NHL Yahoo Cup: DFS strategy, lineups for Round 7

The seventh round of the free-to-enter NHL Yahoo Cup runs on Thursday, and there's still time to join the contest and win your share of $5,000 if you haven't already!

For the second-straight week, 11 games are scheduled for the slate, which means daily fantasy managers can go a number of ways with the build of their team.

Here are three lineup combinations I recommend playing in Round 7 of the tournament.

Option 1: All over the Oilers Stack

The Winnipeg Jets got the better of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, but I do think Edmonton is poised to bounce back at home on Thursday night.

15 games into the year, the Oilers have yet to lose back-to-back contests and I don't think it'll drop two games in a row to the same team. In my lineup, at the expense of all other players, I've managed to include four members of the squad's power play in Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. All with the exception of Hyman recorded at least one power-play point in the loss on Tuesday, and considering the Jets own the second-worst penalty kill in the league as it's clicking at just 64.3 percent, Edmonton's league-best man advantage should find continued success in that matchup.

It also doesn't hurt that there's been some added pressure from the media to call more penalties, specifically focusing on the nightly beating McDavid takes from his opponents.

Also at forward, I included Mathieu Joseph mainly due to my salary cap restraint. Joseph has been fine as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning's top-six. He's recorded three points in his last four outings and has a date against the Philadelphia Flyers, who are tied for allowing the fifth-most shots per game in the NHL this season.

On defense, I went with Marcus Pettersson and John Klingberg because I had no money left. Pettersson leads the Pittsburgh Penguins with a plus-six rating and with a plus-rating worth two points on Yahoo, I'm banking on him standing somewhere on the ice for a couple of goals as the Pens enter Thursday's contest as a road favourite against the Montreal Canadiens. Klingberg is the most cost-efficient blueliner I could find that's featured on a team's top power-play unit. He and the Dallas Stars are battling the Minnesota Wild, who actually have the 10th-worst penalty kill in the league.

My goaltending situation wreaks of low funds, but when you're rolling with Draisaitl and McDavid in the same lineup, you've got to do these things. I selected Anton Khudobin because he was solid against the Philadelphia Flyers in his last start, turning aside 31 of 33 shots in a 5-2 victory. His opponent, the Wild, have also lost two of its last three games. Additionally, I selected Thomas Greiss from the Detroit Red Wings. He'll likely earn the start on Thursday, and Detroit recently faced off against its Thursday opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Nov. 7 and won that game 5-2.

Option 2: The Columbus Blue Stackets

Picking the team going up against the Arizona Coyotes is never a bad idea in DFS, and the Columbus Blue Jackets just so happen to be the lucky squad that draws the Yotes on Thursday.

Arizona has allowed the most goals per game (3.81) and owns the third-worst penalty kill in the NHL (67.3 percent). That sounds like a perfect setup for the Blue Jackets power play, which ranks 15th in the NHL at 19.4 percent. Boone Jenner, Cole Sillinger, Jakub Voracek, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Zach Weresnki are all featured on the unit and slot into my lineup.

Additionally, I went with a little Oilers' skinny stack by snagging Hyman and Barrie. Despite his early-season struggles, Barrie is still quarterbacking that top unit, and I'll take a stab at him with his price dropping from $19 to $16.

Having some extra bucks to spend in net, I went all out and took Elvis Merzlikins and Tristan Jarry. Merzlikins battles the Coyotes, who have scored the fewest goals per game (1.63), while Jarry takes on the Canadiens, who have scored the second-fewest goals per game (2.11).

Option 3: Pittsburgh Penguins Power Play Stack

For those who don't want to pay up for the Oilers' stack and want something a little more eye-catching than the Blue Jackets' stack, I present to you the Penguins' power play stack.

Pittsburgh travels to Montreal to battle the Canadiens, and the Habs have been brutal in 2021-22. Its 3.39 goals against per game are the fifth-highest mark in the league, and its 72.1 percent success rate on the penalty kill sits fourth-worst. The Pens haven't been overly impressive since Sidney Crosby rejoined the squad on Sunday, as it's scored just two goals in the pair of games he's played in. This matchup, however, feels like a get-right game and that's why I've included all five members of the team's top power play - Crosby, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel, and Kris Letang - in my lineup.

On the wing, I also selected Kaapo Kakko. The promising young New York Rangers' winger hasn't had a great year, but he's starting to heat up. In the two games New York has played since Sammy Blais suffered a torn ACL, Kakko has seen a significant jump in ice-time and has recorded two goals and three points.

On defense, I also selected Rasmus Andersson as he's still manning the point on the Calgary Flames' first power play. Calgary squares off against the Buffalo Sabres, who own the ninth-worst penalty kill in the NHL since Nov. 1.

Between the pipes, I selected Mikko Koskinen as I believe Edmonton bounces back after dropping Tuesday's contest to Winnipeg. He owns a strong 9-2-0 record and I'm really just looking for the win with him in my lineup.

UPDATE: Stuart Skinner ($23) has been named the starter for the Oilers, not Mikko Koskinen.

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