Underdog Friday Face Off Draft Targets

SGPN is here with the Underdog Friday Face-Off Draft Targets! The NHL Playoffs have yet to disappoint this offseason, from offensive explosion games in the Toronto and Tampa Bay series to the back-and-forth tight matchups of New Jersey and the New York Rangers matchup. There have been fireworks all around the playoffs, and fans should be rejoicing in the positive coverage for the league.

The postseason player market has heated up as well. We’ve seen unsung heroes rise to the occasion, and regular-season favorites continue to shine. This article will cover the best players to target in Underdogs Friday Face Off Draft. There are plenty of value picks sitting around. You’ll need to know when the right time to bounce is. There are plenty of players I’m willing to move up the board based on their recent play.

I strongly recommend catching up on the point leaders for the playoffs and getting the most up-to-date lineup changes. I also recommend finding your best stacks to attack and commit to them. There are a few key scoring lines you can put together when drafting. Attack the team and top-scoring line you believe will provide the most boom this Friday. My pick in that department is the Dallas Stars!

If you’re unfamiliar with the Face Off drafts, you’ll be drafting for 1 Center – 2 Wingers – 1 Defenseman – 1 Goalie – 1 Flex as your starters. I don’t recommend drafting more than one goalie or defenseman. You’ll need to nail those picks to get more exposure to offensive players with more upside by picking multiple Centers and Wingers. Be sure to follow the @Gamblingpodcast for more Underdog Fantasy Hockey Updates!

Underdog Friday Face Off Draft Targets

Roope Hintz – C – Dallas Stars

Roope Hintz is the second player listed on the Underdogs Friday Face Off draft board. For a good reason, he leads the NHL playoffs with 11 points on the back of four goals and seven assists. Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Tyler Seguin have made up the first line for the Stars since Joe Pavelski was injured in game one of the playoffs. To our surprise, Seguin has played well and contributed in the scoring department. This has aided Hintz and Robertson’s values alike and, of course, been a great push for the Dallas Stars.

Roope is certainly worth the draft stock. The alternative option is Nathan MacKinnon, whose the first player coming off the board. Unfortunately, he’s been colder in comparison as the Avalanche have struggled against the surging Seattle Kraken. MacKinnon has six points in five games, which isn’t terrible but certainly not the same click rate as Hintz and his linemates.

MacKinnon plays on the Avalanche’s top line with Evan Rodrigues and Artturi Lehkonen. They’ve scored half the goals (5) of the Dallas top line (10) through these first five games. Keep it simple with your first or second pick with Roope Hintz. He’s been the most consistent player this playoffs.

Stack Targets: Jason Robertson W6 + Tyler Seguin C6

ROOPE HINTZ COMPLETES THE FIRST HATTY OF THE PLAYOFFS ??? pic.twitter.com/VizxplrA6L

— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 20, 2023

Taylor Hall – W – Boston Bruins

Where in the world did Taylor Hall come from?! Buddy always had the shooting touch but felt somewhat forgotten in this deep Bruins lineup. Hall sits with the 4th best point total in the playoffs with five goals and three assists. The Bruins have spread their talent throughout their lineup these playoffs, so much to the extent they have Brad Marchand playing on line three.

Hall sits on line two with Pavel Zacha and Jake Debrusk, and he’s being featured as the go-to shot taker on this line. Zacha and Debrusk both play strong two-way games and pair well with Halls’s ability to get open and find unique looks at the net. That line is playing so well that they have it set up as their second power play group. There’s a lot to like here!

Taylor Hall has goals in each of his previous three games, so unless you’re buying an extreme cool down, he should be a mid-round target for you in the Underdog Friday Face Off Draft. I secured him with the 19th pick in my most recent draft.

While I got a share of him, I didn’t feel it necessary to stack him with Debrusk or Zacha. While they do offer timely scoring, they aren’t reliable scorers in recent history. Debrusk will be the pick there if you want to take a stab. He has been somewhat better these playoffs.

Stack Targets: Jake Debrusk W13 + Pavel Zacha, Undrafted

WHAT. IS. HAPPENING.

TAYLOR HALL TIES THE GAME AGAIN ? pic.twitter.com/JzdVWYSiju

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 27, 2023

Jake Oettinger – G – Dallas Stars

I’m going All-In for a big game from the Dallas Stars to close out this series on the road. That will start with another steaming hot performance from Jake Oettinger. Oettinger is coming off a shutout where he stopped 27 pucks. He’s looked great across his last two starts with back-to-back wins while stopping 59 of 61 total shots.

I’ve already made the case about the Dallas offense, but it should be noted that the Minnesota Wild have struggled in the playoffs. The Wild power play has been average, while their penalty-killing has been one of the worst in the playoffs. So it feels really easy to trust Oettinger and the Stars to close this series out, even on the road against a desperate team to survive.

Oettinger had the third most wins for goalies this season, so this really isn’t a surprise for me to see him playing so well in the postseason. You can look to target Oettinger sometime in the second round of the Underdog Face Off Draft. Despite the heater, you won’t have to target him with your first pick but do not let him fall past your second. There’s no chance he will make it to round three.

WHAT A SAVE BY JAKE OETTINGER

Stars ML (-105) ✅pic.twitter.com/J88Xe18xi6

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 24, 2023

Jaden Schwartz – W – Seattle Kraken

Buddy is absolutely Buzzing! Schwartz has been cashing my Shots on Goal tickets these past three games. The books continue to disrespect him with a 2.5 SOG line when he’s absolutely crushing that number and smashing pucks on net!

Schwartz has 19 SOG in his last three games. He’s quietly on a fantasy heater as he’s coming off the board with an ADP of 34. I was able to draft him in my most recent Face Off draft in the 5th round. That’s a significant value with how well Seattle is playing. Schwartz is playing alongside Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Tanev on line two.

Wennberg and Tanev aren’t being drafted in this format, but Tanev does have some value, as Underdog offers points for hits. Tanev has 5-10-5 fantasy points on Underdog in his last three games. As much as I love to “Fill’em In,” Tanev doesn’t offer a high upside on offense. Therefore, I’m targeting Schwartz as a stand-alone target.

Target him on Underdog for props, drafts, or whatever else they’re willing to offer!

Targets to Stack: Alex Wennberg Undrafted + Brandon Tanev Undrafted

Tyler Bertuzzi – W – Boston Bruins

Tyler Bertuzzi is a great mid-round target based on his upgraded line assignment and recent scoring touch. Bertuzzi is playing on the top line with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. If you want to stack Bertuzzi with Pastrnak, you must prioritize drafting Pastrnak in rounds one or two.

Pastrnak only has two goals in the playoffs, so I don’t recommend spending on him but rather waiting for Bertuzzi to fall in your lap. Bertuzzi also has two goals but four assists to accompany it. Bertuzzi has been playing at a high level since coming over from the Detroit Red Wings at the deadline.

He will be a big factor in the Bruins potentially closing out this series on Friday night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get on the board early, the Bruins played a lot of catching up in their last matchup, and I see them flipping that script. I also don’t hate targeting Patrice Bergeron, but he has a similar draft capital to Bertuzzi. So you might be able to nab them in the corner turn from picks 11-14.

Targets to Stack: David Pastrnak W4 + Patrice Bergeron C3