5 NHL FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Thursday 3/10/22

Spending lower in any daily fantasy lineup is a way to incorporate some diversity into your roster. In NHL DFS, there is typically more value in this strategy but also a good deal more risk. This is especially true on tonight's slate, where there are lots of lower-salaried plays. Plugging in these options will afford you more chances to play some studs as well.

With a chaos-inducing 13 games on Thursday night, there are plenty of places to poke around for surprises and hidden gems.

Erik Haula, Center, Boston Bruins

FanDuel Salary: $4,200

The Boston Bruins have a prime matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night at home. Chicago is back to playing its run-and-gun style, which is great not only for the first Boston line but the second, as well.

Haula plays top-six minutes typically around 15-16 minutes a night. He will be deployed against Chicago's slower units. It does not hurt that he is flanked by David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall. The results have been very good of late. The Boston pivot has three goals and five assists during that span.

This could be an ideal matchup for the center because Chicago's defense can give up piles of scoring chances in transition. Also, Chicago ranks 22nd or worse in major defensive metrics, including goals, shots against, and penalty kill.

Lawson Crouse, Wing, Arizona Coyotes

FanDuel Salary: $4,000

Thanks to Nick Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse may go under the radar a good bit tonight in Toronto.

He may not be the greatest value play on the slate, but Crouse is showing signs of good form. The forward has real-world points in consecutive games for the second time in a month. That is a good sign heading into this game. Also, Toronto has allowed three or more goals in eight of their last nine games. They even yielded four to the Seattle Kraken at home on Tuesday.

Crouse îs a power-forward who can get to the net and play 17-plus minutes a night. There will be chances.

Crouse isn't expected to be utilized in many lineups and has value.

Dryden Hunt, Wing, New York Rangers

FanDuel Salary: $3,800

The value bin is all about taking some huge risks on Thursday. Dryden Hunt is one of those choices, as he has carved out a top-six role in the heart of the New York Rangers' offense.

Although the winger has had a difficult time accumulating goals and assists. Hunt does have a goal and an assist in his past four games. He seems to be in favor over more talented forwards like Filip Chytil for ice time. Hunt also blocks a few more shots than most and has four of those in his past five appearances.

Hunt is a dicey choice, but against the St. Louis Blues, who are giving up three-plus goals with increasing frequency, maybe he's not that bad of one.

Ty Smith, Defenseman, New Jersey Devils

FanDuel Salary: $3,800

One of the higher-scoring games of the night might just be the New Jersey Devils at home against the Winnipeg Jets.

As Ty Smith slowly grows some confidence and a bit more concrete of a role, his niche is clear -- especially at home. He has goals in consecutive games while playing the role of a sixth defenseman.

The Devils' defenseman has a chance to hit double-digit FanDuel points against one of the worst defenses in hockey that gave up three goals in the first period on Tuesday to Tampa Bay.

Expect Smith only to log between 12 and 14 minutes or so but be put in prime positions at home for offense. He has four shots on goal and seven scoring chances in his previous two games alone despite limited play.

Anton Forsberg, Goalie, Ottawa Senators

FanDuel Salary: $6,600

So, it would not be surprising if Anton Forsberg rises rapidly on value lists for Thursday night's slate. For one, Ottawa enjoys a rare positive matchup against the Seattle Kraken at home.

The Ottawa goaltender has won three of his last six starts (3-2-1) but has seen 213 shots in that span. That is more than 35 a game! The Senators tend to give up shots in bunches, and that leads to piling up some points.

Yes, Ottawa will not see the playoffs, and neither will Seattle, but at these low salaries, a goaltender has to win between Forsberg and Philipp Grubauer. The former has a slightly better chance, as the Senators have a 61.5% chance of coming out with a victory.

Most DFS targets may not be squarely on this game, but that may change before the slate locks.

Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.