NHL DFS Plays: August 7th (Day 7)

Line Stacks

Toronto 1 — Hyman ($5,000) – Matthews ($8,400) – Marner ($6,800)

In Game 3, the Blue Jackets changed their lines and their tactics. With the last change, they put Gustav Nyquist, Boone Jenner and Nick Foligno together and hard matched them against the Matthews/Marner line. The Blue Jackets’ trio can be tough to play against but TOR1 still had a solid game, producing 13 scoring chances for. Matthews didn’t have his typical high shot volume game but made up for it with a surprising four blocked shots. With their backs against the wall, expect Matthews to be shooting a ton tonight. Marner looked excellent last night and picked up one assist on a pretty play on the man-advantage. For 50 minutes last night, it was the Maple Leafs game. They can pile on some goals tonight and TOR1 should do most of the damage. Again, I don’t love Hyman at $5,000. I’d much prefer the power-play correlation with William Nylander ($6,200) or John Tavares ($6,600).

Pittsburgh 1 — Guentzel ($6,500) – Crosby ($7,000) – Sheary ($3,900)

The Canadiens have paid a ton of attention to Crosby in the series but it hasn’t slowed his line down. He has picked up a point in each game (2G / 1A) and is coming off of a Game 3 where he had a 72.7 CorsiFor% and produced 10 ScoringChances at 5v5. In the series, PIT1 is producing an absurd 50.77 SCF/60, the highest among any line on the slate. Sheary isn’t a great play thanks to his low shot-volume but he makes PIT1 affordable and is capable of chipping in a few assists as he did in Game 2.

Chicago 2 — DeBrincat ($5,200) – Dach ($3,500) – Kane ($7,800)

Kirby Dach has looked like a completely different player than he was in the regular season and is great value at $3,500. He went from averaging just over 14 minutes per game in the regular season to over 20 minutes per game in the playoffs. He has parlayed that extra playing time into four assists in three games. This line is a fun play because both Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat are volume shooters, giving you a good floor. Plus, Dach is on the top power-play with Kane, making him a high-upside play at under $4,000.

Edmonton 2 — Athanasiou ($3,600) – Draisaitl ($7,800) – Yamamoto ($4,400)

After being held without a shot or point in Game 2, Draisaitl got back to his MVP Finalist brand of hockey, scoring two goals with one assist and six shots in 24:20 TOI. He is a strong single bullet play but Andreas Athanasiou and Kailer Yamamoto could be good value plays if this game gets high-scoring again. Facing elimination, Draisaitl should be at an elite-level tonight. Athanasiou has looked solid in the last two games and with Tyler Ennis out he is expected to start on Draisaitl’s wing, so maybe he’ll finally get on the board in Game 4.

Nashville 1 — Forsberg ($5,800) – Johansen ($4,400) – Arvidsson ($4,500)

The Predators are playing today, which means I’m all-in on NSH1 yet again. Like Dach, Ryan Johansen seems to be a much better player than he was in the regular season. In the series, this line has a CF% over 70, which is just ridiculous. If it weren’t for Darcy Kuemper standing on his head, this line could have had three goals in the first period of Game 3. In a must-win situation, NSH1 should see a ton of ice-time today and Arizona has not shown the ability to shut them down yet, so… play them again.

Defensemen

Ryan Ellis — NSH ($5,600)

Ellis’ price continues to drop and it’s finally at a point where you can play him with NSH1 and another high-priced line. In three games, he has eight shots and seven blocked shots, giving him a solid 6.99 DK Points floor. Unlike a defenseman like Holl, Ellis can definitely chip in offensively and go off in any given game. A must-win game, could lead to Ellis firing everything on the net.

Justin Holl — TOR ($3,300)

I’ve been touting Holl for a few games now and he turned in a terrific performance in Game 3. Playing extra minutes with Jake Muzzin sidelined, Holl had two shots and five blocked shots for 12.5 DK Points–a nice night for a $3,000 defenseman. His price went up $300 for tonight but he should play nearly 25 minutes, a lot of those with the Matthews line. We’re looking for a couple of shots and three-plus blocks again, assists would be a bonus.

Goalies

Tristan Jarry — PIT ($8,000)

After sitting for the first two games, the Penguins will go to Jarry in Game 4. It will be his firsts career playoff start but he was the better of the two Penguins goalie in the regular season. He was 20-12-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .921 SV% in 31 starts. He faced Montreal twice, going 1-1 while stopping 56 of 60 shots (.933 SV%). Let’s be honest. Pittsburgh should win this game and the series, so I’m not shying away from Jarry tonight.

Elvis Merzlikins — TOR ($6,800)

Merzlikins came in to relieve Joonas Korpisalo and stopped 21 of 21 shots to guide the Blue Jackets to a come-from-behind overtime win. I fully expect the Maple Leafs to come out and win Game 4 but there’s a strong chance that Merzlikins faces a boatload of shots. Even if he gives up three or four goals in a loss, if he faces 40 shots, he’ll score around 17 DK Points. You will take that at $6,800.