Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: Top DFS DraftKings NHL Picks, Values, Lineup Strategy for Feb. 1

Tuesday includes an 11-game NHL slate, which begins at 7 p.m. ET on DraftKings. In this article you will find DFS tips for DraftKings queues, plus a few DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target.
Define your DraftKings fantasy hockey rosters here: NHL $100,000 Tuesday Twenty [$20K to 1st]
New York Rangers Moneyline +125
Artemi Panarin will score +200
Rangers today face a Panthers side who played last night and struggled on the road at times. The Panthers have just a 9-6-5 road record and only a +6.0 road goal differential this season. On the other hand, New York has a +15.0 home goal differential and a 14-4-2 home record in 20 starts so far this season. The Panthers’ latest road trip saw them fail to win back-to-back games at any point in that five-game stretch, and after seeing them pick up a win last night, I like to bet Rangers today to see if this trend continues. They seem underrated as +125 domestic dogs.
If I like Rangers, I also have to like a few of their forwards to have decent games. The Panthers have allowed 3.5 goals per game in their last four games and averaged 3.1 goals against on the road in 2021-22. Panarin scored a goal and two points last time he played in Florida and is still shooting well below his career average for the season. He’s looked more dangerous lately and will get plenty of exposure on the power play against a Panthers team that takes the 10th-most penalties per game and has the 18th-worst penalty kill. At juicy odds, targeting a goal today for Panarin is attractive.
Place your NHL Betting at DraftKings Sportsbook or by download the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Top stack
Dallas Stars vs. Calgary Flames
Roope Hintz ($6,900) – Jason Robertson ($6,100) – Joe Pavelski ($6,800)
The Stars front row is no longer a big mystery in DFS as most fantasy users will know that they have been one of the most dependent stacks to target for the first two months of the season. The Stars big trio head into this game as the Flames have produced the second-most goals of any league line this season. It’s a heady and surprising nickname given how slow this trio started the season.
For DFS purposes, their salaries below $7,000 may even go unnoticed on this list. They face the Flames, who have been on a tear lately and have a top line that has been even better than the Dallas line this season. The Stars are at home today and they were great for DFS in Dallas. They average 3.6 goals per game and have scored on 28% of their power plays at home.
The Flames are a disciplined team, but they’ve been much worse at killing penalties on the road. Five of the Flames’ last six road games have seen them allow four or more goals, which makes this game less oppressive. A few slow games shouldn’t cost us one of the most productive and correlated lines in the league and chances are the Dallas stacks are well underheld in the big fields. Stack the Stars top unit for good leverage today, as Flames skaters are likely to be more popular targets.
Superstar to target
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets at Philadelphia Flyers ($8,500)
The Jets travel to Philadelphia today after a 4-1 road win over the Blues. Winnipeg will likely be happy to be on the road again today after losing two straight games at home. The Flyers are what make this game, as they continue to rank in the bottom 10 in the league in quality shots and chances.
Kyle Connor’s time on the ice is nearly unmatched among league forwards, averaging over 21 minutes per game this season and well above a point-per-game pace . From a fantasy standpoint, he’s become one of the most reliable rosters in the league and has averaged 5.5 insane shots and 17.4 DKFP in his last 10 games. Connor may not be as effective as some other elite forwards with his shot, but his workload is unmatched and he faces a Flyers team that allowed 4.0 goals per game in their four last games (including giving up six to the Sabers three games ago). It’s a place where you want to pay for the Jets’ main offensive cog.
Attack Value
Valeri Nichushkin, Colorado Avalanche vs. Arizona Coyotes ($4,600)
The Avalanche had to change their lines a bit with Nathan MacKinnon (the nose) for the next few games, and that saw Valeri Nichushkin move into a starring role. Nichuskin has been a solid fantasy producer for the Avalanche all season, even when he was stuck in third-line purgatory. His use on the Avalanche’s special teams is often overlooked and he has four points in his last three games since his promotion. The game against Arizona couldn’t be sweeter, and Nuchuskin’s sub-$5,000 salary makes it an easy way to get a piece of the Avalanche’s offense.
Anthony Beauvillier, New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators ($3,300)
The Islanders will have a Senators team today who just played a game last night against Edmonton. Chances are you’ll see tired skaters on the ice for the Senators after having to keep pace with Edmonton yesterday and that will likely benefit some Islanders shooters. Beauvillier is still a good punt target in GPPs when his price is this low, as the forward who shoots first is still an integral part of the Islanders’ top six and has averaged well over 0.5 points per game over the past two seasons. He’s shooting less than 10% at the moment and should experience a positive goalscoring regression soon. Targeting it there makes sense at just $3.3,000.
Goalkeepers
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators vs. Vancouver Canucks ($8,100)
The Predators are one of seven teams on this list with Moneyline odds of -200 or less on DraftKings Sportsbook. With so many big favorites, it doesn’t seem likely that there’s just one chalk keeper everyone will be flocking to today and that means we’ll probably be able to target an elite fantasy producer like Saros at levels of acceptable ownership. Saros has produced 22.0 DKFP or more in each of his last four starts and averaged 20.6 DKFP in his last 10 games.
The Canucks are one of the best opponents we could hope for, as they still average over 32 shots per game, but they’re generally terrible at burying their chances and sit second to last in goals per game in the season. Saros was also even more unbeatable at home, where he posted a .933 save percentage. As the sixth most expensive goalie, he’s a good payout option in any DFS format for this biggest roster.
Value on defense
Shayne Gostisbehere, Arizona Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche ($4,300)
It’s not often we have to go out of our way to target an Arizona Coyote, but the game against Colorado solidifies the appeal of their special teams. Despite being one of the best teams in the league, Colorado’s penalty kick leaves a lot to be desired as they only rank 22nd in penalty efficiency. That makes the cheaper payday on Gostisbehere attractive enough to accept today as he continues to play top pairs and power-play minutes for Arizona every night.
Gostisbehere statistics indicate that it is also too cheap at this price. He’s averaging 0.65 points per game and 3.7 shots on net + blocked shots in his last 10 games. Although the Coyotes’ power play remains one of the worst in the league, they have clearly increased their scoring ability in 2021-22, scoring eight of their 28 points with the man advantage. With a weak penalty-kill on tap, paying for the Coyotes’ special teams ace should be a priority when looking for the best deals on defense.
Power play defenders
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils ($6,400)
The Leafs offense rolls and enters this game with the Devils with another monster implied team total of 4.1. Targeting the best Leafs players has been a near-necessity lately for success in DFS, and ultimately, it’s made Morgan Rielly a much more attractive target lately. Rielly’s recent point increase (seven points in four games) puts him just under points-per-game status for the season and he’ll get the Devils for the second straight game, who allow the fourth-most shots on net.
Rielly doesn’t produce as much in the blocked shots department as some of the other elite defenders in the game, but in that kind of upside, paying to pair him up with a Marner or Matthews just makes sense. The Leafs’ power play isn’t something you want to see go away right now.
Define your DraftKings fantasy hockey rosters here: NHL $100,000 Tuesday Twenty [$20K to 1st]
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