NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 4/23/21

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Apr 23rd, 2021
Anze Kopitar continues to be consistent for the Kings and has a good matchup versus Minnesota. Who else should you build around tonight?

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

Tuukka Rask ($8,200): Rask is the answer in net tonight, and it isn't particularly close. The Boston Bruins are massive -360 road favorites in Buffalo tonight, which makes them the largest favorite on the slate. The Minnesota Wild are the next largest favorite at -172 on the road. That is a substantial difference and should push plenty of people towards Rask as the best goalie option. He has won each of his last three games since returning from an injury, allowing a total of four goals in those games. The Sabres have a slate-low 2.00 implied goal total tonight and are not an offense you need to be worried about.

High-Priced Skaters

Anze Kopitar ($7,200): The Los Angeles Kings certainly don't move the needle in terms of exciting offenses, but they are up against the Minnesota Wild, a matchup that has proven to be solid for fantasy production this season. In the seven games between these two teams, four of them have hit the over, according to KillerSports.

Minnesota is struggling on defense right now, allowing a 59.07 Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five, which is the second-worst in the league. This should give the Kings' skaters a solid floor of points to build from, and they gain upside if the scoring is going back and forth, as we've seen in four of the seven games this season.

This is why you should target Kopitar, who is on the first forward line and the first power-play for the Kings. His ice time will continue to be very consistent and his 26 shots on goal over his last 10 games should only be increasing after tonight.

David Pastrnak ($7,600): It shouldn't come as a surprise, but when the Buffalo Sabres are on the slate, we look to roster opposing players. The Sabres are a mess of a team this season, allowing the fifth-most (2.78) goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, along with the ninth-worst (55.24) Corsi Against. We saw the Boston Bruins pile up five goals last night in this very same matchup, and we should be expecting the same result tonight. The Bruins' top line is shaping up to be one of the best stacks on tonight's slate, and it really only comes down to how much salary you have available to roster them.

Paying up for Pastrnak is always a good idea because he is one of the few players on the slate with legitimate hat trick potential. If his 41 NHL points and 143 shots on goal in 38 games this season doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.

Value Skaters

Colin Blackwell ($4,200): With a slate-high 3.57 implied goal total, the New York Rangers are an offense worth rostering tonight. Blackwell is skating on the second forward line and the second power-play all while being only $4,200, presenting a very affordable skater tonight. The matchup versus the Philadelphia Flyers is a good one, as they are allowing 3.03 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-worst in the league. Blackwell has nine NHL points in his last 10 games and should be able to continue that production tonight.

Eeli Tolvanen ($4,700): While the Nashville Predators aren't the best offensive team in the league, they have a great matchup versus the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. The Preds hold a 2.89 implied goal total, and since the Blackhawks are in the bottom 10 of the league in both Corsi Against and goals allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, they are a team worth attacking. Tolvanen is on the first forward line and the first power-play for Nashville, and he comes in with a very solid 11 NHL points and 17 shots in his last 10 games.