Welcome to Thursday’s two-game NHL Slate. The New York Rangers head back to Raleigh looking to close this series out, while the Edmonton Oilers travel to Vancouver to face the Canucks in a series that has now become a best of three. There are many great players to choose from on this short slate, but we need to find good value plays and pick the correct goalie. 

 

 

 

NHL DFS Picks & Playbook For Today, 5/16

Make sure to check out our NHL DFS projections, NHL Value Finder, and NHL DFS lineup generator before finalizing your NHL daily fantasy lineups for Thursday, May 16th on DraftKings and FanDuel. Without further ado, let's explore my top NHL DFS picks for today's slate!

Highest Expected Goal Totals

 

 

 

Rangers vs. Hurricanes DFS

The Carolina Hurricanes have won 2 games in a row and are hoping to return home and keep their series going for at least one more game. The Hurricanes have played much better recently, but they still need to dig deep and play their best hockey. The New York Rangers have slipped a little, but they are still 7-2 in the playoffs and have one of the deepest lineups. This is going to be a great battle between two very talented teams.

The Rangers don’t shoot the puck a ton and that number drops even more on the road. Despite that, there are still a lot of good players worth targeting. Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere are three names to remember. 

Panarin is the most expensive of the gang, so you could decide to go with him as a single bullet or do a Trocheck/Lafreniere mini stack. Both options are good depending on how you want to build your lineup. Jacob Trouba is the only defence I would consider from this team. His offensive upside is limited, but he can block shots and is very affordable.

On the Carolina side, there is more than enough value to go around. Jordan Staal and Evgeny Kuznetsov both scored goals last game and are under $3,500 on DraftKings. The upside for both players is limited, but they still provide a ton of value. You could pair either player with Jake Guentzel, who is by far the best offensive winger on the team. His shot volume hasn’t been consistent in this series, but he is racking up points and that’s all we care about.

When it comes to goaltending, you’re probably going to want to pick a goalie from this game. Frederik Andersen has been better of late but has been inconsistent in the second round. Igor Shesterkin is elite, and no one is questioning that, but he’s the most expensive goalie on the slate and has allowed 3 or more goals in every game this round. He did play very well in Games 3 and 4, so I’d probably lean Igor if you don’t full-stack the Hurricanes.

 

 

 

Canucks vs. Oilers DFS

The Edmonton Oilers were able to even their series up with a 3-2 win in Game 4, turning this series into a best of 3. Vancouver is a good hockey team, but they need to remember that they are only elite if they can slow down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Arturs Silovs is doing everything he can to keep his team in games, but he isn’t a difference-maker.

Vancouver is at home so there are some options to consider. J.T. Miller took a lot of blame for the loss, so maybe that lights a fire under him and gets him going for this one. He hasn’t been bad, but we need more consistency from him. Brock Boeser is the only forward I would trust from this lineup. 

He is a pure goalscorer and will get every chance possible to find the back of the net. If you want some added value, Nikita Zadorov is the way to go. He did collect an assist last game, but we are targeting him because he can block shots and I expect him to do a lot of that in this matchup.

On the Edmonton side, we are running it back with the same players from Tuesday. We know that those 4 players are seeing a ton of minutes and are consistent. I will say this; if you have to pick one superstar to pay up, it’s Draisaitl. Nothing against McDavid, but I think Vancouver needs to make sure that they contain him, so that could give Draisaitl a slightly better matchup. 

Evan Bouchard is the player I really want in my lineup. He continues to shoot the puck a ton and rack up points. His ice time has also been high, so there is no reason for him not to hit value. It also feels like a steal to get him at under $7K on DK.

I wouldn’t break my back to get Calvin Pickard into my lineup, but I think he is a decent option. Silovs is 4-3 in the playoffs with a 2.71 GAA and a .907 SV%. Those are decent numbers, but they aren’t elite. 

The Canucks have been unable to contain Edmonton’s top power play unit and I don’t think they figure it out tonight. Pickard played well in Game 4 but didn’t have a lot of work. That might change tonight, but I think his confidence is high and he is up to the task. If you want to target a goalie that will have lower ownership, this is the way to go.