NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 2/14/23

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

Ilya Sorokin ($7,800): I'm not going to say this is a 'must-win' game for the New York Islanders, but it's as close to that as you can imagine. The Islanders are in a tight race for the last wild card spot and coming off two losses to some of the worst teams in the league and now face another weak team in the Ottawa Senators, who are on the second night of a back-to-back.

Also, the Senators are without their top two goalies, which means they should be starting their fourth-string goalie since they played last night. Sorokin comes in as one of the strongest goalies in the league with 25.5 goals saved above expected (GSAx), which is the second-highest in the NHL. Sorokin is in a clear spot to come away with the win while having a great salary tonight.

High-Salaried Skaters

Timo Meier ($9,000): The San Jose Sharks have a 2.98 implied goal total tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that might not be high enough. Over the last three weeks, the Penguins are allowing 3.18 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-worst in the league. Surprisingly, the Sharks' offense has been good in that same time frame with them scoring 2.82 goals in that situation (ninth-best in the league).

Meier is one of the most consistent fantasy players in the league and has shown that over his last 10 games with 8 NHL points and 43 shots on goal. His time on the first forward line and the first power-play should put him in a spot to attack this struggling Penguins' defense.

Aleksander Barkov ($8,000): The Florida Panthers have a solid 3.36 implied goal against the St. Louis Blues, a matchup that should let the Panthers show the full strength of their offense. It was a bit of a slow game for the Panthers last night, but this is a great matchup for them to bounce back.

Over the last three weeks, the Blues are allowing 4.04 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is dead last in the league. During that same time, the Panthers are scoring a whopping 3.52 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-best in the league. They are on fire right now and should be able to pile up the offensive stats tonight.

Barkov is on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, coming in with 11 NHL points, 29 shots on goal, and 9 blocked shots over his last 10 games.

Value Skaters

Ondrej Palat ($4,600): The New Jersey Devils have a slate-high 3.76 implied goal total against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which should make them a very chalk team tonight.

Palat is on the top forward line and the first power-play unit for the Devils, which has allowed him to rack up 10 NHL points, 17 shots on goal, and 15 blocked shots in his last 10 games. He has a very strong floor of fantasy points because of his work in the secondary categories, which will always make him a good point-per-dollar play.

Kirby Dach ($5,300): Dach and the Montreal Canadiens have a surprisingly high 3.47 implied goal total against the Chicago Blackhawks. I say it's a surprise since the Canadiens are only scoring 2.22 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last three weeks, which is 24th in the league.

That's nothing to get too excited about, but the matchup against Chicago is too good to pass up. The Blackhawks have somehow gotten worse on defense as the season has gone on. For the year, they are allowing 3.09 goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. Over the last three weeks, that rate is up to 3.41. They're always a team to attack with skaters.