NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 10/26/22

Hockey is back!

NHL DFS is similar to MLB in terms of how you build lineups, how you view stacking, and how to value players.

Two main points to always focus on in NHL DFS are what lines the players are on and making sure the goalies you are rostering are confirmed as the starters. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com and DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team, along with which goalies are confirmed as the starters.

Let's jump in and take a look at today's slate and some players to consider for your lineups.

Goalie to Target

Jack Campbell ($7,200): Tonight's slate is a tough one for goalies, and with no heavy home favorites, it could be time to simply take the savings and aim for a win. The salary relief Campbell brings to your lineup is notable, especially when there are multiple skaters over $10K who we want to roster.

Campbell and the Edmonton Oilers are -110 on the moneyline and are on the road to visit the St. Louis Blues, who are also -110 to win. It's a coin-flip matchup, and Campbell is $7,000 while the Blues' Jordan Binnington is $8,600. If the implied win odds are the same for both teams, why not just take the lower-salaried goalie?

The Blues' offense hasn't been amazing to start the season. They rank sixth-worst in Goals (2.03) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations this year. Campbell might be a bit shaky in net sometimes, but it's not the worst matchup for him.

High-Salaried Skaters

Connor McDavid ($10,100): Surprisingly, McDavid -- the best player in the world -- has gone two games in a row without an NHL point. I know, it's shocking. He's consistently proven to produce at such a high level that simply going two games without a point is noteworthy. Tonight's matchup against the Blues has a very solid 6.5-goal over/under and should provide plenty of goals.

Scoring a ton of goals isn't something the Oilers have done a lot of to start the season. They come in netting only 2.14 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the eighth-fewest in the league. However, if we look at their Expected Goals Scored (xGF) in the same situations, they should be producing 3.08 Goals, which would be the fifth-best in the league.

Their offense is vastly underproducing right now and is due for some serious positive regression. Edmonton is going to break out eventually, and rostering McDavid is a solid way to capture much of that production.

Steven Stamkos ($10,300): Stammer and the Tampa Bay Lightning dropped a tough game last night versus the Los Angeles Kings but are back at it tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks present a much easier matchup tonight since they are allowing 3.86 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fourth-most in the league.

As usual, Stamkos is producing at a consistent rate with 7 NHL points and 30 shots on goal through seven games. He is skating on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, putting him in a spot to pick up a multi-point performance against a weak defense.

Value Skaters

Kaapo Kakko ($4,300): The New York Rangers are taking on the New York Islanders, and there are some value options to consider. Considering both teams are known for their strong goaltending, we may not see a ton of scoring in this one, but the point-per-dollar value could be there with a few players.

Kakko stands out as one of those value options since he is on the first forward line and the second power-play unit while being under $5,000. He has a modest 13 shots on goal and 2 NHL points through seven games but doesn't need to have a ceiling game to be worth the roster spot.

Ivan Barbashev ($5,000): Although I mentioned the Oilers' goalie -- Campbell -- above, I still like some of the Blues' forwards tonight. Barbashev is a clear value option since the Blues put Pavel Buchnevich on Injured Reserve earlier this week. This has changed up the Blues' lines, and we now get Barbashev on the second forward line and the first power-play unit.

Barbashev hasn't done much offensively to this point in the season, but having 100% ice-time correlation with Vladimir Tarasenko is never a bad thing.