The NHL returns with an exciting 10-game slate tonight. Below you’ll find the nine-man DFS lineup I’m riding with. This roster is playable in DraftKings’ classic $50,000 salary format, but I’ve also listed each player’s price at FanDuel’s $55,000 salary equivalent. Here’s who I believe is primed for a big night on the ice.
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Thursday’s NHL DFS Picks & Advice
The lineup below is based on DraftKings, but FanDuel prices are also listed.
C1: Pius Suter (C – VAN) | DraftKings: $5,000/FanDuel: $5,700
Pius Suter is coming off a two-goal, five-shot performance against the Stars on Tuesday, pushing him up to 45 total points (24 goals, 21 assists) on the year. Suter has been doing damage since getting elevated to Vancouver’s top centerman role.
Dating back to March 12th, the 28-year-old has 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 14 games. This is a tough matchup against the Avalanche, but this first line of Nils Hoglander-Pis Suter-Conor Garland should get a few scoring opportunities.
The Golden Knights have some injuries down the middle, as both Tomas Hertl (shoulder) and Jack Eichel (upper body) missed the last game against the Avalanche. That means Nicolas Roy has been getting more time in a center role.
He has only 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) this season, but has scored two goals in his last five games. I’ll take a flier on Roy, who will be looking to score on a Kraken team that just got lit up for seven goals in their latest game.
It appears Andrei Kuzmenko is finally finding his groove with the Kings, after getting blanked in his first seven games since coming over from the Flyers. In his 10 subsequent games, the first-line winger has 10 points (five goals, five assists).
Kuzmenko and the Kings welcome a Ducks team that’s on the second night of a back-to-back. This team has faced the most shots on goal (SOG) this season (2,472), as well as the second most high-danger shots (318). Los Angeles’ offense should tee off on them all night, and I expect Kuzmenko to get in on the scoring action.
There should be no shortage of scoring in this Sabres versus Blue Jackets matchup tonight. Buffalo comes into this game ranked 27th in GAA (3.16), 31st in SV% (.880) and 23rd on the penalty kill (76.62%).
Give me Kent Johnson, who has six assists in his last five games. This has brought him to 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in just 63 games this season. These two teams will likely be trading chances all night, so look for Johnson to make his way onto the scoresheet.
Jonathan Marchessault is back in the lineup for the Predators, and he’s coming off a three-assist night against the Islanders in his return. This outing brought him to 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists) in 74 games this season. He’s also averaging 2.7 shots on goal per game (SOG/G) this season. Marchessault will take on a mid-tier Utah team ranked 14th in GAA (2.98) and 20th in SV% (.883) over the last 10 games.
Circling back to the Sabres-Jackets game, I’m going to splurge and take Rasmus Dahlin (15 goals, 47 assists) as my top defenseman tonight. In Dahlin’s last eight games, Buffalo is 8-0-0, and he’s scored nine points (three goals, six assists).
Dahlin is also averaging 2.7 SOG/G, making him a constant threat to score from the point. He faces a Columbus defense ranked 29th in GAA (3.25), 26th in SV% (.885) and 25th on the penalty kill (75.96%).
I also like Mikhail Sergachev to have a big night in the defenseman position. He enters tonight’s game against the Predators with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists), and he’s coming off a three-point night (one goal, two assists) against the Kraken last time out. Sergachev is also 34th in the NHL in blocked shots (136), giving him opportunities to collect fantasy points on both ends of the ice.
It’s been an ugly season for Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins, as the 26-year-old netminder enters tonight with a record of 22-28-6 with a 3.06 GAA (41st) and a .895 SV% (35th). However, Swayman is in the midst of a 2-0-0 run, where he’s made 58 saves on 61 shots faced (.951 SV%).
Swayman draws a matchup against a lowly Chicago offense ranked 31st in scoring (2.48 goals per game) and 21st in shooting percentage (10.04%) over the last 10 games. I like Swayman to stay hot and shut down the Blackhawks in this one.
Let’s round out our lineup with Vegas’ Victor Olofsson, who enters tonight’s game against the Kraken with 14 goals and 13 assists this season. The second-line winger has seen his offensive workload increase, as he’s scored five points (three goals, two assists) in his last seven games. Olofsson is averaging 4.7 SOG/G in his last three outings, making him a decent value option in the utility role.
