Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: NHL DraftKings Playoff Primer for April 15

Tom Urtz Jr.Apr 14, 2015

The Stanley Cup playoffs start Wednesday, and in the words of the great Andy Williams, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." For the next two months, there is going to be intense playoff hockey almost every night, and that means you are going to have to maintain a number of DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups.

At this point, you may be saying, "I've played tons of Daily Fantasy games this year, so the playoffs should be nothing new for me," and if we were in the same room, I'd politely correct you. The playoffs are a completely different animal, and you can't make picks solely based on regular-season success.

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This primer will cover some points you want to keep in mind, and it will also contain examples to ponder when filling out your lineup Wednesday. Without wasting more time, let's dive right into the playoff waters.

The Importance of Roles and Evaluating Price Tags

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In the regular season, roles are usually well defined, and they seldom deviate. This is because players and coaches have time to tinker and find out what ultimately works best.

In the playoffs, there are two teams who are engaging in a collision of stars on a nightly basis, and changes are made with frequency. When things aren't working, teams scramble to find something that does work because failing to do so can lead to elimination.

That means top players can get shifted away from their normal linemates, and some secondary players can take on an enhanced role. This is because the playoffs have the tendency to create heroes, and unexpected players rule the day.

Perfect examples of this would be Claude Lemieux, Cam Ward and Ville Leino. All three had a knack for playing better in the playoffs than they did in the regular season. Lemieux led in playoff goal scoring twice during his career but never led the regular season in goal scoring.

Situation	Record	GAA	SV%	Awards
Playoffs	23-18-0	2.38	.917	Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe
Regular Season	246-191-58	2.73	.910	None
Variance In Playoffs	N/A	0.35	.07

Ward won a Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, and he's never won a Vezina Trophy for top goalie of the regular season. Leino had a great playoff run with the Philadelphia Flyers, landed a fat contract and was ultimately bought out by the Buffalo Sabres.

With this in mind, successful DF players tend to be the ones who actively look for diamonds in the rough to become a key part of their team and not just players who eat up the remainder of your $50,000 salary cap.

That is why you have to take notice when there are situations in which a player's regular-season production has resulted in a low price tag relative to other players in action. That is because there are tons of examples in which these players are valuable, and the price tag doesn't do them justice. Here are a just a few who happen to be active Wednesday:

POS	Player	Price	Stats	Note
C	Henrik Sedin	$4,800	74 points in 99 playoff games with VAN.	Time after time Sedin has been one of the Canucks' top playoff players. A price tag of $4,800 is an amazing bargain.
W	Patrick Sharp	$5,300	37 goals, 65 points in 94 playoff games with CHI.	Sharp had a rough year, but he's had significant success in the playoff as a member of the Blackhawks. Getting him for $5,300 is a real steal while it lasts.
G	Jonas Hiller	$7,800	12-12-0, .932 save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average in playoffs lifetime.	Hiller has a pretty low price tag for a starting goalie, and it may be low because of his record. His individual stats in the playoffs are impressive, and should be enough for you to consider drafting him.

Regular-Season Success Does Not Equal Playoff Success

Another important element about playing Daily Fantasy during the playoffs is being able to adequately evaluate players and how they will contribute for your various lineups.

During the regular season of Daily Fantasy, it is easy to go after some of the bigger names because of reputation and positive stats. Some players will try and take that strategy into the playoffs, and some may be in for a rude awakening.

Rick Nash is a solid example of this, as he's been a great regular-season goal scorer but a dreadful postseason contributor. He's coming off a 42-goal season with the Rangers, but with only five playoff goals as a Ranger, he should be picked with caution.

Nash isn't in action Wednesday, so here are some notable players who have been disappointing in the playoffs:

POS	Player	Price	Stats	Note
D	John Carlson	$7,500	0.35 P/GP in playoffs	Carlson is one of the most expensive defenders on Wednesday. He has had relative success in the regular season, but his production has dipped in postseason play.
W	James Neal	$5,700	0.29 G/GP in playoffs	Neal has averaged 0.38 G/GP throughout his NHL career. He is a mid-range winger for Wednesday, and it would be wise to avoid a player who doesn't produce as well in the postseason.
W	Radim Vrbata	$7,300	0.39 P/GP in playoffs	Vrbata has appeared in 36 playoffs games, and his production in that setting hasn't matched his regular season success. A drop from 0.61 in the regular season to 0.39 in the playoffs is deep, and his cold stick helped Phoenix bow out in the 2011-12 playoffs.