This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features seven games and begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There's no shortage of top-end talent in action here. Toronto's top producers should be heavily utilized against a Wild team that's playing its second game in as many nights, and the hot-starting Hurricanes offer plenty of appealing options against a Kings team that's hemorrhaging goals. Outside of those lopsided matchups, high-powered offenses like the Lightning (at Montreal), Jets (vs. Arizona) and Golden Knights (vs. Nashville) all offer plenty of upside despite stiffer levels of competition.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen's off to a slow start for Toronto, so Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck ($8,300) is probably the chalk play in net here. Hellebuyck's 3-1-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .928 save percentage, while the visiting Coyotes have scored just seven goals in four games.
With Jacob Markstrom on a leave of absence, goalie of the future Thatcher Demko ($7,800) should start at home for the Canucks against the rebuilding Red Wings. The 23-year-old Demko showed promise last season with a 4-3-1 record, 2.81 GAA and .913 save percentage.
The Flames have mustered only 15 goals through six games, so Philadelphia's Carter Hart ($7,500) is an enticing against-the-grain option in Calgary. Hart has been a key contributor to Philadelphia's 2-0-1 start with a 1.62 GAA and .938 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Auston Matthews ($8,100) should live up to his valuation as this slate's most expensive skater. The Maple Leafs center has six goals in as many games, and he'll face a Minnesota team that's been outscored 21-12 through five games and is finishing out a back-to-back set.
Matt Duchene ($6,400) has started his Predators tenure with a five-game point streak, which has included two goals and seven assists. He's primed to blow by his previous career high of 70 points but is reasonably affordable in a tricky matchup with the Golden Knights.
On the other side of the Nashville-Vegas matchup, Max Pacioretty ($6,100) could be at the start of a career-best campaign in his second year with Vegas, having escaped a lackluster Canadiens supporting cast. He has eight points through six games, including five in the last two.
Vancouver's Tanner Pearson ($4,900) is a nice option for owners in search of a cheap yet effective option. Pearson has two goals and two assists through four games while skating on the second line and No. 2 power-play unit.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Canadiens
Brayden Point (C - $7,500), Steven Stamkos (W - $7,800), Nikita Kucherov (W - $7,700)
The Canadiens are one of six teams allowing at least four goals per game, joined by the Kings and Wild among teams playing in this slate. This line won't come cheap, but the sky's the limit for this trio in favorable matchups like this one. They combined for 318 points last season, with each guy topping 40 goals. Kucherov and Stamkos both sport 3-3-6 lines through five games, while Point has only dressed for two after returning from a hip injury but already has two goals and an assist. Using some members of the two cheaper lines below can help you afford this prolific trio in its entirety.
Hurricanes at Kings
Erik Haula (C - $5,800), Ryan Dzingel (W - $4,200), Martin Necas (W - $2,700)
Depth is the calling card of this Carolina team, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the team's best line in the early going has been its third. Haula has lit the lamp in five of six games with his new club. Fellow newcomer Dzingel also has five points (two goals, three assists), and Necas is showing the skills that made him the 12th overall selection in 2017 with a goal and three assists, including an active three-game point streak. Los Angeles has surrendered a league-worst 5.2 goals per game in the early going, so this line couldn't ask for a better opportunity to continue its early success.
Maple Leafs vs. Wild
Alex Kerfoot (C - $3,800), Ilya Mikheyev (W - $4,000), Trevor Moore (W - $3,300)
It's easy to be enamored with Toronto's expensive star power, but the Leafs' third line has been excellent over the team's first six games. All three of these guys have at least two goals and four points, and Mikheyev has five points already. This affordable unit can be tacked onto Matthews to really press the advantage against vulnerable Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk (4.55 GAA, .862 save percentage).
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton ($6,700) is throwing his hat into the Norris Trophy ring early on, with eight points in six games, including a four-game goal-scoring streak. He gets a great chance to extend that streak in Los Angeles.
Kevin Shattenkirk ($5,000) underperformed in his time with the Rangers, leading to a buyout. The five-time 40-point scorer seems to have resurrected his career since joining the Lightning, though, with three goals and an assist through five games.
Sean Walker ($4,200) has a four-game point streak going, with two goals and two assists over that span. It's hard to ignore his offensive upside at just $4,200, even against the Hurricanes.
With four assists and 13 blocks in five games, Danny DeKeyser ($4,800) has been a two-way force for the Red Wings through five games. He's a high-floor option in Vancouver.
