The NHL DFS Guide for the NBA Obsessed

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The NBA All-Star break is here. Before you sink into a dark, dark place and begin your NBA withdrawal process, I recommend that you step into the light that is NHL DFS.

You might be thinking to yourself, “I know nothing about NHL, why would I want to give away my money?” Unfortunately, this thought will be short-lived as your itch to play something in DFS every night slowly takes over. Don’t ignore the itch, scratch it. The water is warm, come on in.

NHL Basics

TheTonyM has already written an excellent primer on the basics of NHL which you should definitely check out before diving into NHL DFS. I’ll try not to duplicate his content, but instead compare NHL to other sports that you might be more familiar with and expand upon a few NHL DFS concepts that newcomers might not be familiar with.

Goalie

Goalie is similar to a starting pitcher in baseball. Getting a win is very important to their fantasy output, so it is important to look at Vegas lines to determine who the favorites are.

In cash games, you’ll want to pay up for goalie, unless there is a cheap goalie who is heavily favored. In GPPs, you might need to take more chances and take a goalie that isn’t heavily favored or might be a slight underdog. Underdogs will generally face more shots, so if they can steal a win, they might have more upside than some of the heavy favorites. Make sure that your goalie is starting! This will normally be announced fairly early in the day, but make sure to double check before contests lock.

Skaters

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I’m not going to go into the level of detail breaking down forwards and defensemen for this particular article, but the premise behind all skaters is the same.

Like any DFS sport, it’s about finding guys in favorable situations at reasonable prices. In baseball, if someone that normally bats 9th is batting 2nd in a game versus a weak pitcher, they obviously receive a sizable boost in potential production. In hockey, we look for skaters that will get lots of ice time on the first line of the even-strength and powerplay units. Often times a player will get bumped from the 3rd/4th line to the first line and will be playing with far more talented players than usual, which creates opportunities for production. Check out our daily lineups page to see who is playing on each line to find values. If you are looking at game logs on DK or FD to see how many minutes they have been playing, look for your forwards to log at least 15 minutes a game, preferably closer to 18-20. For defensemen, look for at least 20+ minutes, while 25+ is preferred. Ice time (especially in favorable situations) equals production.

Note: Blowouts aren’t really an issue in hockey like they are in NBA. Although some of the lower level lines might get an extra shift or two in blowouts, the top lines will still get ice time even when the game is out of hand.

FanDuel vs. DraftKings

Most people will be playing on either FanDuel or DraftKings. There are three major differences in the scoring systems of each site. FanDuel accounts for plus/minus and penalty minutes, while DraftKings does not. DraftKings awards points for blocked shots, while FanDuel does not. Penalty minutes aren’t really a reliable source of fantasy points, and should only be used as a tiebreaker between two players. Plus/minus on the otherhand, is extremely important to consider when selecting players. Plus/minus, for those who don’t know, is a statistic that measures a player’s goal differential at even-strength (non-power play situations). Essentially, it’s how many goals were scored while that player was on the ice minus how many goals they gave up while on the ice.

Read the stacking section below to see how stacking is affected by scoring systems. Blocked shots should be considered when selecting skaters (especially defensemen), but shouldn’t be counted on as a primary source of scoring.

To Stack or Not to Stack?

“Stacking” is commonly referred to in all DFS sports, but what does it mean in hockey? Technically, it can just mean to stack a certain team, but generally stacking refers to stacking a particular line (group of forwards or defensemen who play together at the same time). Because plus/minus is counted on FD, this increases the need to stack linemates on FanDuel, especially in GPPs. If you want to hit a massive score on FD, your best bet is to stack two top lines from some of the favorites for that night and hope for the best. On DK, stacking is still a viable strategy, even though plus/minus isn’t taken into account. Players on the same line will often assist each other’s goals, so a goal from a particular line could result in a flury of points for your roster. Note: In hockey, there can be two assists on a goal, which is unlike any other sport. There are few better feelings in DFS than having a goal scored and assisted by two players and you own them all. It’s like having your QB throw an 80 yd TD to your receiver, except that another player someone gets in on the action too! In cash games, stacking is a riskier proposition because if the line that you stacked bombs, you’re likely done for the night. In cash games, it’s better to try and mix and match players across different teams and lines to mitigate some of the risk.

Other Tidbits

1) In the same way that it’s not a good idea to roster hitters versus the starting pitcher that you are also playing, it’s not smart to play skaters that are facing your goalie. You are minimizing your upside from the start because if your skater has a good day, then your goalie likely did not, and vice versa.

2) Similar to NBA, look at who is playing on the second of a back-to-back (B2B). You shouldn’t always avoid players in the back end of a B2B, but you should consider it since they might have slightly more tired legs. This is especially true for road teams.

3) Target skaters against backup goalies in poor situations and target backup goalies in good ones. Huh? Yes, it’s confusing. Depending on the circumstances, backup goalies should be both targeted and targeted against. Vegas lines and the pricing of players involved will help you out in determining which side of the fence to be on.

4) Have fun with it! Don’t go crazy and throw a ton of money in NHL contests on the first night, but dip your toes in the water a little bit. As you get more comfortable, you can expand your $ in play.

About the Author

ezellmt
Taylor Ezell (ezellmt)

Taylor Ezell (aka ezellmt) has been playing daily fantasy sports for over a decade. After starting as an editor on RotoGrinders, he transitioned into a role providing content and has written about NFL, MLB, PGA, NBA, NHL, and ESports. While he plays DFS for almost all sports (except NBA), he specializes in NHL and PGA. He has 12 Live Final appearances across five different sports. His best results include winning the 2018 DraftKings Fantasy Hockey World Championship for $100,000 and a runner-up at the 2015 DraftKings $1M College Football Championship for $150,000. Outside of fantasy sports, Taylor is a Senior Manager at a Consulting Firm (IT Audit) in Nashville. Follow Taylor on Twitter – @TaylorEzell