This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features 10 games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Lightning are once again the night's largest favorites in Detroit, but there's no shortage of lopsided matchups to target top players in. The Hurricanes (vs. Nashville), Penguins (at Buffalo), Islanders (vs. New Jersey), Bruins (vs. the Rangers) and Maple Leafs (vs. Winnipeg) are all substantial favorites as well. Jets-Maple Leafs also has the distinction of being tied for this slate's highest over/under of 6.5 goals with Capitals-Flyers. Incidentally, Penguins-Sabres is the only game that comes in at 6.0, with the other seven games all at 5.5.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at DET ($8,400): Vasilevskiy wasn't at his best in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over Detroit, but he still picked up a seventh consecutive win to improve to 16-3-1. Add in Vasilevskiy's 1.79 GAA and .936 save percentage, and he's the clear go-to goalie in this slate against the league-worst Detroit offense (2.11 goals per game).
Jaroslav Halak, BOS vs. NYR ($8,000): Halak figures to start this one with Tuukka Rask battling an undisclosed injury, and the veteran netminder loves to face the Rangers. He shut them out Feb. 12 to improve to 23-8-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .927 save percentage lifetime against the Blueshirts, and Halak sports a tidy 5-2-2 record, 2.08 GAA and .919 save percentage overall this season.
Tristan Jarry, PIT at BUF ($7,900): After a slow start to the season, Jarry has rounded into form with seven wins in his last nine starts and a sub-2.50 GAA in that stretch. He should build on that recent success against a Sabres team that has been outscored 28-12 en route to a 0-6-1 record in its last seven games.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at CLS ($7,700): Bobrovsky's finally starting to play up to his massive contract, going 4-0-1 in his last five starts while stopping 164 of 177 shots in that stretch for a .927 save percentage. He set aside 38 of 40 shots to beat Columbus on Tuesday and will be motivated to deliver another strong performance against his former team.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brock Nelson, NYI vs. NJ ($4,600): Nelson leads the Islanders with six power-play goals and is second on the team in both goals (10) and power-play points (six). That production includes four goals in the last three games, and Nelson gets an ideal opportunity to stay hot at home against a Devils team that features the league's most vulnerable penalty kill (64.6 percent).
William Nylander, TOR vs. WPG ($5,600): Nylander doesn't get as much attention as some of Toronto's elite forwards, but he's been as good as anybody on the team over the last seven games, producing a 5-2-7 line and 27 shots. He's a solid choice in what promises to be a high-scoring matchup, be it as a stand-alone option or part of a larger Toronto stack.
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. NSH ($6,400): Aho has a 4-2-6 line in his last four games, including a goal and an assist in Tuesday's win over Nashville. Overall, Carolina's top-line center is flirting with a point-per-game pace as usual, with 24 points in 25 games. His strong play should continue against a Nashville team that's allowing 3.27 goals per game.
Alex Killorn, TB at DET ($5,300): Only Yanni Gourde ($4,700) is more affordable than Killorn among Tampa Bay's top-six forward group, even though Killorn has been playing his best hockey of the season recently. Over the past four games, Killorn has mustered a 3-2-5 line and 18 shots, putting at least three pucks on net in each. The overmatched Red Wings are unlikely to slow Killorn down.
Chris Kreider, NYR at BOS ($5,500): Kreider's an intriguing against-the-grain option against the stingy Bruins. The Massachusetts native has an outstanding 9-3-12 line in his last nine games, with a pair of road hat tricks over that stretch.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins at Sabres
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,000), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,400), Bryan Rust (W - $6,600)
While the Sabres gave scuffled lately, Pittsburgh's top players have been rolling. Crosby has six points over an active four-game point streak and a 5-11-16 line in his last 14 appearances dating back to Feb. 6. Guentzel's hot streak has coincided with Crosby's, as the top-line winger has an identical 5-11-16 line in 15 games since Feb. 6. Rust has been snakebitten recently, but he's due for a breakout performance, having put at least three pucks on net in seven of the last eight games.
Flyers vs. Capitals
Sean Couturier (C - $6,900), James van Riemsdyk (W - $7,200), Joel Farabee (W - $6,700)
The Flyers' red hot first line should keep rolling against a Capitals team that's allowing 3.12 goals per game. Van Riemsdyk and Farabee share the team goals lead at 11 apiece, and the former leads the team with 27 points in 23 games while the latter's second with 22 in 22. Farabee's sophomore breakout includes three multi-point games in the last four and a 5-8-13 line in the last 10, including a goal and three assists in two meetings with Washington. Couturier would be right up there with them if not for a rib injury, as he has been the team's top producer on a per-game basis with a 6-10-16 line in 13 appearances, including at least one point in 10 of his last 11 games played.
Stars vs. Blackhawks
Roope Hintz (C - $4,500), Jason Robertson (W - $3,100), Joel Kiviranta (W - $2,900)
This line was unstoppable in Dallas' 6-1 win over Chicago on Tuesday, as Robertson dished out four helpers while both Hintz and Kiviranta had a goal and an assist. Hintz's overall stat line has been depressed by a lower-body injury, but the 24-year-old center is quietly breaking out with a 6-8-14 line in 15 games, including four points in his last two appearances. Just double check that Hintz is in the lineup, as he continues to manage the injury. Robertson's enjoying a promising rookie campaign with 13 points in 16 games, including six in the last two contests. Kiviranta's another affordable and reasonably productive rookie, as he sports a 3-3-6 line in 12 games.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS at PHI ($6,500): After leading all defensemen with 75 points in 69 games last season, Carlson's unsurprisingly near the top of that leaderboard once again with a 5-16-21 line through 25 games. He's playing at a point-per-game pace over the past nine and is likely to mark the scoresheet in what's expected to be a high-scoring matchup in Philadelphia.
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. NJ ($3,700): Like Nelson, Leddy's primed to capitalize on this matchup with the Devils' league-worst penalty kill. He leads the team with eight power-play points, and the three-time 40-point scorer has 16 points in 26 games overall.
Neal Pionk, WPG at TOR ($4,400): Pionk's three assists Tuesday in Toronto stretched his point streak to three games and raised his season total to 21 points in 25 games. With plenty of open ice expected to be available in the second of three consecutive meetings between these teams, Pionk's puck-moving ability makes him a solid mid-tier option on the blue line.
Erik Cernak, TB at DET ($3,400): Cernak's name rarely comes up when you think of Tampa Bay's multitude of enticing fantasy options, but the affordable blueliner's riding a bit of a hot streak with three points in his last two games, including a goal and an assist Tuesday in Detroit. At just $3,400, he's a solid bargain option with which to round out your lineup.
