NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 5/4/22

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 or 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 to take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.

Goalie to Target

Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,100): The Minnesota Wild are down 0-1 in the series versus the St. Louis Blues, and it's time for a bounceback game. As -134 home favorites, the Wild are looking to even up the series, and that means they need a strong game out of Fleury, who allowed four goals in Game 1. That was rather surprising because the Wild allowed only 2.07 goals per 60 minutes in the month of April, which was the second-best in the league. Expecting a bit of positive regression after a bad showing in Game 1 is where I'm leaning, and that means Fleury should be in a good spot to pick up the win.

High-Salaried Skaters

Nikita Kucherov ($9,600): It's essentially time to put up or shut up for the Tampa Bay Lightning after getting embarrassed in Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, losing 5-0. The Lightning are the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and are 14-0 following a loss in the last two postseasons. They had an elite offense in the final month of the regular season, scoring 3.34 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which was the seventh-best in the league.

Kucherov is on the top forward line and the top power-play unit, and he ended the final 10 games in the regular season with 31 shots on goal and 23 NHL points. Kucherov and the Lightning are far better than what they showed in a 5-0 loss in Game 1, it's that simple.

Leon Draisaitl ($10,000): The Edmonton Oilers are yet another team that needs to pick up a win in Game 2 to avoid going down 0-2 in their series. A total of seven goals in Game 1 is very encouraging for this series versus the Los Angeles Kings, and it could be one of the spots to continue to look for fantasy upside. Draisaitl and the Oilers come in with a slate-best 3.72 implied goal total, which is the highest by over half of a goal.

This should make them relatively chalky, but the multi-point potential from Draisaitl is tough to pass up on a smaller slate. He had one goal and five shots on goal in the Game 1 loss to the Kings, and since that wasn't enough for the win, a multi-point performance is going to be needed for the Oilers.

Value Skaters

Jared Spurgeon ($5,500): Spurgeon offers some nice point-per-dollar value on defense along with a slight bit of offensive upside. He's on the first defensive pairing and the first power-play unit, and he will be seeing 20-plus minutes of ice time. Over the final 10 games of the regular season, he had 6 NHL points, along with 18 shots on goal and 16 blocked shots.

The multi-category potential is always there for Spurgeon and the Wild, who carries a 3.37 implied goal total tonight, which is the second-highest on the slate. This game has a 6.5 over/under, putting things in a spot for some offense on both sides.

Ilya Mikheyev ($5,500): The Leafs shocked everyone with a 5-0 win in Game 1, and if they want to take full control of this series, they are going to need well-rounded production from their lineup. They have plenty of scoring from their top stars, but a player such as Mikheyev, who's on the second forward line and the second power-play unit, is in a spot to contribute. A total of 4 NHL points and 11 shots on goal in his last five games of the regular season are an encouraging sign that he can stay involved in the offense with a modest role overall.