This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features eight games after 7:00 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Penguins are easily Tuesday's largest favorites on home ice against Arizona. The Islanders are surprisingly a distant second despite their own shortcomings, as they'll host a Flyers team that's winless in its last 12 games. Despite a lack of obvious favorites otherwise, there are plenty of generous defenses to exploit and goals are expected to be plentiful in the Panthers-Jets and Oilers-Canucks games, both of which have an over/under of 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. ARI ($8,500): Jarry was Pittsburgh's weakest link last postseason, but he has transformed into one of the team's biggest strengths in a breakout 2021-22 campaign. An active four-game winning streak has boosted Jarry's record to 22-7-4, and he has a sparkling 2.09 GAA and .928 save percentage to boot. Continuing that success shouldn't be difficult against an Arizona offense that's averaging just 2.23 goals per game — second-fewest in the league.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. PHI ($8,400): Whether it's Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov ($8,400), the Islanders' goalie of choice will be right up there with Jarry as the chalk play Tuesday, and Sorokin's strong recent play makes him particularly appealing. He has allowed just five goals during his four-game winning streak while Varlamov's 1-2-0 with seven goals against in his last three outings. While the Flyers actually rank ahead of the Islanders offensively, they're averaging just 2.45 goals per game this season and are mired in a 12-game winless drought.
Carter Hart, PHI at NYI ($7,000): Sticking in the Flyers-Islanders game, Hart's an appealing against-the-grain play at just $7,000. He has allowed exactly two goals in each of his last three appearances, and while Hart hasn't won since Dec. 14, he'll likely be able to limit an Islanders team that's scoring only 2.32 goals per game, which is fourth-fewest in the league.
Michael Houser, BUF at OTT ($7,400): Houser has raised some eyebrows in his first two appearances of the season, both of which have come in the past week. The 29-year-old netminder stopped 43 of 44 shots for a 3-1 win in Ottawa before presiding over a 6-3 victory over the Flyers. If he gets the nod for the rematch with the Senators, Houser will be an appealing value play. While the 29-year-old netminder struggled to a 2.98 GAA and .900 save percentage at AHL Rochester, it's worth noting that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen posted much better numbers in the NHL after struggling with Rochester earlier this season. Believe it or not, the Sabres' AHL affiliate might be leaving its goalies out to dry even worse than the big club does.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Connor McDavid, EDM at VAN ($8,600): This is a great time to target both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl ($7,800). They both rank top-five in points with 19-36-55 and 28-30-58 lines, respectively, and while they normally skate on different lines at even strength, the pair of superstars share the ice on Edmonton's league-best power play. Unsurprisingly, McDavid and Draisaitl are tied for the league lead in power-play points with 24 apiece, and they're likely to add to their man-advantage accolades against a Canucks penalty kill that brings up the rear at 67.0 percent, which is 5.8 percent lower than second-worst Arizona.
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. VGK ($4,600): Svechnikov's a bargain at just $4,600, even with a strong opponent in town. The streaky winger's locked in at the moment, with a 5-18-13 line over his past nine games. In 15 home games this season, he boasts an 8-9-17 line.
Alex Tuch, BUF at OTT ($5,500): Tuch's flying under the radar in Buffalo, but the Syracuse native has enjoyed quite a bit of success since moving back to upstate New York. He has a 3-7-10 line in nine games with the Sabres, including a 2-4-6 output during his active four-game point streak. The winger's valuation should only keep climbing from here, and Tuch should add to his recent success against an Ottawa team that's allowing the fourth-most goals per game (3.57).
Alex Formenton, OTT vs. BUF ($3,400): Speaking of flying under the radar, Formenton remains available at just $3,400 despite posting a 2-7-9 line in his last nine games. He has been held off the scoresheet only twice in this strong stretch and also earned a penalty shot, though he failed to convert it. The Sabres and Senators are both among the bottom five teams in the league-wide standings, so Formenton won't have to deal with the usual refrain of facing a much better opponent.
Filip Forsberg, NSH at SEA ($6,000): Forsberg has nine goals in his last 11 games and 20 tallies in 30 games overall. Meanwhile, Seattle's allowing 3.59 goals per game. Nashville's best goal-scorer shouldn't have trouble adding to the Kraken's defensive woes here.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins vs. Coyotes
Sidney Crosby (C - $8,000), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,500), Bryan Rust (W - $6,400)
Nobody has been able to stop Pittsburgh's highly effective top line recently, and a Coyotes team that's allowing the second-most goals per game (3.70) is unlikely to do so. Crosby has a 5-2-7 line in his last five games and finds himself in familiar territory above a point per game with 31 in 29. Guentzel has 13 goals in his last 15 games and a 21-19-40 line in 35 contests overall. Rust's actually the hottest member of this line, with a symmetrical 8-8-16 output in his last eight games.
Stars at Devils
Roope Hintz (C - $6,900), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,000), Jason Robertson (W - $6,600)
There's no need to fix what's not broken, and locking in Dallas' top line should continue to be a prudent strategy given this trio's recent success. Hintz has exactly a goal and an assist in each of his last three games, as well as a 5-6-11 line in the last seven contests. Pavelski's been even more effective in his last seven games, producing a 4-10-14 line. Robertson has been held off the scoresheet just once in his last 12 appearances, notching an 8-10-18 line over this productive stretch. A Devils team that's surrendering 3.40 goals per game will have a hard time slowing this red-hot trio down.
Panthers at Jets
Sam Bennett (C - $6,100), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $8,100), Anthony Duclair (W - $6,300)
This has been the most effective line for a Panthers team that averages exactly 4.00 goals per game. Florida's admittedly much better on home ice than on the road, but the high-powered Panthers offense should still find success against a Jets team that just finished its lengthy road trip with four consecutive losses. Winnipeg has also dropped three of its last four games on home ice. Huberdeau's in a three-way tie with Draisaitl and Alex Ovechkin for the league points lead with 58, and 25 of those points have come in Huberdeau's last 12 games. Bennett has eight goals in his last seven games and a 17-8-25 line in 32 games overall, while Duclair's 18-15-33 line in 34 games includes a 4-4-8 output over the past six.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT vs. ARI ($7,400): Letang's 10-game point streak was snapped by the Jets in his last game, but the offensively gifted blueliner still has 15 points in his last 11 contests, as well as 35 points in 37 games overall. Adding to those robust totals should be easy with the Penguins expected to overwhelm Arizona, so Letang's worth paying up for as part of a Pittsburgh stack.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at OTT ($5,700): Dahlin's hot streaks are starting to become more frequent as he continues to grow offensively, and he's in the midst of another one now with a 1-4-5 line in his last two games. The 2018 first-overall pick is on a 56-point pace overall and has a nice opportunity to bump that pace up further against a Senators team that's allowing 3.57 goals per game.
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. PHI ($4,600): Goals will be at a premium in this game, but Dobson is capable of providing significant value even when he's not marking the scoresheet. Despite failing to produce a point in his last three games, Dobson has averaged over 16.0 fantasy points over that stretch thanks to 18 shots on goal and seven blocked shots. He's also a decent source of point production from the blue line, with a 5-9-14 line in 32 games.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at VAN ($4,500): Bouchard's a strong choice here, as long as Tyson Barrie (upper body) remains unavailable. With Barrie sitting out Saturday, Bouchard filled in on the top power-play unit and scored a pair of goals with the extra man. Given all of the talent on Edmonton's top power-play unit and Vancouver's penalty killing woes, Bouchard should enjoy another productive outing as the point man in Barrie's usual spot.
