This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and features nine games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Just like in Tuesday's slate, the two biggest favorites are the Lightning against Columbus and the Panthers against Detroit. Those two teams are joined by the Rangers (in Buffalo) and Canadiens (in Ottawa) as heavy favorites expected to beat up on lesser competition. The Rangers-Sabres and Canadiens-Senators games are tied with Hurricanes-Blackhawks for the largest over/under at 6.0 goals, with the other six games all at 5.5. Despite the low-scoring nature of this slate overall, there are still plenty of enticing individual options to be found in addition to the more stackable situations outlined above.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. DAL ($7,500): Saros stayed scalding hot with a 33-save performance in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Stars, improving to 5-0-1 in his last six starts to go with a .971 save percentage over that span thanks to 200 saves on 206 shots. Keep plugging him in there while he's rolling, especially since the Stars have only one win in their last six games.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. DET ($8,400): Bobrovsky's bounce-back campaign has included significant success against the Red Wings, who are scoring fewer goals per game (2.16) than every team besides Buffalo. He stopped 35 of 36 shots in Tuesday's win, improving to 3-1-0 with 116 saves on 122 shots (.951 save percentage). The heavily favored Panthers should find further success in this rematch, led by Bobrovsky in net.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at BUF ($8,000): Shesterkin's 8-8-1 overall despite an excellent 2.32 GAA and .925 save percentage, but the Rangers have supported him better recently. As a result, he's 4-1-0 in his last five starts and has stopped 160 of 170 shots in that stretch for a .941 save percentage. That success should continue against a lowly Sabres team that's scoring the fewest goals in the league and playing its second game in as many nights.
Ilya Samsonov, WAS at NYI ($7,700): The Capitals have had no trouble handling the Islanders this season, winning all three of their meetings in regulation. For that matter, the Islanders have also won only twice in eight meetings with Pittsburgh, as they've beaten up on the East Division's lesser teams but struggled against stiffer competition. Samsonov has been strong this season with an 8-1-1 record, 2.39 GAA and .908 save percentage, and he's well positioned to add to New York's struggles against top teams.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA vs. DET ($5,700): Regardless of whether Aleksander Barkov (lower body) returns, the red-hot Verhaeghe should be a popular play against the overmatched Red Wings. Verhaeghe's two-goal performance Tuesday against Detroit gave him a 5-1-6 line in the last three games and a 17-13-30 line in 36 games overall in what's been a breakout campaign for the 25-year-old forward.
Eeli Tolvanen, NSH vs. DAL ($4,200): Tolvanen stretched his point streak to six games with the overtime winner and an assist in Tuesday's triumph over the Stars, giving him a 3-6-9 line over that stretch. Producing consistently in a top-line role, the 2017 first-round pick has arrived as a true contributor at the NHL level and should be treated as such moving forward. Tolvanen's valuation should only keep climbing from here.
Joe Pavelski, DAL at NSH ($6,600): No team has been more susceptible on the penalty kill than Nashville (72.5 percent), and nobody has potted more power-play goals this season than Pavelski (11). Given that context, Pavelski's a solid option here, even against the locked-in Saros.
Sidney Crosby, PIT at BOS ($7,600): Jaroslav Halak has struggled a bit with the starters' workload in Boston's crease while Tuukka Rask recovers from an upper-body injury. He's just 2-3-1 in his last six starts and allowed four goals on three separate occasions in that stretch. Crosby mustered a goal and two assists when he faced Halak during that stretch, so he has some sneaky appeal in what looks like a tough matchup at first glance if Halak's tabbed for the start in Boston's net.
Ondrej Palat, TB vs. CLS ($5,900): Palat plays a prominent role in the high-powered Lightning attack, skating on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit. He's been particularly effective in the latter role, ranking second on the team behind Victor Hedman in power-play points with 16 and second behind Steven Stamkos with seven goals on the man advantage. This home matchup with the Blue Jackets' bottom-10, 76.2 percent penalty kill presents a nice opportunity for Palat to add to his success with the extra man.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Rangers at Sabres
Ryan Strome (C - $6,100), Artemi Panarin (W - $8,000), Kaapo Kakko (W - $3,200)
New York's primed for a strong performance against a Sabres team that's playing its second game in as many nights after snapping an 18-game winless skid Wednesday against the Flyers. Panarin should lead the way for the Rangers, as his 9-23-32 line has him just one point shy of Strome's team lead, even though Panarin has missed 11 of the team's 35 games. In addition to leading the team in points, Strome's also tied with Mika Zibanejad for third on the Rangers with 11 goals, trailing only Chris Kreider (17) and Pavel Buchnevich (14). Kakko's career has gotten off to an underwhelming start, but the second overall selection from the 2019 draft is showing some signs of breaking out after being moved to this highly skilled line, potting three goals in his last five games.
Canadiens at Senators
Phillip Danault (C - $3,700), Brendan Gallagher (W - $6,500), Tomas Tatar (W - $4,500)
This top line led the way in Montreal's return to action Tuesday after a 10-day layoff, combining for a 2-3-5 line in a 4-0 thrashing of the Oilers. These guys get a great opportunity to build on that performance against a Senators team that's allowing a league-high 3.72 goals per game. Overall, Gallagher leads all healthy Canadiens forwards with 13 goals, while he and Tatar are tied with Jonathan Drouin for the team points lead among available forwards with 21. It's been an unremarkable season for Danault, but he's in the best stretch of his campaign, with three multi-point outings in his last four games.
Hurricanes at Blackhawks
Vincent Trocheck (C - $6,300), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $5,400), Jesper Fast (W - $2,500)
Carolina had a three-game winning streak snapped Tuesday in Chicago due to a standout performance from Blackhawks netminder Kevin Lankinen, but Trocheck's strong performance in his return from a week-absence due to an upper-body injury was a silver lining. He set up the team's lone goal — scored by Svechnikov — and added a game-high six shots, giving Trocheck a point in each of his last seven games played and a 13-12-25 line in 25 games overall. Svechnikov has a three-game point streak going now and a 10-16-26 line overall, while Fast rounds out this line with superb two-way play and has chipped in 14 points in 29 games. Considering Carolina doubles up Chicago's shot total 32-16 Tuesday, this line's likely to find even more success if the ice is similarly tilted in this rematch.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at BUF ($6,700): Fox is inserting himself squarely into the Norris Trophy conversation. He has an eight-game point streak going, with a remarkable 2-13-15 line in that stretch, including a goal and two assists in his lone meeting with the Sabres over that stretch. Don't expect the second-year stud to slow down now.
Gustav Forsling, FLA vs. DET ($3,800): Tuesday's win over the Red Wings marked Florida's first game since Aaron Ekblad broke his leg, and Forsling was the guy who stepped up the most to fill that void. He skated 21:27 to lead all Panthers defensemen and picked up the only point from Florida's blue line with an assist. At just $3,800, it's worth seeing whether Forsling will continue to chip in more offense in Ekblad's absence.
Shea Weber, MON at OTT ($5,300): Weber comes in $1,000 cheaper than teammate Jeff Petry, though he has been better historically and most recently after Petry's hot start to the season. Weber has three assists and eight shots in his last two games, giving him a 5-10-15 line in 32 games overall. The three-time 50-point scorer has the offensive capabilities to keep rolling against the defensively challenged Senators.
Connor Murphy, CHI vs. CAR ($4,200): Murphy's assist in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Hurricanes was his third in the last five games, and the well-rounded blueliner has also chipped in 10 shots and 19 blocks in those five contests. Murphy's ability to contribute value across the board makes him a high-floor option on the blue line.
