NHL DFS Slate Summary: Thursday, March 28th
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 Thursday, March 28th
Slate Overview
The other night was a beautiful (and painful) reminder that anything can happen in hockey. The Avalanche scored less than a minute into the game against the Canadiens and seemed well on their well to scoring 5+ goals. Of course, they were blanked the rest of the way. This intro was mainly just so I could rant about how frustrating that was. Luckily, there was plenty of other goodness within the article, and the show and multiple RG community members had big nights. Let’s try to run it back tonight.
Tonight’s slate is exhausting to look at. It’s not just the fact that there are 14 games, although that’s a part of it. There are plenty of additional factors making it a real headache to parse through. First, there are an abnormal amount of game-time decisions for relevant players. That’ll require paying attention up to and after lock. Also, it’s the fact that there aren’t too many teams or games that can be written off entirely. There’s also not one clear team at the top, although the Wild probably have the clearest path to that title thanks to a home matchup with the Sharks. There are seven teams with an implied team total of 3.7 or above. For reference, I think on Tuesday, it was three.
We have a lot to cover, so let’s get into it.
Top Skaters
NOTE: Auston Matthews is now a game-time decision due to illness. If he plays, not much changes for me, as I don’t think he’d suit up if he’s not capable of performing at a high level. If he doesn’t, that opens up some value for the Maple Leafs.
Auston Matthews
DraftKings $10,000
This slate has no shortage of star power with the “Big 3” of Matthews, McDavid, and MacKinnon all in action. In addition, Kirill Kaprizov vaults into consideration thanks to the most favorable matchup of the bunch. I think he could be the highest owned of the bunch, which is understandable, but I still probably prefer Matthews straight up. Kaprizov has been excellent and consistent, but he hasn’t shown quite the explosive upside that other elite players have displayed.
Matthews has engaged into high gear as the Maple Leafs make their push towards the playoffs. After an out-of-character slump to start the month, he’s been back in form for the last week. Over his last 5 games, he has 4 goals, 7 assists, and 29 shots on goal. The Capitals have been one of the surprise teams of the year and are shockingly in the last wild card spot as of today. That being said, they are still susceptible to giving up plenty of goals on any given night. When these 2 teams met just over a week ago, the Maple Leafs put 7 goals on the board. Matthews had a 5-point outburst en route to a slate-breaking performance. While it’s unreasonable to expect something of that caliber again tonight, the 3-point bonus feels well within reach.