The NHL playoff race is heating up, and there’s no shortage of ways to get in on the action with tonight’s nine-game schedule. I’m heading the DFS route. Below you’ll find the nine-man lineup I’m rolling with. This roster is playable in DraftKings’ classic $50,000 salary format, but I’ve also listed each player’s price for FanDuel’s $55,000 salary equivalent.
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Thursday’s NHL DFS Picks & Advice
The lineup below is based on DraftKings, but FanDuel prices are also listed.
The Hockey Club takes on a Red Wings squad that’s just 2-4-1 in its last seven games, allowing four goals per game during the stretch. They’re also dead last in penalty-killing this year (69.93%), so look for Barrett Hayton (15 goals, 18 assists) and his Hockey Ckub to find success tonight.
Hayton occupies a spot on the top power-play unit (23.12%, 12th) and has two points (one goal, one assist) in his last two games. Give me the second-line centerman against this struggling Wings defense.
I’ll ride with Casey Mittelstadt as my second centerman tonight. He scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Penguins, giving him two goals in his last three games. He’s up to 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) on the year.
I expect Mittelstadt’s offensive production to continue since Valeri Nichushkin (12 goals, seven assists) is back on his wing. The Avs welcome a Sharks defense ranked dead last in both GAA (3.41) and high-danger shots against (270). Mittelstadt and this Colorado offense should run up the scoreboard tonight at home.
I’ll splurge on Florida’s Sam Reinhart, as the Cats host a Blue Jackets team that loves playing in high-scoring games. Reinhart, who’s seventh in goals scored (31) and 50th in assists (33), should turn in a big night tonight.
Columbus is just 24th in team SV% (.889), which is music to my ears against this goal-scoring machine.
Let’s slide across Florida to the Gulf side, where the Bolts welcome in a Sabres team that has dropped four straight games, allowing 19 goals during the four-game stretch. They’re now 28th in GAA (3.12) and 30th in SV% (.881) while sitting 19th on the penalty kill (76.92%).
Give me Brandon Hagel, who’s ninth in goals (30) and 13th in points (68) this season. He’s developing into a star in the NHL and is primed for points tonight.
I’m going to take a flier on the newest member of the Lightning, Oliver Bjorkstrand (formerly of the Seattle Kraken). At this price and against a floundering Sabres team, it’s worth a shot on the winger.
Bjorkstrand has a modest 16 goals and 21 assists this season, but I think those numbers could skyrocket now that he’s in a much better offensive system.
The Habs head to Edmonton tonight to take on an Oilers side allowing 4.1 goals per game during their current 3-7-1 stretch of play. I like this matchup for Mike Matheson, who has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last two games.
Matheson is up to 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) on the year. Matheson’s also 22nd in the NHL in blocked shots (119), which bodes well for us against this high-volume Oilers offense. Matheson should make contributions on both ends of the ice.
Considering the matchup against Detroit, I love this price on Utah’s Mikhail Sergachev (11 goals, 28 assists). As I mentioned above, the Wings are dead last on the penalty kill this season, which is great news for us since Sergachev runs point on the Hockey Club’s top power-play unit.
What I also like about Sergachev is that he’s a shot-blocking machine, ranking 34th in the NHL in blocked shots (108). He makes a solid value option at defense tonight.
Dallas’ Jake Oettinger is one of the more expensive goaltenders on the board tonight, but I think it’s worth playing him against this lowly Calgary offense. He should pick up a win, and I like the shutout potential that comes with the 26-year-old netminder.
Oettinger easily remains a top-10 goalie this year, where he’s second in wins (29-13-2), seventh in GAA (2.44) and 10th in SV% (.911). He’s tasked with stopping a Flames offense that’s ranked dead last in scoring (2.6 gals per game) and 31st in shooting percentage (8.93%).
Let’s also play Jake Oettinger’s teammate, Mikael Granlund. Since coming over from San Jose, the second-line winger has picked up seven points (seven assists) in 10 games.
Granlund has also slotted in on Dallas’ second power-play unit, which draws a matchup against a Calgary penalty kill that’s just 27th in the NHL (74.46%). At this price, I like the upside with Granlund.
