NHL DFS Picks For April 16, 2021

Goalies are the worst. Shout out to Dustin Tokarski though for getting his first win in five years. It is impressive that he has stuck around long enough to get back to the show and succeed. The Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings showed they still have some fight left and won decisive victories. As much as we love to hate on some of the bottom teams the parity in the league is still amazing. 

We only have four games to choose from so we are going to have to be picky here. In order of favorites we are looking at the Colorado Avalanche, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Minnesota Wild. The Boston Bruins vs the New York Islanders is the second of a back to back and while it should be a good game it is hard to pick a favorite here.

Here’s a nifty lineup For DFS Hockey 4/16/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Nathan MacKinnon has 53 points in 39 games and is tied for fifth in the league. Looking at the stat leaders we are realizing we should probably give more air time to Patrick Kane and Leon Draisaitl but they are not playing today. The Avalanche are scary and they are preparing for a deep playoff run.

Nazem Kadri is the missing piece right now in the Av’s arsenal. He has been way too quiet and needs to turn it around as soon as possible. When he starts showing up on the stat sheet again it will be game over for every other team in this division. He is too good of a player for this slump to last much longer.

Cale Makar is a special player. On a recent episode of Spittin’ Chiclets the boys were interviewing UMass Amherst coach Greg Carvel, who just won the national championship and he seemed to enjoy the hate he received for past comments about how good of a player Makar actually is. He only has four goals but is still a point per game. This kid can produce.

Cam Talbot gets the nod today mostly because Colorado’s goalie situation is a carousel and we cannot seem to ever get them right. The Wild have a good matchup against the Sharks and Talbot has been having a great season. We are looking forward to seeing what this team can do in the postseason.

Here’s a nifty lineup For DFS Hockey 4/16/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Max Pacioretty – W seems to have an artificial ceiling on his price which we do not understand. He has more average fantasy points than David Pastrnak but is $500 cheaper. It certainly suggests that DraftKings prioritizes superstars but spoiler alert, Pacioretty is one. 

Alex Iafallo – W just signed himself a sweet new contract and will comfortably be on Los Angeles’ top line for the foreseeable future. If Devan Dubnyk is in fact the starter for Colorado then this matchup is quite favorable.

Carl Soderberg – W. There is a definite risk with this stack but Soderberg gets moved to a contender and does not need to deal with center responsibilities. We are hoping the change of scenery for him can spark some life in Kadri. 

Jamie Drysdale – D may end up giving Cale Makar a run for his money. He was drafted this past year and is already in the NHL. Defensemen usually take longer to develop and the fact that he is already playing 20-22 minutes is just jaw dropping. Why the Senators did not take him makes no sense to us, but the jury will be out on that for a few years until we see what Sanderson can do. Drysdale is here and producing now though. Buy, buy, buy. 

Rudolf Balcers – U. Speaking of other asset mismanagement from Ottawa we have the curious case of Rudolfs Balcers. Seemingly unable to crack the Sens lineup he was placed on waivers and taken by the team that he started with. He has worked his way up to the top line and we are so happy for him. Let’s see what else he can do.

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