NHL DFS Plays: August 20th

Line Stacks

Washington 1 — Ovechkin ($8,500) – Kuznetsov ($5,700) – Wilson ($5,100)

With their backs against the wall in Game 4, Ovechkin carried the Capitals carried them to their first win of the series. WSH1 is not the best line at 5v5 but they have one thing other lines don’t: Ovechkin. He is a terrific source of shots and can score on any given shift. When stacking WHS1, I’m probably leaving Wilson out, but Ovechkin and Kuznetsov are a solid mini-stack. They are first and second on the team in shots, averaging 4.3 (Ovechkin) and 3.5 (Kuznetsov) per game. If Washington is going to keep its season alive again, Ovechkin and Kuznetsov will need to be at the top of their game again.

Dallas 1 — Benn ($5,500) – Seguin ($6,400) – Radulov ($5,600)

Dallas’s second line actually has better underlying numbers than DAL1 but Benn, Seguin and Radulov have been doing the majority of the damage. DAL2
‘s numbers are impressive but Mattias Janmark and Denis Gurianov don’t shoot enough to be core plays.

– Benn has taken his game to a new level in the last two games, firing 11 shots and picking up 20.3 DK Pts per game.
– After a quiet Game 1, Seguin has averaged 3.5 shots per game in Games 2-5 while picking up three assists.
– DAL1’s dominance has been reflected in Radulov’s numbers, as his shot volume has climbed to 3.5 shots per game and he’s got two goals and one assist in his last four games.

New York 2 — Beauvillier ($4,800) – Nelson ($5,900) – Bailey ($4,400)

Unlike DAL2, NYI2 can be a better play than NYI1. Their underlying numbers are very similar, their shot volume is nearly identical but they’re $3,600 cheaper. If you want to play DAL1 or squeeze in Ovechkin, you’re going to need to play NYI1 for the salary savings. Nelson and Bailey have been extremely consistent with their shot production, making them solid cash options as well.

Defensemen

Noah Hanifin — CGY ($3,900)

If you need a one-off from Calgary, Hanifin is the option on D. Sam Bennett is the clear option in the UTIL spot. Hanifin may have just one assist in the series, but he’s averaging 2.0 shots and 1.8 blocked shots per game, for a solid 5.3 DK Pt floor.

Jamie Oleksiak — DAL ($3,200)

Yep, Oleksiak again. He has one goal and one assist in the series but it has been his shot volume that makes him a fantastic value option. In his last four games, Oleksiak is average 3.3 shots and 1.5 blocked shots per game, for a safe floor around 7.0 DK Pts.

Goalies

Braden Holtby — WSH ($7,500)

After a rough start to the series, Holtby settled in in Games 3 and 4. Holtby has stopped 56 of the 60 shots (.933 SV%) that he’s faced in those games and is the best goaltending option tonight as the second-cheapest goalie on the slate. He’s facing an average of 29.5 shots per game, so he has a fair amount of save potential in Game 5.