NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 3/3/21

Hockey is officially back! NHL DFS is similar to MLB in terms of how you build lineups, how you view stacking, and how to value players.

Two main points to always focus on in NHL DFS are what lines the players are on and making sure the goalies you are rostering are confirmed as the starters. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com or DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team, along with which goalies are confirmed as the starters.

Let's jump in to take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.

Goalie to Target

Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,500): The Vegas Golden Knights are -156 home favorites tonight against the Minnesota Wild, presenting a winnable matchup for Fleury. First off, the Wild have been looking good as of late and certainly much better this season than many thought they would be. The Wild are currently 15th in the league when it comes to Corsi For (Shot Attempts Created), which should give Fleury plenty of chances to rack up the saves. That is always good to see, since a high volume of saves, combined with a win will allow him to access his ceiling of fantasy points.

Fleury comes in with three straight wins where he has given up a total of six goals and recorded 26 saves or more in each game. We should be expecting much of the same from him tonight and he should be viable in all formats.

High-Priced Skaters

Nathan MacKinnon ($8,400): With a slate-high 3.79 implied goal total, the Colorado Avalanche are a clear team to ride with tonight. The Avs are going up against the San Jose Sharks, who are allowing the sixth-most (56.6) Corsi Against (Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this season. That has led to them allowing the second-most (3.11) goals per 60 minutes while also in five-on-five situations. The Sharks have one of the worst defenses in the league and stacking against them should be a popular option tonight.

This leads us to MacKinnon, who is on the first forward line and the first power-play unit for Colorado. MacKinnon is having another strong season with 21 NHL points through 18 games, along with averaging over 4.2 shots on goal per game. Ideally, you'd pay up and stack him with Mikko Rantanen ($8,000) and Gabriel Landeskog ($6,200), but that comes at a very high cost.

David Perron ($7,200): The St. Louis Blues have one of the best matchups on the slate, and you should trust them in all formats. The Blues find themselves on the road as -156 favorites against the lowly Anaheim Ducks, a team always worth attacking. Why are the Ducks worth attacking? They are in the bottom 10 of the league in both Corsi Against and goals allowed, both per 60 minutes at even-strength.

This means looking to any of the top skaters from the Blues should be a solid choice in cash games and that should start with Perron. He comes in with a very solid 11 NHL points and 27 shots on goal over his last 10 games, and is doing so via the second forward line and the first power-play unit.

Value Skaters

Matthew Grzelcyk ($4,100): With Grzelcyk expected back in the lineup tonight, he makes a clear value tonight for the Boston Bruins. He should be back skating on the first power-play unit, which is truly where he gets his value and upside. Getting exposure to David Pastrnak ($8,500), Patrice Bergeron ($7,600), and Brad Marchand ($7,800) via Grzelcyk's cheaper salary is amazing. This four-man stack is a great power-play option on any night, especially when they are holding a 3.53 implied goal total and in a game with a 6.5 over/under.

Zach Hyman ($4,800): With a 6.5 goal over/under, the Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers' matchup should have plenty of scoring. We know there are plenty of high-priced skaters in this game but getting some exposure here by the way of value is a great choice. Although Hyman is skating on the third forward line and the second power-play unit for the Leafs, he is managing to be very productive on most nights. He comes in with a solid 6 NHL points, 18 shots on goal, and even 9 blocked shots over his last 10 games.