This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features 11 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 and Flames are the largest favorites at home against the Blue Jackets and Sharks, respectively, and Columbus-Pittsburgh is expected to be Tuesday's highest-scoring game with an over/under of 6.5 goals. The next tier of favorites includes both New York teams, as the Rangers visit New Jersey while the Islanders host the Senators, with the latter game coming in at a slate-low over/under of 5.5 goals. While the rest of this slate involves more evenly matched opponents, there's no shortage of appealing options to be found, especially with all the trades before Monday's deadline creating various openings for newcomers and holdovers alike to take advantage of.
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. SJ ($8,400): Only six pucks have eluded Markstrom in his last five starts, and he's 4-0-1 over that stretch. If not for Igor Shesterkin, Markstrom would be the clear front-runner in the Vezina Trophy discussion. The bottom-five Sharks offense (2.60 goals per game) is unlikely to take a bite out of the stellar Swede.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. OTT ($8,300): Sorokin has allowed just seven goals over his last five starts, topping 20 fantasy points in each and winning four. He should stay hot at home against a Senators team that's scoring 2.60 goals per game, which is tied for fourth-fewest in the league.
David Rittich, NSH at LA ($7,200): Rittich will likely get the nod after Juuse Saros started Monday's win in Anaheim, and Nashville's backup goalie is a tempting option at just $7,200. The Kings have struggled to generate offense lately, scoring no more than three goals in any of their last eight games while getting shut out twice in the past five.
Karel Vejmelka, ARI vs. SEA ($7,000): With Scott Wedgewood now in Dallas, the Coyotes should ride Vejmelka down the stretch. Vejmelka has shown promise lately, stopping 166 of 178 shots over his last five outings en route to three wins and a .933 save percentage. He should keep rolling against a visiting Kraken team that's scoring 2.57 goals per game and sold off before Monday's trade deadline.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. VGK ($7,900): Connor's on fire and the Golden Knights are ice-cold. He's rumbling towards the 40-goal mark, sitting just one short after lighting the lamp in six of his last seven games. Connor has also been distributing during that seven-game stretch, dishing out nine helpers. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are missing top goalie Robin Lehner (lower body) and are 2-6-0 in their last eight games.
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. SJ ($7,400): Gaudreau spearheads Calgary's offense while Markstrom keeps the puck out of the net. Johnny Hockey is one of four players to have reached the 80-point mark, and he's showing no signs of slowing down with an 8-7-15 line in his last 11 games. The lottery-bound Sharks are unlikely to slow him down.
Brock Nelson, NYI vs. OTT ($5,600): Nelson has been a goal-scoring machine in an Islanders offense that otherwise struggles to put the puck in the net. He has eight goals in his last nine games, bringing the hulking center's goal total to 27 in 51 appearances. Nelson will have a nice opportunity to continue his scoring binge at home against one of the five teams around the league that's still short of 50 points in the standings.
Jared McCann, SEA at ARI ($4,600): McCann's having a career year, as he's been asked to play a more prominent role on the Kraken and made the most of the opportunity. The center leads the Kraken with 23 goals in 55 games, and considering Arizona's still giving up 3.55 goals per game despite some recent defensive improvements, McCann should have a nice opportunity to add to that total here.
Taro Hirose, DET vs. PHI ($2,500): This game doesn't have playoff implications, but the best fantasy options are often found in forgettable matchups such as this one. Hirose has a 1-2-3 line in three games since being called up from AHL Grand Rapids a week ago, and he's a low-risk, high-reward play at the minimum $2,500 valuation given his second-line role with power-play time.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets
Sidney Crosby (C - $8,000), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,500), Bryan Rust (W - $7,200)
Pittsburgh's elite top line should be worth paying up for against a Columbus team that's surrendering 3.68 goals per game — third-most in the league. All three of these guys are cruising comfortably above a point per game. Crosby's 22-39-61 output in 51 games has him at 1.20, while Rust's hot on his heels with 1.17 points per game thanks to a 20-28-48 line in 41 appearances. Guentzel's at "only" 1.07, but he leads the team in goals and shares the points lead thanks to a 29-32-61 output over 57 games. If you're looking to lean into a Penguins stack, newly acquired Rickard Rakell ($2,500) would make for a terrific value complement to this pricey trio if he's cleared to return from his upped-body injury.
Rangers at Devils
Mika Zibanejad (C - $7,200), Chris Kreider (W - $7,000), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $2,900)
The Rangers had a busy trade deadline, but the makeup of the top line remains unchanged heading into a matchup with a Devils team that's giving up 3.58 goals per game. Zibanejad and Kreider are nightly scoring threats. The center's a former 40-goal scorer and has 25 in 63 games this season, while the winger is tied for second in the league with 41 goals. Lafreniere has outplayed his modest $2,900 valuation recently, as he's on a three-game point streak and boasts a 3-5-8 line in his last 13 games.
Flyers at Red Wings
Kevin Hayes (C - $3,800), Cam Atkinson (W - $5,700), James van Riemsdyk (W - $3,500)
Philadelphia put forth an inspired effort Sunday in the first game of the post-Claude Giroux era, beating the Islanders 2-1 on the back of two Hayes goals. Injuries have decimated Hayes this season, but he's finally healthy and rolling, with a 4-1-5 line in his last five games heading into a meeting with a Red Wings team that's allowing 3.71 goals per game and climbing. Atkinson's the team leader in both goals (23) and points (47) through 62 games, while van Riemsdyk had a three-game point streak snapped by the Islanders. This trio should provide strong bang for the buck against the league's second-worst defensive team.
DEFENSEMEN
Darnell Nurse, EDM at DAL ($5,800): Nurse is a stay-sheet stuffer, so he becomes an elite fantasy defenseman any time he's on a roll in terms of scoring. Four points in five games and seven in 10 qualifies as a roll for a guy who averages half a point per game, and Nurse's steady supply of shots and blocks gives him a high floor even if the scoring drops off.
Sean Durzi, LA vs. NSH ($4,400): Durzi's been asked to do everything on the beat-up Kings blue line recently, twice topping 26 minutes of ice time in his last four games. He's producing in the expanded role, with three assists, nine shots and seven blocks over those four games.
Mike Matheson, PIT vs. CLS ($4,200): If you're committed to a Penguins stack, it's going to be tough to fit the whole top line and Kris Letang ($7,200). Matheson lacks Letang's offensive upside but has been a strong substitute lately. In five games since returning from an upper-body injury, Matheson has compiled a 2-1-3 line while totaling four shots twice and blocking two shots three times.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. SJ ($3,900): Hanifin has been a dominant offensive presence in the last five games, totaling a whopping 20 shots. He has just a goal and an assist to show for all that rubber on net, but Hanifin's due for a breakout scoring outing, and once it happens, he won't be available at a sub-$4,000 valuation any longer.
