NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, October 17

NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, October 17

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

Thursday has 11 games scheduled, including seven in the 7:00-7:30 p.m. ET, three in the 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET slot and one beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook. 

SLATE PREVIEW 

Chicago (vs. San Jose), NY Rangers (at Detroit) and Dallas (at Washington) are the biggest favorites on the Moneyline. The Devils-Senators, Sabres-Blue Jackets, Rangers-Red Wings and Oilers-Predators matchups have the over/under set for 6.5 goals, while the other contests are at 6.0 goals. 

GOALTENDERS 

Ilya Sorokin, NYI at STL ($7,900): Sorokin was superb during his season debut, stopping 32 out of 34 shots in a 6-2 win over Colorado on Monday. He has a 3-1-0 record with a 2.51 GAA and a .911 save percentage in four career contests versus the Blues. 

Petr Mrazek, CHI vs. SJS ($8,400): Mrazek is rarely among the highest cap hits among goaltenders in daily fantasy, but a favorable matchup against the low-scoring Sharks makes him an intriguing option. He has performed well in his past two outings, stopping 59 out of 63 shots en route to a 1-1-0 record. Mrazek went 3-0-0 with a 2.28 GAA and .926 save percentage versus San Jose last season. 

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS 

Filip Forsberg, NSH vs. EDM ($8,400): Forsberg has one goal, two assists and 15 shots on target through three outings this campaign. He has compiled 12 goals and 24 points across 25 career appearances against the Oilers. 

Zach Hyman, EDM at NSH ($7,500): Stacking Edmonton's top line would involve a heavy salary investment, but rostering Hyman could get a piece of the potential production Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can provide. The 32-year-old Hyman is a good bet to hit the scoresheet for the first time this year on Thursday after accumulating three goals, three assists and six shots in three games against Nashville last campaign. 

Nico Hischier NJD at OTT ($6,100): Hischier has three goals and five points in six contests, including two tallies and two assists during a three-game point spree.

Alex Tuch, BUF at CBJ ($5,500): Tuch has two goals and four helpers during his four-game point streak. He also has 12 shots during that span. Tuch has collected nine points, including six assists, and 29 shots in 12 previous games versus the Blue Jackets.

Anton Lundell, FLA vs. VAN ($4,400): Lundell has three goals, one assist and six shots in his last two games. He has been excellent while filling in a top-six role for the injured Aleksander Barkov. The 23-year-old Lundell can be stacked with Sam Reinhart, who has four goals and eight points through five games. 

FORWARD LINE STACKS 

Lightning vs. Golden Knights 

Brandon Hagel (W - $5,000), Nick Paul (W - $3,700), Anthony Cirelli (C - $4,900) 

Hagel, Paul and Cirelli combined for two goals, eight shots and four assists in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Vancouver. Stacking Tampa Bay's top line would require a massive salary investment, but if you want to roster one member of that group, Nikita Kucherov ($9,500) would be the play. 

The second line of the Lightning has plenty of bang for the buck potential if they can carry some momentum from Tuesday's performance. 

Rangers at Red Wings 

Artemi Panarin (W - $8,500), Vincent Trocheck (C - $6,500), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $5,400) 

Panarin has opened the 2024-25 campaign with three consecutive multi-point performances, earning two goals, five helpers and seven shots during that span. Lafreniere has two markers and two assists during his three-game point spree. Trocheck has one goal, one assist and seven shots through three outings. 

The talented trio of the Rangers has been all over the scoresheet this campaign, and they combined for one goal, three assists and seven shots in Monday's win over Detroit. 

DEFENSEMEN 

Victor Hedman, TBL vs. VGK ($6,300): Hedman has three assists (two on the man advantage), four shots and four blocks in two contests. Tampa Bay's power play could be dangerous against a Vegas penalty kill that ranks 29th in the league. 

Evan Bouchard, EDM at NSH ($6,700): Bouchard snapped his three-game pointless skid with a goal in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over Philadelphia. He has seven shots and five blocks through four outings. Bouchard should get back on the scoresheet against a Nashville squad that sits 31st in the league in goals against per game (4.67). 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Corey Abbott plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: armchair_gm, DraftKings: thenext1, Yahoo: Why.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corey Abbott
Corey Abbott is an avid sports fan who has been writing fantasy hockey for 15-plus years.
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