This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features 12 games after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are plenty of heavy favorites to choose from Tuesday night. Those teams include the Rangers vs. Philadelphia, Wild vs. Montreal, Flames vs. Seattle and Lightning vs. Ottawa at home, as well as the Panthers in Arizona and Islanders in Chicago. With so many appealing options, determining which stack to build around will be key to making a successful lineup. Of the aforementioned favorites, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Florida are all playing games with over/unders of 6.5 goals, which is tied for the highest in this slate.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. PHI ($8,300): Former Rangers coach John Tortorella has the Flyers playing an effective, tight-checking style, but offense will be tough to come by for Philadelphia if Shesterkin's on his game. The star goalie is undefeated in regulation at 5-0-2 with a 2.55 GAA and .913 save percentage, while the visiting Flyers have scored more than three goals only once in their last seven games.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at CHI ($8,100): The second-best goalie in New York has gone 3-3-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .933 save percentage to begin the season. The Islanders are adept at clearing the crease in front of Sorokin and keeping his sight lines clear, which should help him keep a limited Chicago offense in check. Facing the opportunistic Blackhawks has been tough for goalies early on, but Chicago's being outshot 34.3 to 26.1 on average and will likely start to decline once its shooting luck levels out.
Kaapo Kahkonen, SJ vs. ANH ($7,700): This game has a slate-low over/under of 5.5 goals and the Sharks are modest favorites at home, so Kahkonen's poised to deliver a strong performance in this clash of Pacific Division rebuilders. He's off to a bit of a rocky start this season, but a visit from the Ducks could be just what the doctor ordered for the affordable netminder, who has a 5-1 career record against Anaheim, as well as a 2.27 GAA and .919 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nikita Kucherov, TB vs. OTT ($7,700): Kucherov's riding a three-game goal streak and seven-game point streak, with four multi-point performances across the latter. He's in the elite echelon of point producers on a per-game basis, and Kucherov's unlikely to be kept in check by a leaky Ottawa defense that has allowed a whopping 98 shots against — nine of which went in — over the past two games.
Nazem Kadri, CGY vs. SEA ($7,200): Kadri hasn't needed an adjustment period after signing with the Flames in free agency. He leads his new club in both goals (four) and points (nine) through seven games, with five of those points coming on the power play. Kadri should keep rolling against a Kraken team that's allowing 3.40 goals per game.
Jesper Bratt, NJ at VAN ($5,800): Bratt continues to pile up points, yet he remains significantly more affordable than other comparably productive wingers. His 15 points through nine games are good for the fifth in the league, putting Bratt in the elite company of Connor McDavid (18), David Pastrnak (17), Artemi Panarin (16) and Leon Draisaitl (16). Bratt's a bargain against a Canucks team that's allowing 3.89 goals per game.
Timo Meier, SJ vs. ANH ($5,300): Meier was snakebitten to start the season but has started to get rolling offensively, notching a 1-2-3 line in the last two games after producing just one helper through his first seven. He's been piling up shots all season and leads the league in that category with 53. Meier's shot volume should lead to success against a Ducks team that's gotten some shaky goaltending early on en route to allowing 4.22 goals per game — third-most in the NHL.
Pavel Zacha, BOS at PIT ($3,300): With David Krejci sidelined by an upper-body injury, Zacha has been promoted into a top-six center role, skating between Pastrnak ($9,000) and Taylor Hall ($4,700). The former Devils forward dished out an assist in his first game as Boston's second-line center, and Zacha should remain a low-risk, high-reward value play for the remainder of Krejci's absence.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Coyotes
Aleksander Barkov (C - $6,700), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $8,000), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $4,000)
The Coyotes play their home games in a college arena, and their on-ice product resembles that of a college team, as Arizona's allowing 4.38 goals per game and is off to a 2-5-1 start. Florida's top line should thrive in this favorable matchup. Moving from the defense-first Flames to the fast-paced Panthers could allow Tkachuk to improve on last year's 42-62-104 line, and he's on pace to do so at 5-8-13 through nine games. This is actually a buy-low opportunity on Barkov, who has eight points in nine games despite a 3.1 shooting percentage that's bound to climb closer to his career 14.0 percent mark eventually. Verhaeghe's a nice value play here, having already accumulated a 4-3-7 line.
Stars vs. Kings
Roope Hintz (C - $6,300), Jason Robertson (W - $7,000), Joe Pavelski (W - $5,100)
It's easy to overthink the matchups in such an extensive slate, but sometimes it's as simple as deploying a well established trio against a leaky defense. All three members of this line topped 70 points last season, and Dallas' top line has picked up where it left off. Robertson has a 4-6-10 line through nine games and would have had a two-goal outing against the Rangers in his previous outing were it not for an offside call. Hintz is right behind him at 3-6-9, while Pavelski has chipped in a 4-4-8 line. The Kings are allowing the sixth-most goals per game (3.82), so the chemistry of the Stars' top line should be on full display here.
Wild vs. Canadiens
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $5,900), Matthew Boldy (W - $4,900), Ryan Hartman (W - $4,100)
Between poor salary cap management leading to significant dead cap hits and injuries to a few depth options, Minnesota's stuck with a top-heavy group up front and will rely heavily on its top two lines. The highly skilled top line is pricey, so this second line offers excellent bang for the buck for the favored Wild. Eriksson Ek scored twice in last week's win over Montreal and boasts a 4-3-7 line through nine games. Boldy already has a pair of two-goal games and a 5-3-8 line overall. Hartman picked up an upper-body injury in Minnesota's previous game, but he'll offer substantial upside at just $4,100 if he plays considering Hartman potted 34 goals last season.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Montour, FLA at ARI ($5,700): Montour has been tremendous in Aaron Ekblad's (lower body) absence, posting a 3-5-8 line over his past six games. With 11 shots across the last two contests, Montour's showing no signs of slowing down, and he'll likely keep rolling here against the lowly Coyotes.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. OTT ($5,400): Sergachev has replicated Victor Hedman's production so far, but he costs $1,500 less than his higher-profile teammate. Hedman has one more assist and nine more shots through nine games, but Sergachev has shown a greater willingness to put his body on the line, notching 26 blocked shots — 10 more than Hedman — to go with a 1-6-7 line through nine games.
Ryan McDonagh, NSH at EDM ($3,000): McDonagh has racked up 14 blocks in his last five games, and he'll likely contribute significantly in that category against McDavid, Draisaitl and the Oilers. The veteran blueliner's well-rounded game gives him a high floor relative to his modest $3,000 valuation, and McDonagh has enough offensive capabilities to chip in if the game opens up, having surpassed the 40-point mark three times.
Nick Jensen, WAS vs. VGK ($2,900): Jensen has been quietly effective on both ends, racking up a 1-6-7 line through 10 games and 12 blocked shots over the past four. He's scored at least 14.9 fantasy points in three of the past four games and is handling extended minutes in John Carlson's (lower body) absence. Even in a tough matchup against Vegas, Jensen's worth a look at just $2,900.
