NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 4/7/22
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 ($8,300): The Nashville Predators are -178 road favorites versus the Ottawa Senators, and this is not a matchup they should be losing. The Predators are one of the best defensive teams in the league, allowing 2.29 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the ninth-lowest in the league.
That is anchored by Saros, who has picked up the win in three of his last five starts --something we should be expecting from him in this matchup. The Senators are only scoring 2.20 goals in the same situations, putting them as the sixth-lowest team in the league. A clear lack of offense from Ottawa and the strong Preds' defense should help propel Saros to a win tonight.
High-Salaried Skaters
Sebastian Aho ($7,900): The Carolina Hurricanes need to bounce back tonight; there's really no other way to put it. They've lost two games in a row, and their most recent loss came against the Buffalo Sabres, They'll rematch Buffalo tonight after losing 4-2 just two days ago, and simply put, they are much better than what they showed. The Canes hold a 62.81 Corsi For (Total Shot Attempts Created) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-best in the league. They are also scoring 2.89 goals in the same situations, which is the sixth-best in the league.
They have been one of the best offenses in the league, and it's time for them to show that against the Sabres, who are allowing the fifth-most (2.86) goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. Aho comes in with a solid 8 NHL points and 26 shots on goal over the last 10 games.
Mitchell Marner ($9,800): After blowing a 5-1 lead to the Florida Panthers the other night, the Toronto Maple Leafs should probably come out with a bit of fire tonight. If that's going to be the case, I want to get some exposure to the top units for the Leafs, and that means targeting Marner in NHL DFS. He has an amazing 24 NHL points, 33 shots on goal, and 6 blocked shots over his last 10 games. That's an insane level of production every night that puts him among the best options on the slate.
The Leafs are taking on the Dallas Stars where the over/under is set at 6.5 goals, putting us in a spot for some fantasy upside. With Marner on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, he is going to see plenty of ice time in order to rack up the fantasy points -- which he's already doing every night.
Value Skaters
Dawson Mercer ($4,500): The New Jersey Devils are taking on the Montreal Canadiens in a matchup of two bad defensive teams. Both are in the bottom six of the league for the most goals allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, setting us up for a sloppy back-and-forth game with no defense. That's fantastic for fantasy points, and we want to get some exposure to this matchup.
Mercer is on the second forward line and the first power-play unit, entering with 6 NHL points and 21 shots on goal over the last 10 games. At under $5,000, the role Mercer has is very strong, and this favorable matchup is worth attacking tonight.
Jakub Voracek ($4,900): Another matchup of two teams that don't play defense would be the Philadelphia Flyers visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets. This one holds a 6.5-goal total and pits two teams in the bottom 10 of the league for the most goals allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. Getting extra exposure to this type of game can always lead to plenty of fantasy upside.
We can turn to Voracek, who has 8 NHL points and 21 shots on goal in his last 10 games while maintaining a role on the first forward line and the first power-play unit. A full game stack here is also a possibility given the lack of defense on both sides.
