This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and features five games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Despite the limited selection, this slate is expected to be quite fantasy friendly. For starters, all five games have clear favorites, headlined by the Islanders (in Buffalo), Bruins (in New Jersey) and Hurricanes (vs. Chicago). The Oilers (in Vancouver) and Penguins (in Philadelphia) aren't far behind, and Pittsburgh's game has Tuesday's highest over/under at 6.5 goals, with Edmonton's and Carolina's games tied for second at 6.0 apiece. All five of these games are rematches of matchups from Monday.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at BUF ($8,500): The Islanders are well-equipped for a back-to-back situation, as they get superb goaltending from both Semyon Varlamov — who started Monday — and Sorokin. The latter's enjoying a fabulous rookie season with a 12-6-1 record, 2.19 GAA and .918 save percentage, including 3-0-0, 1.33 and .938 marks against the last-place Sabres.
Mike Smith, EDM at VAN ($8,100): Smith's having a terrific season, with an 18-6-2 record, 2.30 GAA and .924 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Canucks have hit a major rut recently, taking five consecutive regulation losses by a combined goal margin of 22-9. Look for the trends of Smith's success and Vancouver's woes to continue here.
MacKenzie Blackwood, NJ vs. BOS ($7,200): Blackwood's an enticing against-the-grain play if you're looking to maximize your salary cap space for some of this slate's top skaters. The Devils were outclassed with Scott Wedgewood in net Monday, but Blackwood has had the Bruins' number this season, with a 3-0-2 record, 1.72 GAA and .950 save percentage in five appearances against Boston.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brad Marchand, BOS at NJ ($8,200): Marchand should be worth paying up for in this favorable matchup with a Devils team that's surrendering 3.38 goals per game — fifth-most in the league. He has an outstanding 27-36-63 line in 49 games after Monday's two-assist, six-shot performance against New Jersey, and Marchand has been even better over his last 20 games, with a 15-14-29 line over this phenomenal stretch.
Sam Reinhart, BUF vs. NYI ($6,200): Reinhart was unfazed by the difficult matchup with the stout Islanders defense Monday, racking up two goals and an assist to lead the Sabres to a 4-2 win. He's been on a tear down the stretch, with 10 goals in his last nine games.
J.T. Miller, VAN vs. EDM ($4,800): Vancouver's recent struggles have dropped Miller's valuation to just $4,800, and he should provide nice bang for the buck at that level. A goal and assist Monday gave Miller a 12-24-36 line in 43 appearances this season, and he has 108 points in 112 games for the Canucks. You'll rarely find such a productive player for under $5,000, especially in what's actually a favorable matchup — Edmonton has been among the 10 most generous teams to opposing centers when it comes to fantasy points.
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. PIT ($4,300): Konecny was all over the ice in Monday's surprising 7-2 thrashing of the Penguins, adding a game-high eight shots to his two assists. The winger's had a disappointing season after leading the Flyers in both goals and points last season, but Konecny's a solid buy-low candidate as he looks to finish the campaign on a high note.
Oliver Wahlstrom, NYI at BUF ($2,700): Wahlstrom's goal Monday in Buffalo was his second in the last three games, and the 2018 first-round pick's up to an 11-7-18 line in 40 games. Coach Barry Trotz doesn't entrust the youngster with big even-strength minutes, but Wahlstrom sees prominent power play time and should make the most of it against a Sabres team that's allowing 3.47 goals per game. He's a strong choice with which to fill out your lineup at just $2,700.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Canucks
Connor McDavid (C - $9,200), Leon Draisaitl (C - $7,600), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $5,300)
With the league's top two point producers flanked by a recently productive winger, the sky's the limit for Edmonton's top line against a defensively challenged Canucks team that's allowing 3.38 goals per game and just surrendered a combined eight points to this trio. McDavid reached the three-point threshold for the sixth time in his last seven games with two goals and two assists Monday, giving him a video game-like 31-60-91 line through 50 games. Draisaitl looks downright affordable by comparison but still sits comfortably in second league-wide with 73 points in 50 games. Puljujarvi's making the most of his spot on this line, with a 4-4-8 line over his last eight games.
Penguins at Flyers
Evgeni Malkin (C - $6,300), Kasperi Kapanen (W - $3,700), Jason Zucker (W - $3,000)
Pittsburgh's affordable second line should provide strong bang for the buck against the league-worst Flyers defense, which is surrendering 3.54 goals per game. Malkin made an instant impact Monday in his return after missing a month and a half with a lower-body injury, dishing a helper to improve his line to 8-17-25 in 30 appearances. Zucker's having a down year after reaching the 20-goal mark in each of the previous four seasons, but the affordable winger lit the lamp Monday and should start to score more now that he's got a premier playmaking center to set him up in Malkin. Kapanen's assist Monday gave him a 2-2-4 line in his last four games and a 10-17-27 line in 37 games overall.
Hurricanes vs. Blackhawks
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,200), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,200), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $5,000)
Carolina's top line was instrumental in Monday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks, which extended the Hurricanes' winning streak to four games and pushed Chicago's losing streak to five. Aho's hat trick on nine shots stretched his team-leading goal and point totals to 24 and 55, respectively, through 52 games. Svechnikov dished a helper to stretch his point streak to four, and the Russian winger has a 3-8-11 line in his last 11 games. Teravainen was held off the scoresheet Monday but still has a 4-6-10 line over his last nine contests.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT at PHI ($5,800): Letang's gone on a scoring spree over the past month, accumulating 14 points in his last 15 games. That production is remarkable considering the career 6.0 percent shooter has mustered only one goal on 37 shots (2.7 percent) in that stretch. Letang's due for some better shooting luck, and what better time to get it than this matchup with the league's most generous defensive team?
Matt Grzelcyk, BOS at NJ ($5,500): The oft-injured Grzelcyk is healthy and finding a groove offensively down the stretch, with a goal, an assist and 11 shots over his past three games. He features on Boston's star-studded top power-play unit, and that deployment gives Grzelcyk significant upside against New Jersey's league-worst, 70.6 percent penalty kill.
Brett Pesce, CAR vs. CHI ($3,800): Pesce's well-rounded production makes him a high-floor blue line option with plenty of upside against a Blackhawks team that's giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to defensemen. Pesce has scored no fewer than 7.1 fantasy points in any of his last seven games, racking up a 1-3-4 line, 17 shots and 14 blocked shots in that stretch.
Ian Mitchell, CHI at CAR ($2,500): Mitchell's 3-3-6 line through 36 games is hardly something to write home about, but the 22-year-old rookie has opened May with an assist against Florida followed by a goal against Carolina. It's a tiny sample, but if this recent production represents legitimate offensive development for Mitchell — who had a 10-22-32 line in 36 appearances for the University of Denver last season — then he won't be available at the minimum price of $2,500 much longer.
