NHL DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel daily fantasy hockey top picks for February 23

A pair of big rivalry matchups highlight the NHL schedule on Saturday evening, as the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to take on the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs. Both games are part of an eight-game main slate for NHL DFS tournaments and cash games on FanDuel and DraftKings with the action beginning at 5 p.m. ET. And whether you prefer the high-floor approach with your NHL DFS lineups that helps turn a steady profit in cash games or the high-ceiling approach that give you a shot at big money in GPP tournaments, be sure to check out the NHL DFS picks and advice from DFS millionaire Mike McClure first.

McClure is a DFS professional with nearly $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best NHL DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NHL DFS player.

On Friday, McClure was all over Avalanche center Carl Soderberg at $4,700 on FanDuel. The result: He scored two goals on five shots against the Blackhawks — returning nearly 34 points and close to 8x value. Anyone who rostered him was well on their way to a winning night.

For Saturday’s slate, we can tell you McClure is loving Penguins center Sidney Crosby at $9,000 on FanDuel and $7,500 on DraftKings.

Crosby has been on fire of late, with 12 points in his last seven games, including three games where he had three points. One of those games came against the Flyers on Feb. 11 and the rematch on Saturday gives him a chance to replicate those huge numbers.

The NHL’s biggest star has made a habit of torturing his in-state rivals throughout his career, with 97 points against them in 65 career games. The New York Islanders are the only team he’s scored more points against in his career and the 40 goals he’s had against the Flyers are the most he has against anybody. Get Crosby in your NHL DFS lineups on Saturday and take advantage of one of the sweetest matchups available.

McClure also likes Maple Leafs wing Mitchell Marner ($7,600 on FanDuel and $6,500 on DraftKings), who has 69 points in 60 games this season.The talented 21-year-old already had two 60-point seasons under his belt, but he’s taken his game to another level in his third year in the league. He’s averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night after averaging less than 17 minutes in each of his first two seasons.

On Saturday, he has a solid matchup against a Canadiens team who he has put up seven points against in nine career games. Montreal has given up 20 goals in the last five road games, so look for Marner and the rest of the potent Toronto offense to take advantage at home.

McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Saturday night. He’s a huge steal at his price point, so this pick could be the difference between cashing and going home with nothing. You absolutely need to see who it is before setting your lineups. 

So what are the optimal NHL DFS lineups for Saturday? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure’s complete optimal tournament lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings, and cash in big on NHL DFS.