NHL DFS Picks For January 18, 2022

There are a lot of games on MLK Day but they are spread across the entire day. We will be focusing on the three evening games. There are two monster matchups that are going to be hard to choose from and we will get to them, but first let’s take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers vs the New York Islanders game. Neither team is having the best season but the Islanders are quietly turning it around. They have been ravaged by the plague more than most teams and have only just hit the 30 game mark while other healthier teams are about to hit 40.

Here’s a Long Island lineup For DFS Hockey 1/18/22 (using DraftKings Values)

Islanders fans longed for the day that Ilya Sorokin would come across the pond. He has won every accolade in the KHL and the only thing he has left to prove is by winning Lord Stanley’s Cup. It was expected that he would be evenly splitting time with Semyon Varlamov this year but it is clear that Sorokin has already earned the starting gig.

Mat Barzal is going to be making a lot of money in a few years. He is already making a lot at $7,000,000/year, but it is just a bridge deal. His overlying numbers may not initially excite you, but remember that they were all slow out of the gate. In his last 10 games he has 14 points. That is the player who will be the face of the franchise for the next decade.

Another young gun who is making a name for himself is Noah Dobson. With Pulock out it has been up to Dobson to take charge of the first power play unit and he is maturing into that role quickly. Just three games ago he scored in every category and got all the bonuses for lots of shots and blocks. 

Let’s just get this out of the way. Juuse Saros may end up winning the Vezina this year and his price is super tantalizing but the St. Louis Blues have been ripping apart goaltenders this year. They are top five in the entire league in goals for! If it will get you a player you want, take him, but be wary.

Sidney Crosby flanked by Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust will give any team in the league fits. They are just stupid good. Crosby has notably few goals this year and we figure that they are creative enough to get him one tonight. Robin Lehner has been getting wings but not always by virtue of his goaltending. Crosby would be an upgrade over Barzal and taking at least one of the other two is a smart move.

Chandler Stephenson has had a huge breakout season and that was true regardless of his linemates for much of the year. The volatile talent on his sides did end up taking a toll on his fantasy value recently but he is back at the top between Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. He will also be contending with Jack Eichel’s imminent return and so he is very incentivized to play 110%. At that low, low cost you have all the upside.

Brayden Schenn and Eeli Tolvanen are both a little snake bit right now. Tolvanen costs a bit more but is up on the top line in Nashville and has nearly 2.5 shots per game. That is impressive and his shot percentage is about half of what it should be. Unlucky. Schenn has just been battling injuries but is a very capable player when healthy.

We are curious to see what happens with Zach Whitecloud tonight. Shea Theodore is set to return which may hurt Whitecloud’s playing time. He is still a great player but we may give the nod to Justin Faulk today. Faulk is hanging around on the second power play and is a nice depth piece for the Blues.

The Yak is back! Yakov Trenin is one of our favorite third line grinders. He tips the scale at just over 200 lbs and he uses it. He has fought Zdeno Chara twice in his career and won one of them! The cojones on this guy to fight the tallest player in NHL history is something else. He has been on a bit of a goal scoring streak and is hitting his breakout period in games played.

Hopefully, you have the day off and get to soak in all the games in the NHL and of course the last Wild Card game in the NFL. Our experts have picks for all of it! Updates and posts come through on Twitter (@FantasyDFSX). Take it easy.