NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 5/4/21

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

Ilya Sorokin ($8,200): The New York Islanders are -290 road favorites tonight, as they are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres for the second straight day. The Isles lost last night 4-2, giving up four straight goals in the process. It was an ugly game for them, there's no way around it, but you should look right back to them tonight. The Sabres aren't a good team, and the Isles are much better than them. It's really that simple -- one bad game shouldn't have us running in the opposite direction. The Sabres are only scoring 1.83 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the league. Side with the better team tonight and take the overall consistency the Isles bring rather than look too much into last night's game.

High-Priced Skaters

David Pastrnak ($7,600): Pastrnak should be scoring more goals. That can sound silly since Pastrnak is one of the best goal scorers in the league, but he can simply be doing more. Over his last 10 games, he has only 3 goals but has recorded 36 shots on goal. With his role on the first forward line and the first power-play unit for the Boston Bruins, he has all of the chances he could possibly want but hasn't been able to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.

With a solid 3.26 implied goal total tonight, the Bruins should be in a spot to post plenty of goals against the New Jersey Devils, who they beat last night 3-0. Even with the variable production in recent games, you should continue looking towards Pastrnak, one of very few players on the slate who has hat trick potential.

Andrei Svechnikov ($5,900): Svechnikov and the Carolina Hurricanes hold a slate-high 3.91 implied goal total, which should make them one of the chalkiest teams on the slate. They are taking on the Chicago Blackhawks for the second time in as many days and showed their potential last night with a 5-2 win. Svechnikov is another player who could/should be producing more on offense considering his role on the first forward line and the first power-play unit.

The Chicago defense is absolutely terrible this season, allowing a 57.43 Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-worst in the league. On top of that, they are now allowing 11.82 High-Danger Scoring Chances per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the league. The volume of shot attempts they give up on a nightly basis presents a massive opening for any opposing team, and the Canes should be able to repeat their production from last night.

Value Skaters

Martin Necas ($4,400): Necas skates on the second forward line and the second power-play unit for the Hurricanes, making him another option to consider from their lineup tonight. I'm all about the Canes on this slate, and you should look to get exposure to their lineup in multiple different ways. If you want to pay up for their top line, that is great, and if you want to take some savings and go with Necas on the second power-play, that is also great. As noted above, the Blackhawks are terrible on defense, so it really doesn't matter how you choose to attack them.

Kasperi Kapanen ($4,500): When the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers play it's all about offense. Six of the seven meetings this season have seen the over hit, including last night with a 7-2 win for the Flyers. Despite what we saw from the Penguins last night, they are the team to trust tonight. The Flyers are allowing 3.00 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the league. Simply put, I don't care that the Penguins' offense didn't get it going last night, and they are worth stacking tonight. If you can't pay up for their top stars, look to Kapanen, who is on the second forward and the second power-play unit.