Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: Top DraftKings NHL DFS Picks, Lineup Strategy for April 23

Friday features a master list of five NHL games starting 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.
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New York Rangers puck line +155 (-1.5) vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Rangers lost a tight tie to the Flyers in Game 1 of this series, but they should be ripe for a rebound today. The Flyers appear to start third string goaltender Alex Lyon ($ 6,900) at net, who allowed five goals in his only start to the season. The Rangers offense now ranks 7th in goals scored and each of their previous six wins have come from two or more goals. They make a great puck line target here at generous odds.
Montreal Canadiens to Calgary Flames under 5.5 goals (-121)
Neither team has prolific offenses, with both teams averaging less than 3.0 goals per game. Today will be the seventh meeting of the season between these two teams and five of their first six meetings have resulted in five goals or less. It’s hard not to like the underside right here with slightly shorter odds than what we normally see on a total.
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Top Line Stacks
New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Mika Zibanejad ($ 7,500) – Pavel Buchnevich ($ 6,400) – Chris Kreider ($ 5,500)
We targeted Mika Zibanejad in this article last night against the Flyers and while he didn’t break the slate he landed four SOGs and an assist so his night wasn’t a full wash. His pay here hasn’t gone up much either and I still like targeting the Rangers front row and PP1 against this weak Flyers team, especially on a quieter five-game roster. Like Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich was also busy with his shot in the opener, winning four SOGs and recording over 19 minutes of ice time. I would expect to see this line take hefty minutes again as the Rangers are in desperation mode trying to grab a playoff berth and essentially need a win here just to stay in the chase.
As I’ve said over the last few days, the Flyers’ penalty is horrible and it’s a unit the Rangers have completely destroyed in the past, with New York winning two of the six games between these teams by five or more goals. With a third player at the net here, targeting that front row for fantastic ends makes a lot of sense as you should see them playing great minutes and potentially leaving if the Rangers find themselves on the right side of the whistle tonight.
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Superstar to target
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabers ($ 8,700)
After quite a long period of drought, it looks like Pastrnak has finally returned to the relevance of stallions for fantastic purposes. The winger comes into this game with nine points in his last five games and just finished a multi-point night in his last game against the Sabers. The Sabers have looked proficient over the past two weeks, but are completely outclassed against the Bruins, who look a lot better on offense since adding Taylor Hall ($ 5,000) at the deadline. The Bruins are averaging 4.6 goals in their last five games and Hall’s inclusion has seen Pastrnak regain his natural place alongside Patrice Bergeron ($ 8,000). Pasta can and should be targeted at will tonight and in the future.
Value in case of infringement
Vinnie Hinostroza, Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators ($ 2,600)
Hinostroza recently got some top-level minutes for the Blackhawks, who have been trying to roll two balanced scorelines lately. This means the 27-year-old is now seeing time alongside Patrick Kane ($ 8,300) and it has led to some good things. The versatile forward has racked up five points in his last three games and has started to gain more confidence from the coaches, who have played him for more than 15 minutes in his last two games. As long as he’s next to Kane, he’s a great minimum-price game and a solid stacking partner with the Hawks superstar.
Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks ($ 3,900)
Tolvanen returned to action in the Predators’ last game and quickly got on the scoresheet with a goal. The Fin played 15 minutes and was back in a starring role for the offensively hungry Predators. He’s having a great game here against the Blackhawks, which allow the most shots in the league and the sixth-worst penalty. Look for Tolvanen to continue having a top-6 opportunity until Filip Forsberg returns.
Goalkeepers
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabers ($ 8,400)
Rask is a favorite monster on DraftKings Sportsbook tonight (-345 to be exact) to the point where his salary of $ 8.4K actually looks relatively cheap. He managed a shutout of those same Sabers on his last start and has now won three straight games since returning from injury, allowing a goal or less in two of those starts. Boston appears to be heating up and should continue to roll here against Buffalo. If you can make room, Rask is the net pay guy tonight.
Jake Allen, Montreal Canadiens at the Calgary Flames ($ 7,900)
Allen has been fair since taking on the number one role with Carey Price, but he has three wins in his last five starts and has a soft game here against Calgary. The Flames rank only 22nd in goals scored and 19th in power play efficiency. The Canadiens and Flames have seen five of their first six games end with five goals or less, so we should expect a low scoring game here. With the Canadiens as little favorites of the road DraftKings Sportsbook, Allen makes sense as a DFS target here at under $ 8,000.
Value on defense
Wyatt Kalynuk, Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators ($ 3,100)
There isn’t a ton of great value under $ 4k tonight on defense, but Kalynuk makes sense as a target here. The 21-year-old gets regular minutes for the Blackhawks and has also started to integrate into the power play in recent times. Kalynuk has also shown a good attacking side and has now landed 4.0 SOG in two of his last four games, while also scoring goals in three of his last six starts. The Preds have regressed a bit on defense after a hot run from Juuse Saros ($ 7,800) and are making decent targets here as well. Kalynuk is a good payout option for those looking to challenge tonight.
Power-Play Defenders
Matt Grzelcyk, Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabers ($ 5,000)
I mentioned Grzelcyk in this section during the Bruins’ last game against the Sabers and he quickly responded with a goal and assist for DKFP 15.0. The Bruins defenseman has now played two games since returning from injury and has been returned to his natural place in Bruins PP1. Boston has averaged 4.6 goals in its last five games and their power play makes them a great stacking target in such a privileged game. Grzelcyk is an effective way to get a piece of it tonight and should be included in any Boston PP1 stack.
Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings ($ 5,200)
There are a few big names on this defense slate, but I’d still prefer to pay for a reliable performer like Spurgeon, who won’t break the bank at just $ 5.2K. Unlike some of the other top defenders, Spurgeon isn’t afraid to block shots and he’s averaged 3.1 blocked shots in his last 10 games – and has now hit the DraftKings bonus five times in his last 10 games in this regard. He still sees plenty of time for the Wild PP1 quarterback, so the advantage is real against a weaker team like Los Angeles tonight.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also a fan and avid user (my username is wavegoodbye) and I can sometimes play on my personal account in the games I advise on. While I have expressed my personal take on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect DraftKings’ point of view (s) and I may also deploy different players and strategies than I recommend. above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.