NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 2/16/21
Hockey is officially back! 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
Igor Shesterkin ($7,300): At -144, the New York Rangers are the largest home favorite on tonight's five-game slate. By no means is -144 a heavy favorite, but with all of the other games looking to be very close, we want to take one of the safest options on the slate. Not to mention the fact Shesterkin is only $7,300, which is a very affordable salary for a goalie.
To start the season, Shesterkin has only three wins in eight starts, but he has allowed a total of 18 goals. He needs a little bit of help from his offense, as he is holding it down in net with a .920 save percentage, along with 25 saves or more in five straight games. The volume of saves will always be there for him because the Rangers are allowing a 54.5 Corsi Against (Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. His floor of points is there from the saves, and he can access his ceiling via picking up the win points.
High-Priced Skaters
Anze Kopitar ($7,200): The Los Angeles Kings aren't a team I look to often for offensive upside, but they are in a great spot tonight. Despite being at home, the Kings are +116 underdogs with a modest 2.60 implied goal total. We want to look past those modest numbers and focus on their opponent, the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are set to play their first game since February 2nd due to several players on the COVID list. There's no way to tell if the Wild will come out a bit slow after not playing for so long, but it's not as if their defense was looking good prior to the short break.
Minnesota is allowing a 57.99 Corsi Against this season, which is the second-worst in the league. On top of that, they are also allowing the ninth-most (2.68) goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. They aren't a team to fear defensively, and that leads us to look at the Kings for some options. Kopitar is on the first forward line along with the first power-play unit, and frankly, he's just their best player. He comes into this game with 17 real NHL points, 30 shots on goal, and even 9 blocked shots through 13 games. He has one of the best matchups on the slate and isn't too expensive.
Alex Ovechkin ($8,400): The Pittsburgh Penguins are hosting the Washington Capitals tonight, and it's the only game on the slate with an over/under up at 6.5, making it a clear spot to target for fantasy production. We can always expect a high ceiling from Ovechkin on his own, but this matchup has some serious upside. Both teams are in the bottom 10 of the league when it comes to goals allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. Both sides are clearly lacking when it comes to defense, and when you have a chance to roster a player like Ovechkin, you go for it.
Ovechkin comes in with 13 NHL points and 35 shots on goal through nine games this season, all of which should increase tonight. HIs time on the first forward line and first power-play present him with plenty of upside, and the hat-trick potential is always looming, as well.
Value Skaters
Mathew Dumba ($4,000): Dumba has always been a solid option in all formats due to his floor and ceiling potential. His floor comes from the fact he is averaging 1.00 blocked shots per game and over 2.5 shots on goal per game, both of which are very solid for a player at only $4,000. Next, his ceiling is due to his time on the first power-play unit for the Wild, who hold a 2.90 implied goal total tonight. His salary is super affordable tonight and can be used in any format.
Joonas Donskoi ($3,700): With Gabriel Landeskog still out for the Colorado Avalanche, Donskoi has been moved up to the second forward line and the second power-play unit. A clear value play seeing top-six forward time can be tough to find, but Donskoi offers that tonight in a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
