NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Top Plays and Strategy for Thursday, April 30

DraftKings' NHL playoffs DFS picks for Thursday night: top goalies, value plays like the Ducks' Cutter Gauthier, stacks and betting outlooks for Oilers-Ducks and Stars-Wild action.
NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Top Plays and Strategy for Thursday, April 30

Thursday has two games scheduled, including one at 7:30 p.m. ET and one at 10 p.m. ET. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook. 

SLATE PREVIEW 

Edmonton (at Anaheim) and Minnesota (vs. Dallas) are the favorites on the Moneyline. The Over/Under for Oilers-Ducks is 7.0 goals, and the Stars-Wild matchup is expected to yield 5.5 goals. 

GOALIES

Connor Ingram, EDM at ANA ($8,000): After allowing 14 goals on 93 shots in the first three games of Edmonton's first-round series, Ingram turned aside 29 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Ducks. He appeared to benefit from not playing in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss. Ingram could be a good roster choice if he carries over some momentum into another must-win situation in Game 6. 

Jake Oettinger, DAL at MIN ($7,500): Oettinger is a solid value option between the pipes for Thursday's slate. He had a 2-1 record with a 2.07 GAA and a .923 save percentage before he stopped 24 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Wild. The Stars will need Oettinger to be at his best to force a series-deciding Game 7 on Saturday. 

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS 

Connor McDavid, EDM at ANA ($9,500): McDavid has earned three straight multipoint performances, collecting one goal on 10 shots and five assists. He also has one goal and three helpers on the power play over that span.  

Matt Boldy, MIN vs. DAL ($7,300): Boldy has picked up at least one point in four of five games this postseason. He has notched four goals on 28 shots and three assists during that span. Boldy has two tallies and two helpers over a three-game point streak going into Thursday night's action. 

Cutter Gauthier, ANA vs. EDM ($6,400): Gauthier has reached the scoresheet in consecutive contests, earning one goal on seven shots and one assist. He has three goals, five points and 16 shots through five outings this postseason. 

FORWARD LINE STACK 

Oilers at Ducks 

Leon Draisaitl (C - $8,700), Kasperi Kapanen (W - $3,300), Vasily Podkolzin (W - $3,700) 

Draisaitl has accumulated three goals and six assists during his five-game point streak. He has four multipoint efforts, three power-play points (one goal, two assists) and 12 shots during that span. Kapanen's four-game point spree ended in Tuesday's 4-1 victory, but he has four tallies, one assist and 14 shots on net through five appearances in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Podkolzin has found the scoresheet in four of five games in Round 1 against Anaheim, registering two markers, five points and nine shots on target. 

Edmonton's second line has plenty of offensive upside for Game 6 on Thursday. 

DEFENSEMEN 

Miro Heiskanen, DAL at MIN ($5,500): Heiskanen has lit the lamp twice while adding four helpers during his five-game point streak. He has five power-play points (two goals, three assists), 19 shots on net and seven blocked shots across that stretch. 

Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. EDM ($5,200): LaCombe had his four-game point streak halted in Tuesday's 4-1 loss. However, he is still an intriguing bang-for-the-buck blueliner. He has one goal, seven assists (two on the power play), 11 shots on target and 11 blocks in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Corey Abbott plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: armchair_gm, DraftKings: thenext1, Yahoo: Why.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corey Abbott is an avid sports fan who has been writing fantasy hockey for 15-plus years.
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