NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 10/12/23

NHL DFS is similar to MLB in terms of how you build lineups, how you view stacking, and how to value players.

Two main points to always focus on in NHL DFS are what lines the players are on and making sure the goalies you are rostering are confirmed as the starters. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com and DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team, along with which goalies are confirmed as the starters.

Let's jump in and take a look at today's slate, find a goalie, some stacks, and some value plays for your NHL DFS lineups on FanDuel.

Goalie to Target

Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets ($7,000)

Let's make no bones about it -- Elvis Merzlikins was one of the worst goalies in the NHL last season.

He allowed the most goals above expected in the league last year and had a .878% save percentage. That was by far the worst season of his career, as he previously never had a save percentage below .908%.

The Columbus Blue Jackets should be improved defensively, getting back some players from injury and adding Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov. That should lead them nicely into the opening game of the season, which is a good matchup.

The Jackets will face the Philadelphia Flyers at home tonight. The Flyers scored the fourth-fewest goals in the league last season.

Columbus is a home favorite in this game. It's rare to get a favored goalie for just $7,000, so we should take advantage of that.

Stacks

New Jersey Devils

One of the most hyped teams coming into this season has been the New Jersey Devils. They had a great turnaround last season to be one of the top five teams in the league.

They won't be sneaking up on anyone this season but have the talent to be a top team once again. Jack Hughes ($9,700) is the main star, with his breakout 99-point season coming last year. He's once again playing with Jesper Bratt ($5,600), who scored a career-high 32 goals last season.

The addition of Tyler Toffoli ($6,800) gives the Devils even more firepower. Toffoli netted 34 goals last season and will play with Hughes and Bratt on the first power play.

New Jersey is a big home favorite over the Detroit Red Wings tonight. Detroit allowed the 11th-most goals per game last season. With the Devils having the second-highest implied team total on the slate (3.82 goals), this fully-correlated top line makes for a great stack.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights kicked off their defense of the Stanley Cup with a win on Tuesday night. On Thursday, they'll host perhaps the worst team in the league.

Nothing will change with Vegas' top line heading into the second game. Jack Eichel ($7,900) will play with Jon Audy-Marchessault ($6,600) at both even strength and on the power play. They are joined at five-on-five by Ivan Barbashev ($5,000), who is a solid value option.

All three of these players scored a goal in the season opener and should be in line for plenty of opportunities tonight. They will face the San Jose Sharks, who allowed the third-most goals last season. That was before they traded away the Norris trophy winner, Erik Karlsson.

San Jose is tied for the worst odds to win the Stanley Cup this season, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Golden Knights should have no problems with the Sharks in this game, and they aren't projected to struggle at all. They have an implied team total of 3.85 goals, the highest on the slate.

Value Skaters

Tyler Seguin, W, Stars ($5,200)

Tyler Seguin is listed as a wing on FanDuel but will actually make the bump up to center the first line with Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. He'll also make the leap to play with them on the first power play.

The Dallas Stars are in a good spot today against the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis was the sixth-worst team in both goals against and expected goals against last season.

The Stars are third behind New Jersey and Vegas in implied team total tonight. It can be tricky to fully stack this powerful top line because it involves three wings. However, a mini stack with Robertson and Seguin makes a ton of sense.

Owen Tippett, W, Flyers ($4,300)

Earlier, I mentioned the goalie who is up against the Flyers, but it also makes a lot of sense to play Owen Tippett for Philly. I certainly wouldn't be playing him in the same lineup as Elvis, but using the salary relief Tippett offers could allow you to spend more at goalie.

Tippett scored a career-high 27 goals last season. What's also encouraging is that he ranked in the top 35 among forwards in individual shot-attempt rate, putting him among some elite company. For context, he rated better in this metric than some players who had elite goal-scoring seasons -- such as Adrian Kempe, Mikko Rantanen, Jared McCann and even Connor McDavid.

Tippett will play on the Flyers' second line and top power play tonight. For just $4,300, he's easy to like as a one-off play.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.