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Saturday features a seven-game NHL main slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings. In this article, you will find DFS advice for DraftKings plus some DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target as well.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $60K Sticks [$15K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook
Arizona Coyotes vs. San Jose Sharks over 5.5 goals (-120)
This bet paid off for us last night, and I see no reason not to chance it again here. These teams seem to be underrated in the total department right now as both feature sub-par goaltending and offenses that have performed nicely in the short term. The two teams combined for seven goals in their last game (despite only attempting 45 SOG between them) and Arizona will likely have to start third-stringer Adin Hill ($8,000) again here. Zona’s offense has also caught fire of late and has 20 goals in the past four games.
Edmonton Oilers +128 Moneyline at Toronto Maple Leafs
The Oilers are coming off a week of rest after having their series against Montreal scrapped due to COVID-19 protocols. It’s a weird situation, but they do seem to be getting discounted here a bit. Edmonton had won three in a row — and seven of the past nine games — before the break. Toronto’s offense has also gone a little sour in the short term and the Maple Leafs have only won three of their past nine games. Rust could play a factor, but Edmonton was the better team here before the break and feel like a nice ML target at these odds.
Place your NHL bets at DraftKings Sportsbook and bet online by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Top Line Stacks
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
Pius Suter ($4,100) — Patrick Kane ($7,500) — Alex DeBrincat ($7,200)
The Blackhawks suffered through a bit of a midseason slump, but they come into this game against Nashville having won two in a row. The Hawks take on a Preds team that has suffered through a terrible season and comes in with the second-worst penalty kill in the league. The Hawks’ top line has also looked strong of late as Kane comes in with four points in his past two starts and also ranks sixth in power-play points in the league. Suter has also seemed to awaken from his rookie slump of late, as he’s scored in two straight games and should benefit here from the Preds not really having a dominant center to track on the defensive side.
From an upside perspective, you have to love the combo of Kane and Debrincat against a team like the Preds, as the duo has combined for 22 multi-point games between them this year and now go against one of the worst special teams units in the league. Considering both of these high-upside wingers will see all their time together, at both even strength and on the power play, they make for a good stack with the cheap Suter, who has improved his form of late and comes with a cheap price tag to boot.
Superstar to Target
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs ($8,200)
At this point, we know that while Leon Draisaitl may not be the best player on his team he’s certainly capable of the same kind of slate-breaking nights that Connor McDavid ($9,000) has provided on a regular basis in 2021. Draisaitl enters this game averaging 3.3 SOG and 17.6 DKFP over his past 10 games. Regardless of where the winger has played — either beside McDavid or away from him as center — he has produced for daily fantasy purposes and goes up against a Toronto team that has allowed the 13th-most scoring chances and carries the 13th-worst penalty kill in the league as well.
This game has a 6.5 O/U attached and three legit studs you could target here. Draisiatl though comes with the cheapest price tag and, quite frankly, has vastly outproduced Auston Matthews ($8,900) over the past 10 games or so. Taking him as an anchor here makes sense, and you can then choose which Oiler player — McDavid, Barrie, etc. — you may want to pair him with afterward.
Value on Offense
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers ($3,900)
Robertson is becoming a staple of this section for me. The Dallas winger doesn’t have me hypnotized (I think); it’s just that his price keeps dipping when it should probably be rising. The rookie comes into this game with 11 points and averaging 3.0 SOG over his past 10 games — that equals out to him averaging 11.1 DKFP over that span. He’s coming off one of his best games of the year against the tough Lightning, where he scored a goal, grabbed an assist and produced 24.0 DKFP. Considering his growing ice time and role in the top six, there are zero reasons to avoid him here.
Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes vs. San Jose Sharks ($3,300)
The Coyotes again face the Sharks tonight, who are a great fantasy target for opposing skaters. Kessel came through for us in the value column last night (and just missed hitting on our SOG over), as he scored a goal and produced 11.5 DKFP while playing just 15 minutes. The veteran could see a little more ice time in round two of this series considering he didn’t play a ton last night and is locked into a top-six role right now for the Coyotes, who lack any real elite scoring wingers. He’s got five points in his past four games and has seen his price drop $300 off his price from yesterday. There’s no reason not to consider him again here as a nice value punt if you’re in the market.
Stud Goalies
Kevin Lankinen, Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators, ($8,100)
The Blackhawks remain one of the league’s biggest dichotomies as they allow a ton of shots against and scoring chances every night, yet their goalies remain a good target for daily fantasy purposes. Part of the reason is obvious — the more SOG allowed means the more save points we get — but the other part is the fact that Lankinen himself has been playing at an extremely high level for most of the season. The rookie comes into this game having stopped 74 of his past 76 SOG faced and bounced back nicely after a small midseason slump. The Preds’ offense has been hot of late, but, overall, this team is fourth in goals scored per game and sits just 17th in xGF%. Lankinen’s a solid target here again.
Laurent Brossoit, Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames ($7,000)
If you want to pay down in net tonight, I really don’t hate the idea of continuing to pick on the Flames’ pop-gun offense. Calgary has now scored just four goals over their past four games and ranks 22nd in goals scored per game. Brossoit — the Jets’ backup — is slated to get the start tonight, but he’s been solid in limited work, posting a .920 save percentage this year in seven appearances. The Jets are slight underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook at +108, but with no big favorite on this slate, I like paying down for the underrated Brossoit here in GPPs.
Value on Defense
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning ($3,700)
They aren’t a ton of exciting value prospects under $4K tonight on defense, but Slavin is always someone to consider when he’s priced this low. The Hurricanes' young defenseman isn’t getting the power-play exposure he was last year at this time — he only has 10 points in 29 games — but he is still getting a ton of ice time on the Canes’ top defensive pairing. Slavin’s averaging over 22 minutes of ice time over his past 10 starts and has put up a healthy 8.2 DKFP, per game over that same span as well. Even with the lack of power-play exposure, he’s been solid at getting his shot through for Carolina as he’s averaging 2.1 SOG per game over his past 10 games and should be set to play a ton of ice tonight against the tough Lightning, who feature three dangerous lines. Slavin’s currently priced at his lowest salary point in over 10 games on DraftKings and looks like a solid value target here considering the price drop. Relying on his consistency feels like a smart move if you want to pay down for a defenseman on this slate.
Power-Play Defensemen
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks ($6,300)
You don’t want to go overboard targeting the Preds’ offense on any slate, but Josi as a standalone play does offer you some nice upside. The Preds’ defenceman comes in with 11 assists over his past 10 games, averaging 3.1 SOG. He’s overdue for a little scoring breakout and faces a Chicago team that gives up the most SOG against per game, and has the fifth-worst penalty kill in the league. When we’re looking at the top defensemen on this slate, Josi has pretty much outproduced many of the other top names of late despite not having scored a goal in over 10 games now. You may not want to target Nashville for stacking purposes, but Josi remains an elite play at this price point and has one of the best matchups on the board for a skill player.
Tyson Barrie, Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs ($5,800)
I get that there could be a little risk in targeting the Oilers' top guns tonight. The team is coming off a week of COVID-19-induced rest and we have seen teams start slowly from these layoffs. Still, the price on Barrie here is too good to ignore if the narrative is our only reason to be bearish on Edmonton tonight. Barrie hasn’t gone off at under $6K in salary for over eight games and comes in averaging 3.7 SOG and 14.0 DKFP over his past 10 starts. The Leafs’ penalty kill is very gettable, and Barrie makes for a great stack with either of the Oilers’ studs tonight. Expect him to play a ton here against another solid offensive team in the Leafs after the big rest.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $60K Twine [$15K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.