy winner Boston Bruins and reigning champions Colorado Avalanche.
During the playoffs, it is much more common to find low-scoring and heavy-hitting games. Keep in mind that teams who showcase a high aptitude to score goals will play much tighter and be a bit pickier with their shots. Tonight, we have a two-game slate as we start Round 2 of the NHL playoffs. I will do my best to guide you through this two-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.
Playoff Series Standings
New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights
Goalies
Akira Schmid - DK $7.4K || FD $7.8K
Opponent - Carolina Hurricanes
After the original starter for the Devils, Vitek Vanecek, failed massively in the playoffs, backup Akira Schmid came in to steal the show by winning four of his five appearances to backstop the Devils into Round 2. In that window, Schmid shut out the Rangers twice and only posted south of a 0.900 Save Percentage just once.
Between all goalies starting four or more games in the playoffs, Schmid is the second-best -- Shesterkin leads -- in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 with 0.889. This testifies how in-form Schmid has been and how well he is seeing the puck currently.
The Hurricanes struggled at times to score against the Islanders with questionable goaltending at best. Schmid will be a massive upgrade in the opposition’s net and will prove a formidable foe for the Hurricanes to break. As the second-least-expensive goalie on the slate, he could be an absolute steal.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Raanta (DK $8K || FD $8.2K), Skinner (DK $7.9K || FD $8K)
Centers
Jack Hughes - DK $7.6K || FD $8.4K
Opponent - Carolina Hurricanes
It remains to be seen exactly what the Hurricanes’ game plan will be for Jack Hughes; however, he will ultimately see the Canes’ second line a good bit of the series. If this remains true, Hughes should feast upon Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who has yet to prove himself in the NHL.
The speed of Hughes alone will cause fits for an aging Carolina blueline. In the seven-game series against the Rangers, he had three goals, two assists, 32 shots, and one blocked shot. That means Hughes was averaging a shot bonus per game on DraftKings -- five or more shots. That is a big floor with an expected high ceiling. For under $8K on DraftKings, it could be a slate breaker.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): McDavid (DK $10K || FD $10K), Stephenson (DK $4.3K || FD $5.7K)
Wings
Leon Draisaitl - DK $8.4K || FD $9.5K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
The German Giant played on a line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman for the last two games of the series versus the Los Angeles Kings. In those two games, he had two goals, eight shots, and one blocked shot. Now that the series is over, he may revert back to centering the second line and he would be worth the shout-out no matter what.
Although if he remains on the top line with McDavid, he is as close to a ‘lock’ as there is. Draisaitl and McDavid have proven chemistry and history that supersedes many duos in the history of the league and the Golden Knights averaged three goals against per game in a series versus a weak Winnipeg offense.
This will be a great spot to attack all series for the Oilers. In roughly seven games -- 469 TOI -- with both McDavid and Draisitl on the ice this regular season, they scored 32 goals and had an Expected Goal For Percent of 58.60.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Smith (DK $4.4K || FD $4.7K), Haula (DK $3.6K || FD $5.1K)
Defense
Brett Pesce - DK $3.4K || FD $3.9K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
Pesce is in for a busy series against the young flying Devils. The veteran defenseman had two assists, 14 shots, and nine blocked shots in six games against the Islanders. Known for his peripherals, Pesce has been highlighted a few times throughout the regular season in the articles and he has not disappointed. With multiple spots to pay up at on this small two-game slate, it is worthwhile to ‘punt’ at least once at defense to allocate salary elsewhere.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Bouchard (DK $5.3K || FD $5.5K), Martinez (DK $4.1K || FD $4.5K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- EDM1
- NJ1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- NJ: Meier-Hughes-Haula
Chalk Stack
- EDM: Draisaitl-McDavid-Bouchard
Sneaky Stack
- CAR: Drury-Staal-Necas
