NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 11/5/21
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
Juuse Saros ($7,600): The Nashville Predators are slight +115 road underdogs, and Saros is worth a shot in tournaments tonight. I don't always like to target road goalies, but it's a solid matchup for Saros, so let's jump in.
He'll be up against the Vancouver Canucks, who come in with just a 51.82 Corsi For (Total Shot Attempts Created) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations -- the ninth-lowest in the league. They are also only scoring the sixth-fewest (1.81) Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, showing a clear lack of danger for opposing goalies.
Saros has looked good as of late with 3 wins in his last three starts and 34 saves or more in two of those three games. He has a strong floor of points, and the fantasy ceiling is there if he picks up the win.
High-Priced Skaters
Kyle Connor ($8,800): The Winnipeg Jets have a strong 3.34 implied goal total tonight and should be one of the chalkiest teams on the slate. I'm looking to fully stack the Jets in multiple ways tonight due to their favorable matchup versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago is allowing a league-worst 4.04 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. It shouldn't come as a surprise, but the Blackhawks are also in the bottom-10 of the league in Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed).
Connor has 37 shots on goal in nine games (4.1 per game) this season and was held without a shot on goal in his most recent game on Tuesday night. Given the soft matchup, you expect Connor to bounce back and get back closer to his season average of shots on goal per game. He also has 14 NHL points in these nine games -- largely due to his time on the first forward line and the second power-play unit that gives him multi-point upside.
Anze Kopitar ($8,200): As home favorites (-132), the Los Angeles Kings have a few options to consider tonight versus the New Jersey Devils. Kopitar is skating on the first forward line and the first power-play for the Kings, which has enabled him to get off to a hot start this season. Kopitar has 13 NHL points in 10 games along with 32 shots on goal. Surprisingly, the Kings hold the eighth-best (58.69) Corsi For this season. That's a stark increase from being a bottom-10 team last year.
If the Kings -- and Kopitar -- are going to continue to take plenty of shot attempts on a nightly basis, he can be considered a strong option in all formats. He could also go a bit overlooked tonight given the other strong options at center.
Value Skaters
Troy Terry ($5,200): There's no doubt the Arizona Coyotes are the worst team in the league, so yeah, we want to attack them each and every night. I'm not saying the Anaheim Ducks are some amazing offensive team -- they're not -- but the matchup against the Coyotes is almost too good to pass up. Arizona is allowing the fifth-most (2.94) Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this season, so they are more than worth targeting on a smaller five-game slate. Terry has a strong 12 NHL points and 21 shots on goal through the first 10 games of the season; he is seeing time on the first forward line and the first power-play unit as well.
Barclay Goodrow ($3,800): With a new set of updated lines, the New York Rangers have Goodrow skating on the first forward line. While this might not last forever, we want to take value while we can. Goodrow is up against the Edmonton Oilers in a game with a healthy 6.5 over/under. The Oilers are in the bottom-10 in the league in both Corsi Against and Goals allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this season, so while Goodrow doesn't see any power-play time, he should still have plenty of chances in a favorable matchup.
