Hockey Picks Daily Fantasy Expert Advice
Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel - 4/22/16
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Welcome back to another Friday night in the NHL playoffs. We have another four game slate with three teams(Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and Minnesota Wild) all attempting to fight off elimination in their respective game fives.
If you have any questions throughout the day be sure to join the conversation in the comments section below. Also, be sure to check LeftWingLock to get confirmation on all of the starting goalies for Tuesday. Now onto the picks.
Goaltenders
Braden Holtby
Opponent - PHI
FD - 10200 DK - 8700
The Flyers put forth their best effort in game four avoiding elimination but now face an even tougher task back in Washington for game five. Holtby has been tremendous for Caps allowing just four goals in the first four games with a .966 save percentage. I just don't trust the Flyers to stay out of the penalty box for a second straight game and this is where the Caps have really taken the game to them. Just like Bishop last, I expect Holtby to steal the clinching game and send my poor Flyers golfing.
Antti Niemi
Opponent - MIN
FD - 8200 DK - 7500
After Kari Lehtonen gave up four goals in game three, the Stars turned to Antti Niemi for game four who had a solid game stopping 28 of 30 shots he faced in a 3-2 win as the Stars took control of the series and now lead three games to one. There is no reason Niemi shouldn't get another start in the series but be sure to double check LeftWingLock prior to lineup lock tonight.
Also Consider for GPP - Martin Jones - San Jose Sharks @ LAK
CENTER
John Tavares
Opponent - FLA
FD - 9400 DK - 7900
He is leading the Islanders by example in the 2016 playoffs and has exceeded his career with seven points already in the first round. After a seeing 20 combined goals in the first three games of the series between these teams the game tightened up as the Panthers took game four 2-1 while evening up the series leaving it a best of three. With two of the next three games on the road for the Islanders, expect a strong effort from Tavares as he tries to lead them to the second round.
Stack with - Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo
Marcus Johansson
Opponent - PHI
FD - 5000 DK - 4500
His price has been slowly creeping up on both sites as he has provided tremendous value on the powerplay for the Capitals. He has recorded five points(four on the PP) in the first four games and while he plays on the third line he is must of you are stacking the Capitals top PP unit. The Flyers are prone to taking too many penalties in key situations and if they do so again tonight look for the Caps to bury them.
Stack with on the PP - Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, John Carlson
Also Consider - Nick Bjugstad - Florida Panthers vs. NYI
WINGERS
Jamie Benn
Opponent - MIN
FD - 8700 DK - 8300
With Tyler Seguin missing another game on Friday, the Stars will again be lead by Benn who has been terrific in the first round. He has picked up a point in each game and has six total in the first four games. I am expecting another strong effort on Friday night as the Stars will have a shot to close out the series with the Wild with a win at home.
Stack with - Cody Eakin, Patrick Sharp
Reilly Smith
Opponent - NYI
FD - 6800 DK - 5400
The Panthers second line winger has been money in the first round as he leads the league with eight points in the first four games of their series with the Islanders. Don't expect him to slow down anytime soon as the series has turned into a best of three with the Panthers gaining home ice advantage. After a tight defensive game on Wednesday, I am expecting the scoring to open up again in game five.
Stack with - Nick Bjugstad, Jussi Jokinen
Also Consider - Joe Pavelski - San Jose Sharks @ LAK
DEFENSE
Brent Burns
Opponent - LA
FD - 7700 DK - 8700
I haven't mentioned Burns in the opening round yet due to the high price and with the limited games on a nightly basis it makes it hard to fill in the value around him. Well I have changed my tune and will be using him in GPP tonight. He has been consistent so far in the first four games with five points while adding 18 shots on goal and eight blocks. The Sharks have a shot to close out the Kings on the road where they have been tremendous throughout the regular season and into the playoffs winning both games in LA so far.
Jake Muzzin
Opponent - SJ
FD - 4800 DK - 5900
In the same game is one of my favorite fantasy D men of the season. His price has continually been sitting in the middle tier and he is a very consistent option who provides value in almost all categories. In the first four games of the series he has recorded three points while firing 16 shots on goal and has added 12 blocks(DraftKings bonus).
Also Consider - John Carlson - Washington Capitals vs. PHI
Daily Updates Below:
***All advanced stats in this article are sourced from www. puckalytics.com***
***All goaltender and team line combination information is provided by www.leftwinglock.com***
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image sources
- Jamie_Benn_2014: By DalStars9 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons