NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 2/17/23
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 and 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 and take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.
Goalie to Target
Pheonix Copley ($8,400): The Los Angeles Kings are sizable -280 road favorites tonight against the lowly Anaheim Ducks, putting Copley in a spot for the win. The Ducks are the worst defensive team in the league, and it should allow the Kings' offense to rack up the goals and power Copley to the win.
For the entire season, the Ducks are allowing 3.60 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the league. In the last three weeks, they have somehow found a way to be even worse on defense (4.50 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations). The Kings are scoring 2.97 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last three weeks, which is the 10th best in the league.
This is a clear lopsided matchup in favor of the Kings, giving Copley plenty of fantasy value tonight.
High-Salaried Skaters
Brady Tkachuk ($8,800): The Ottawa Senators are rolling on offense recently, and they can certainly keep that going against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. The Sens are carrying a 3.93 implied goal total tonight, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them push past that since the Blackhawks are allowing 3.99 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations (second-worst in the NHL over the last three weeks).
We see the Senators producing 3.08 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, putting them around the best 10 teams in the league in the last three weeks. Tkachuk has played a big part in that with 14 NHL points and 40 shots on goal over his last 10 games.
His time on the first forward line and the first power-play unit put him in a spot to have a safe floor -- and reach for a fantasy ceiling -- with this type of favorable matchup in front of him.
Artemi Panarin ($7,600): Panarin might be the hottest player in the league right now, and with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers featuring a lofty 7.0-goal over/under, we want some exposure to this game. Over his last 10 games, Panarin has 15 NHL points and 25 shots on goal. That's an elite level of production.
The New York Rangers offense is firing on all cylinders right now and is scoring a whopping 4.31 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the best in the league over the last three weeks. The Oilers are also in the top 10 for Goals scored over the same time, setting things up for an explosive fantasy environment.
Connor McDavid ($10,200): Of course, it'd be silly not to mention the best player on the planet, Connor McDavid. The Oilers have lost three of their last four games and need to pick up a win to stay on pace in the Western Conference Wild Card race.
McDavid is worth every dollar of salary, entering with 16 NHL points, 53 shots on goal, and 7 blocked shots in his last 10 games. He's a multi-point game waiting to happen every single night, and with this juicy 7.0 over/under against the Rangers, he should be a priority tonight.
Value Skaters
Quinton Byfield ($3,700): Byfield is now up on the first forward line and the first power-play unit for the Kings, which is a massive role for a player under $4K. As noted above with Copley, the Ducks are the league's worst defensive team, and we should be looking to stack against them every time they are on the slate.
Byfield has a modest 5 NHL points and 22 shots on goal over his last 10 games, but the big offensive role, a very affordable salary, and a favorable matchup are too good to pass up on tonight's slate.
Tyler Seguin ($5,400): Seguin is struggling to find some offensive production right now, but this is a great matchup against the Minnesota Wild to get back on track. Seguin hasn't scored a goal in his last eight games but has 16 shots on goal while playing on the second forward line and the second power-play unit.
That's a solid offensive role and a good volume of shots; he just has a bit of bad puck luck right now. Luckily for him, the Wild have fallen apart on defense recently, allowing 3.00 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last three weeks. That's the seventh-worst in the league. This is the time for him to bounce back and create offense.
