NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 3/10/22
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
Juuse Saros ($7,700): The Nashville Predators are strong -188 home favorites and taking on a weak Anaheim Ducks team tonight, putting Saros in a spot to come away with a win. The Ducks are scoring 2.28 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 13th lowest in the league. The Preds find themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the league, allowing only 2.19 goals against per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, making them the sixth-best in the league.
Saros has looked good in recent games, allowing three goals or fewer in 6 of his last 10 starts, which is certainly a level he can maintain in an easier matchup. Given his lower salary, Saros fits nicely into many lineup builds due to the number of top-tier players you should be aiming to pay up for tonight.
High-Priced Skaters
Aleksander Barkov ($9,300): It shouldn't come as a surprise, but the Florida Panthers come in with a massive 4.11 implied goal total tonight. They are the league's best offense, scoring a whopping 3.50 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. They bring the offense each and every night, and you certainly want some exposure to their lineup when they have a soft matchup, such as this one against the Philadelphia Flyers. This season, the Flyers are allowing a 60.02 Cosi Against (total shot attempts allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fourth-worst in the league.
As you would expect, the Flyers are also giving up a lot of goals due to the high Corsi Against and sit at 2.62 goals allowed in the same situations. It's a defense we've been attacking all season, and there's no reason to stop now. Barkov comes in with 17 NHL points and 35 shots on goal in his last 10 games. He's consistently one of the best fantasy options on the slate, and we should see that on display tonight with an easy matchup.
Brad Marchand ($8,700): Marchand needs to start scoring more goals. He has a total of two goals in his last 11 games, and that's simply far below where he should be. Marchand has been one of the best goal scorers in the NHL for multiple seasons, and he's in a bit of a slump right now. The encouraging sign is that he has 42 shots on goal over the 11 games, showing that he's still firing the puck, something we love to see.
Breaking out of the slump could happen tonight versus the Chicago Blackhawks, who are in the bottom 10 of the league in both goals allowed (2.73) and Corsi Against (57.68), making this one of the easier matchups on the slate.
Value Skaters
Adam Lowry ($4,500): Lowry has a surprising 7 NHL points and 22 shots on goal over his last 10 games, making him a nice value option to target tonight. The Winnipeg Jets have a soft defensive matchup versus the New Jersey Devils, who allow the second-most (3.18) goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this season. The game has a big 7.0 over/under, and with Lowry skating on the third forward line and the second power-play unit, he should have plenty of opportunities to find the score sheet against this weak defense.
Frederick Gaudreau ($4,600): The Minnesota Wild have a strong 3.62 implied goal total and are -178 road favorites against the Detroit Red Wings. This is one of the more straightforward matchups on the slate, as it's a very strong offense going up against a very weak defense. A total of 3.26 goals scored per 60 minutes for the Wild and 2.98 goals allowed by the Red Wings tips the scales in favor of Minnesota. You can turn to the Wild for both cash games and tournaments tonight, with Gaudreau being a solid value option.
He is on the second forward line and the second power-play unit, coming in with 5 NHL points, 21 shots on goal, and 6 blocked shots in his last 10 games. He's a solid point-per-dollar option, who has a bit of upside to reach for in this matchup.
