NHL Daily Fantasy Picks and Helper: Tuesday 1/2/24

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, find a goalie, some stacks, and some value plays for your NHL DFS lineups on FanDuel.

NHL DFS Picks

Goalie to Target

Stuart Skinner, Oilers ($8,300)

The Edmonton Oilers started off the season really slowly but turned things around in December. They went 9-3-0 in the month, thanks to improved goaltending.

Stuart Skinner ($8,300) picked up six of those nine wins and didn't allow more than three goals in any of those wins. He finished 2023 with three straight wins, where he allowed only five total goals.

The Oilers are playing at home tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. Despite the Flyers playing better than expected, they still aren't dangerous offensively. They average only the ninth-most goals and 11th-most expected goals (xG) per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Edmonton is a -176 favorite, per the NHL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. Skinner should have a great chance of picking up a win and not get blown up for a ton of goals given the matchup.

Stacks

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars finished 2023 with a bang, scoring eight goals in their final game of the year. They are quietly second in goals per game in the league now and should start 2024 off by scoring a lot tonight.

The top line of Roope Hintz ($7,400), Jason Robertson ($8,400) and Joe Pavelski ($7,400) has been one of the most productive lines in the NHL over the last three seasons. They've continued that this year, ranking second in five-on-five goals as a line. They also all play together on the first power-play unit.

Hintz has played well of late, with four goals in his last two games. He now leads the team with 15 goals. Robertson isn't quite playing as well as last season, but he does have the most points on the team with 36. At 39 years old, Pavelski is still chugging along with 34 points in 36 games.

Dallas will face the Montreal Canadiens at home tonight. Montreal allows the sixth-most xG per 60 minutes and also has the second-worst penalty kill in the league.

With the Stars having an implied team total of 4.04 goals tonight, Dallas' top line is definitely a stack to target.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks sit third in the NHL and points, and they lead the league in goals per game. The best part of that for our purposes is that their first line is affordable for stacking purposes.

The first line is centered by Elias Pettersson ($9,100), who is having another excellent season with 43 points in 36 games. They've moved Andrei Kuzmenko ($4,600) back to the top line and power play after he had been shifted around. Kuzmenko scored 39 goals last season and now has four in his last six games. Ilya Mikheyev ($5,200) is also a bargain on this line despite not linking up on the first power play with his linemates.

Vancouver is at home tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa has allowed the fifth-most goals per game this season and will find it difficult to slow down the NHL's highest-scoring team.

The salaries on Kuzmenko and Mikheyev make it possible to fit in Quinn Hughes ($8,100). Hughes is eighth in the NHL in points and first among blueliners. It's hard to stack these top defensemen with their power-play mates, but it's possible to do it in this spot.

The Canucks have a healthy implied team total of 3.49 goals, so this line makes a ton of sense as a target.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have been up and down all season long and have dealt with injuries and suspensions to key players. Tonight, they're basically at full health and have a great matchup.

We'll look at the second line, as we'll get full correlation on the top power play with these three guys. Patrick Kane ($8,100) is starting to round into form as a Red Wing, with 11 points in his last seven games. His partner-in-crime has been Alex DeBrincat ($8,300), who has 12 points in that same stretch. J.T. Compher ($5,600) has slid in as the center on this line and on the power play with them.

The Wings are out west against the San Jose Sharks tonight. San Jose is still dead last in basically every defensive metric, including goals allowed per game and xG allowed per 60.

This Detroit line has serious upside with their correlation and matchup, so I would love to get some exposure to them tonight.

Value Skaters

Thomas Chabot, D, Senators ($4,000)

Thomas Chabot ($4,000) returned to the Senators lineup and had two assists on Sunday. He played the ninth-most ice time per game last season and has a reputation for playing a lot.

He'll be back on Ottawa's top power play. Even though the Sens are underdogs, Vancouver's penalty kill is the ninth worst in the NHL. It's rare to get a defenseman this talented and plays as much as Chabot does for this low of a salary, so he's an easy plug-and-play on this slate.

Anthony Beauvillier, W, Blackhawks ($3,300)

The Chicago Blackhawks aren't a team we are rushing to get players from, but if we are playing them, we want to use as little salary as possible.

Anthony Beauvillier ($3,300) has points in three of his last four games. He's playing alongside Connor Bedard, by far the most talented player on the team. If you want to play a little mini stack with Beauvillier to get some exposure to Bedard, it's a bit sneaky and takes up only $10,500 in total salary.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.