NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 4/10/19

The NHL playoffs kick off with a five-game slate tonight. Is Nikita Kucherov worth paying up for against the Blue Jackets and their strong penalty kill?

A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?

It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel because it's a ton of fun.

And our analysis and projections can help you win. To help, let's take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.

Goalie to Target

Robin Lehner ($7,700): The New York Islanders goalie projects to start against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. Lehner won five of his last six starts, scoring two shutouts in that span. There will be an electric atmosphere on Long Island, and even Pittsburgh knows what a horror that place can be to play in. Playoff hockey is a different animal and it is something the Islanders goalie has never experienced. However, Lehner overcame so much to get to this point. His ability to keep New York in games will be vital in this series, and especially Game 1. For a more risky tournament option, Martin Jones at just $7,400 is worth a gamble, while Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9,200) can give you a strong floor for cash games.

High-Priced Skaters

Mark Scheifele ($7,500): The forward has been playing well lately, with three real-world points in his last two games, firing at least three shots on goal in each of his last four. Winnipeg's top line enjoys a solid matchup against the St. Louis Blues and their beatable middle-six. Ideally, Craig Berube would like to go strength on strength. However that is not popular early on in this game. The only risk going up against St. Louis is the fact that they have allowed barely 25 shots per game since February 1st. However, with the top Winnipeg line starting to wake up over the past week, this may not be such a bad option. Sidney Crosby ($8,800) is another easy to slot in option.

Nikita Kucherov ($9,000): Kucherov enjoys a home matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets team that does have some risk. Columbus does not take a ton of penalties and has an excellent penalty kill. However, the triumvirate of Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point on the power play can strike at any time. The Tampa Bay Lightning second line is expensive, but watch to see who is on the left wing. That could provide value which can make it easier to afford Kucherov. Columbus does allow more shots per 60 at even strength on the road, but gives up more goals at home. In the playoffs, sometimes you just have to roll with who got you there. Viktor Arvidsson ($7,600) can also offer some scoring upside, delivering an amazing goal-to-game ratio for the Nashville Predators.

Value Skaters

Alexandre Texier ($3,000): Columbus will be shied away from against the Lightning, but remember the Blue Jackets are capable of scoring goals. Texier was one of the best players in the AHL, and that has translated a bit into the NHL. The forward has 3-plus shots in each of his first two games. His low ice-time makes him risky, but as a minimum-salary punt play, the flexibility he gives you under the cap is worth that risk. Casey Cizikas ($3,600) is also worth a look from the fourth line of the Islanders.

Brandon Pirri ($3,400): Pirri had been such a DFS darling in those first ten games that most forget he has been pretty good of late, hitting value in three of his last five games. The San Jose Sharks will give up their fair share of chances and the speed of Pirri will put some fear into the hearts of Sharks' players. Marcus Sorensen ($3,600) could be a flier to take on the wing from San Jose against the bottom pairings of the Vegas Golden Knights defense.



Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel