NHL DFS Slate Summary: Tuesday, April 9th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NHL DFS Slate Summary. In this article, we’ll concentrate on the key elements of DFS success while delivering analysis on the upcoming slate of NHL games for DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll discuss today’s NHL DFS player projections, player correlations and NHL stacking, NHL starting lineups, differentiation tactics using NHL projected ownership, and recommendations on ways to create lineup diversity if entering multiple lineups using LineupHQ.
NHL DFS Picks: Slate Summary for Tuesday, April 9th
Slate Overview
I mentioned this last week, but it’s that time of year where we have to consider teams’ motivations (or lack thereof) for each game. Many teams have very little to play for, while a few have extremely important games. The biggest game is WAS/DET, which has huge playoff implications.
Unfortunately, there seems to be an abundance of injuries to note and monitor, which is directly correlated to what I just mentioned about the nature of the games. Key injuries of note include Mikko Rantanen (Out), Tim Stutzle (Out), and Jack Hughes (Out).
As far as the teams, the Lightning lead the way, followed by the Panthers and Avalanche. I do think ownership will follow suit and these three will end up as the highest-owned teams on the slate. Still, there are plenty of viable alternatives, with the Stars, Flames, Kings, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, and Kraken all coming in with team totals of 3.4+ goals.
Top Skaters
Nathan MacKinnon
DraftKings $10,300
MacKinnon has had a rough stretch of 2 games by his standards. And by “rough,” I mean that he’s averaged 17.5 DK points during that span despite not scoring a goal. The last time he didn’t have double-digit DK points was on February 10th, which was two months ago…
His shot floor and ceiling are both unparalleled in the sport, and his ability to generate assists is on par with the league’s best too. His shooting efficiency isn’t at the same level as someone like Auston Matthews, but who cares when he’s leading the league in shots by a wide margin.
Tonight, he faces a Minnesota team who he has torched for 6 points in 3 games this season, including a 3-point effort in his last outing. The Wild have nothing to play for, as they effectively have been eliminated from the playoffs. With so much value on the board (see below), I don’t see many reasons to fade MacKinnon, at least in your cash games.
Other Options: Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak (GPPs), Filip Forsberg (GPPs)