NHL DFS Slate Summary: Saturday, November 4th
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 Saturday, November 4th
Today’s Games
Slate Overview
Let’s start with the Sharks. On paper, they were the worst team in the league coming into the season. Sometimes, things don’t play out in real life the way they do on paper. Unfortunately for San Jose, that’s exactly how it’s playing out on the ice. They are winless on the season and gave up TEN goals the other night, which coincidentally is the same number of goals they have scored in TEN games (yikes). People (including me and the RG community) were all over the Canucks and benefited from the onslaught. Here’s the problem. People are going to be chasing that performance against Sharks opponents starting with the Penguins tonight. I’m hopeful the sites will price up Sharks opponents to where they’re not an auto-play every time they are on the slate.
From a DFS slate perspective, we have another monster 13-gamer on tap. It’s a nice bounce back after a gross two-gamer last night. From a real-world point of view, there are some phenomenal matchups, especially in the late night window with the Stars vs. Canucks and Avalanche vs. Golden Knights featuring four of the best six teams so far this year. As I mentioned above, ownership could be flocking towards the Penguins given their matchup against the woeful Sharks. Right now, we have the Penguins at around 15% to 17% for their top options. There are a bevy of excellent choices on the slate, making it potentially lucrative to move away from the chalk and onto lesser-owned plays. The Panthers are in a nearly identical spot against a Blackhawks team that is almost as bad as the Sharks but should see less ownership.
Top Skaters
Auston Matthews
DraftKings $9,800
Auston Matthews came in at less than 1% in the $555 on Thursday night thanks to a tough matchup against Boston and he rewarded the select few with a goal, an assist, five shots on goal, and FIVE blocked shots. No, that’s not a typo. Matthews has added a surprising element to his game thanks to killing off some penalties, and he’s up to 12 blocked shots in 10 games. It’s early in the year, but Matthews’ home/road splits show how much more success he’s had at home. He’s averaging 28 DK points at home vs. 15 per game on the road. Tonight, he’ll have a favorable matchup at home against a Sabres team on the second half of a back-to-back. This team was just torched by the Flyers.
Cole Caufield
DraftKings $6,900
Caufield disappointed at relatively high ownership on Thursday night, which might make some a little gun shy going back to the well. After a white-hot start to the year, he has just one point in three games. That’s the negative. The positive is that he has 13 shots on goal during that stretch, meaning that the goals will be coming soon. The Blues will be on the second half of a back-to-back after getting trounced by the Devils and will likely be playing Joel Hofer in net. Hofer is a significant downgrade from Jordan Binnington right now (IMO) and makes this an even more favorable matchup for the Canadiens.