NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 4/4/22
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
Ville Husso ($7,800): The St. Louis Blues need to pick up a win against the Arizona Coyotes tonight. That's the easy way to put it when they are -420 home favorites against one of the worst teams in the league, which should make them one of the chalkiest options on the slate.
The Blue has only won 4 of their last 10 games, and in the midst of a playoff push, this isn't a game they should be losing. The Coyotes come in scoring 2.36 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 13th lowest in the league.
Husso comes in with three wins over his last five starts, allowing three goals or fewer in three of those games. Given his surprisingly affordable salary at only $7,800, he should be a clear target for his potential win equity.
High-Salaried Skaters
Elias Lindholm ($7,800): The Calgary Flames have lost three games in a row and are a better team than what they are currently showing. All teams go through ups and downs during the course of an NHL season, and the Flames have hit a minor speedbump over the last week. It's no surprise to see that during a three-game losing streak their top players are failing to score. Lindholm has a single point and four shots on goal over the last three games -- a clear departure from where he's been all season.
Lindholm has a nice 69 NHL points in 68 games and he averages 2.7 shots on goal per game. Those are truly solid numbers for a player who is on the top forward line and the top power-play unit for one of the best offenses in the league. The Flames are scoring 2.92 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations (fourth-best in the league). That's the potential they have tonight, and they are due for a bit of positive offensive regression.
Brad Marchand ($9,100): The Boston Bruins are a borderline must-play team tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. A 3.90 implied goal total puts the Bruins as the second-highest team on the slate and a great option for all formats. Over the past three weeks, the Bruins' offense is scoring 3.75 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-best in the league in that time. This is a clear jump up from their 2.69 goals scored in the same situations for the entire season.
Long story short, they're insanely hot right now.
Marchand has 9 NHL points and 14 shots on goal in his last five games -- a level that he can not only reach but exceed tonight. The Blue Jackets are in the bottom five of the league for the most goals allowed (3.35) and Corsi Against (60.16) (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) this season.
Value Skaters
Erik Haula ($4,200): Haula has emerged as a solid secondary scorer for the Bruins and comes in with 8 NHL points and 10 shots on goal in his last five games. He's on the second forward line, and while he doesn't see power-play time, the matchup versus the Blue Jackets is too good to pass up. Ideally, you'd stack Haula with Taylor Hall ($5,800) and David Pastrnak ($8,800), since they're on the second line. Two of them are also on the first power-play unit.
Mikhail Sergachev ($4,600): The Tampa Bay Lightning are up against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where the over/under is 6.5 and could feature plenty of scoring. Whenever two of the top offenses in the league are going head-to-head, we are in a spot for plenty of scoring, plenty of fantasy points, and a potential game stack. While there are great top-tier players in this game, Sergachev is a solid point-per-dollar option to consider.
He's the defender on the second power-play unit and enters with only 2 NHL points in his last 10 games, but he has a super solid 22 shots on goal and 17 blocked shots. The secondary stats add a consistent floor of points to his game, and maybe an assist will help him reach for a ceiling.
