NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 4/7/21
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
Adin Hill ($6,700): With so many stars on tonight's slate, saving some salary at goalie could help with roster construction. Hill is very cheap for a goalie and is only a +108 road underdog versus the Los Angeles Kings tonight, putting him in a very close game and potentially coming away with the win. He has picked up the win in six of his last seven starts while allowing two goals or fewer in five of those seven games. The Kings are only scoring 2.06 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this season, which is the sixth-lowest in the league. He has a very soft matchup tonight and a very favorable salary to match.
High-Priced Skaters
Auston Matthews ($8,800): When Matthews is on a hot streak as he is now, you don't want to be fading him. He comes in with 11 NHL points, 38 shots on goal, and 11 blocked shots in his last 10 games which is simply amazing. He has posted double-digit FanDuel points or more in 8 of these 10 games and has hit a ceiling of 30+ FanDuel points twice. The Toronto Maple Leafs are scoring 2.70 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-best in the league.
With his role on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, Mattews should continue to produce plenty of fantasy points. The Maple Leafs come in with a 3.01 implied goal total, which is the second-highest on tonight's slate, and you better believe Matthew will have a hand in reaching that total.
Cale Makar ($5,600): If you want to pay up at defense tonight, Makar is the answer. Makar has shown to be one of the elite defenders in the league, despite it being only his second year in the NHL. He is consistently producing in terms of real hockey but that translates directly to fantasy points. A total of 11 NHL points, 27 shots on goal, and 9 blocked shots in his last 10 games shows his game-by-game consistency.
The Colorado Avalanche come in with a slate-high 3.11 implied goal and that is where we see them almost every single slate. This is because they lead the league with 3.08 goals scored per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations along with a league-high 64.28 Corsi For (Total Shot Attempts Created). They are the gold standard when it comes to offense and getting exposure to them in any way is a great option.
Value Skaters
Cody Glass ($3,200): Glass is a great punt option at center tonight since he is on the first forward line for the Vegas Golden Knights. He also sees time on the second-play unit but ultimately that doesn't matter too much. You are punting down to his salary to have the salary flexibility to pay up for his linemates Max Pacioretty ($7,600) and Mark Stone ($7,000).
Jake Muzzin ($4,000): Muzzin is a really easy answer when it comes to value at defense tonight. He is a player with a solid floor of points but a low ceiling. Over his last 10 games, he only has 3 NHL points, which isn't great, but he comes in with 18 shots on goal and a whopping 19 blocked shots. Those are great peripheral stats that lead him to having a solid floor every night. The glimpse of upside comes from his role on the second power-play unit but don't rely on that.
