This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and features seven games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Three teams stand out as options to build your lineup around, as the Avalanche (vs. Anaheim), Hurricanes (in Detroit) and Wild (vs. Arizona) are all heavily favored. Carolina-Detroit also has this slate's highest over/under at 6.0 goals, as all six other games are at 5.5. The rest of the schedule consists of three East Division clashes (Islanders-Capitals, Bruins-Penguins, Sabres-Devils) and a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals between the Lightning and Stars.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. ANH ($8,500): It has been an ugly season for the Ducks, who have won only eight of 29 games while ranking 30th in goals per game with 2.14. Things are unlikely to get any better for Anaheim against the surging Grubauer, who has allowed just seven goals over his last six starts (winning five) to bring his season record to 15-7-0 with a 1.91 GAA and .923 save percentage.
Cam Talbot, MIN vs. ARI ($8,200): Talbot's doing his best to take the starting job back from Kaapo Kahkonen ($8,200), having started the last two games against Arizona and won both while allowing just one goal on 47 shots. If Kahkonen — who has won each of his last eight starts — gets the nod instead, he'll also be a strong choice against a bottom-five Coyotes offense that's scoring just 2.43 goals per game.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at WAS ($7,400): The Islanders have won nine in a row, and Varlamov's hanging around the outskirts of the Vezina Trophy conversation with a 13-4-3 record, 2.03 GAA and .929 save percentage. Despite that team and personal success, he can be had for just $7,400 here, making Varlamov a strong bargain play if you want some extra cap room to use on this slate's top skaters.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN vs. ARI ($6,200): Kaprizov will be happy to see the Coyotes on the schedule for a third consecutive meeting, as he absolutely dominated them in the last two games. After scoring a hat trick on eight shots Friday, he delivered another eight-shot performance Sunday, this time adding an assist. Get the Calder Trophy favorite right back in there.
Kieffer Bellows, NYI at WAS ($3,200): The Islanders haven't skipped a beat since losing Anders Lee to a lower-body injury, as Bellows has stepped up in his place. The 2016 first-round pick has skated on the top line in the two games since Lee was injured and produced three goals over that span. Bellows will look to keep rolling against a Capitals team that's playing its second game in as many nights.
Brayden Point, TB at DAL ($6,600): Point's the hottest Lightning player, as he had a three-game goal streak and five-game point streak going prior to his team's collective clunker against the Predators on Monday. Dallas is capable of stingy defensive performances but has been unable to contain Tampa Bay's top-line center dating back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Point produced a 5-3-8 line in that six-game series and has added a goal in two meetings with the Stars this season.
Evgeni Malkin, PIT vs. BOS ($6,000): Malkin remains extremely affordable relative to his scoring pedigree and recent production. After a slow start to the season, Malkin now has points in eight consecutive games. He recorded a goal and an assist in Monday's win over the Bruins to bring his line to 4-8-12 during this impressive eight-game point streak.
Taylor Hall, BUF at NJ ($5,000): Hall has great memories in New Jersey, where he won the Hart Trophy in 2018. He hasn't been able to match that success since, but Hall's the go-to guy in Buffalo now with Jack Eichel sidelined by a neck injury, and the Sabres will look for him to step up and help end an 11-game winless skid in this matchup with the East Division's second-worst team.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Hurricanes at Red Wings
Sebastian Aho (C - $6,900), Nino Niederreiter (W - $5,800), Martin Necas (W - $5,300)
Carolina's top line should continue its productive play against an 8-17-4 Red Wings team that's getting outscored 3.34 to 2.21 in the average game. Aho's 10-15-25 line has him leading the team in points through 27 games, while Niederreiter's 12 goals are the most among healthy Hurricanes and Necas is quietly putting together an impressive campaign with 19 points in 24 games.
Avalanche vs. Ducks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,100), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,000), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $6,500)
This familiar trio is set up for success with the Avalanche likely to steamroll the sinking Ducks. Goalie John Gibson is usually the man keeping an underwhelming group of Anaheim skaters from being embarrassed, but he has been part of the problem lately, allowing at least three goals in each of his last 11 starts en route to a 1-8-2 record. Gibson's funk has only grown deeper recently, with five pucks getting by him in each of his last three outings. Rantanen (13-15-28 in 26 games) and MacKinnon (7-17-24 in 22 games) are both above a point-per-game pace as expected while Landeskog's 7-10-17 line in 24 appearances includes a 4-5-9 line over the last nine.
Devils vs. Sabres
Pavel Zacha (C - $4,000), Kyle Palmieri (W - $4,300), Mikhail Maltsev (W - $3,700)
New Jersey's rarely called upon as a stacking option, but it's hard to deny the Devils' appeal against a reeling Buffalo team that's 0-9-2 in its last 11 and missing its best player in Eichel. This line has the most enticing combination of established success and recent production, making its members strong value options in this favorable matchup. Zacha leads the team in points and ranks second behind Miles Wood in goals through 25 games with a 7-10-17 line, as he's finally flashing the skills the Devils saw when they drafted him sixth overall in 2015. Palmieri has a disappointing 4-8-12 line, but he's New Jersey's most established scorer, having potted at least 24 goals in each of his previous five seasons with the team. The rookie Maltsev has been scoring in a consistent pattern, with one goal followed by two games without one for each of his last 12 games. If the pattern holds, he's due to light the lamp in this one.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton, CAR at DET ($6,900): The floodgates are starting to open up for Hamilton offensively, as he has points in eight consecutive games and goals in each of the last two. Even with the recent uptick in scoring, he's still shooting a career-low 3.8 percent, so Hamilton still has plenty of room for positive regression as he looks to build on his 21 points through 27 games.
Ty Smith, NJ vs. BUF ($3,400): Smith would be getting more attention if he wasn't doing it on the lowly Devils, but the lack of scoring punch around him makes the rookie's 13 points through 25 games even more impressive. He had the pedigree to keep this up considering Smith was drafted 17th overall in 2018 thanks to his offensive capabilities from the blue line, and a matchup with the struggling Sabres should allow the affordable blueliner to put his skills on display.
Kevin Shattenkirk, ANH at COL ($4,200): After a forgettable start to his tenure in Anaheim, Shattenkirk suddenly can't stop scoring. The veteran defenseman has a 2-4-6 line in his last five games, including a goal and an assist in Colorado to kick off this hot streak. Even given the daunting matchup, Shattenkirk's a nice value play at $4,200.
Matt Grzelcyk, BOS at PIT ($4,600): Grzelcyk was Boston's best player in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Penguins, scoring the Bruins' lone goal on a game-high eight shots. With a point in three of his last four games and four of six, the productive blueliner should continue to perform well in this rematch.
