This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's busy NHL slate features 10 games after 7 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There's no shortage of options to build around Thursday. Some notable teams to target are the Panthers vs. Canadiens, Jets vs. Senators, Blues vs. Flyers and Oilers vs. Sharks. The Islanders vs. Red Wings, Wild vs. Canucks and Kings vs. Blackhawks are also substantial favorites. Of all the games Thursday, Panthers-Canadiens is the only one that comes in with an over/under of 6.5 goals, making that the first choice for those in search of offense.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. OTT ($8,600): After shutting out the Golden Knights in his previous start, Hellebuyck has won four of his last five games. This surge is probably too little too late as far as Winnipeg's playoff hopes are concerned, but you can still take advantage of this recent uptick in performance, especially with the Senators in town. Ottawa has struggled to score, especially lately with Drake Batherson (ankle) and Thomas Chabot (hand) unavailable. Ottawa is 1-5-0 in the last six games while being outscored 24-11.
Ville Husso, STL vs. PHI ($8,500): Philadelphia's season average of 2.52 goals per game is even lower than Ottawa's 2.56, and the Flyers could drop even further the rest of the way after being sellers at the trade deadline. Husso is an excellent 16-5-4 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 save percentage, so you can lock him in with confidence if he gets the nod. If the Blues opt to start Jordan Binnington ($8,500), he's riskier but should still deliver, having made 25 saves in a 4-1 win in Philadelphia little more than a month ago in one of his better starts this season.
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. DAL ($7,900): Andersen has been rock-solid behind a Carolina team that tends to have the puck most of the game, going 31-10-2 with a 2.06 GAA and .928 save percentage. The visiting Stars are below average offensively at 2.92 goals per game overall, and Dallas has an unimpressive 14-16-2 road record, so Andersen should build on his successful season in this one.
Juuse Saros, NSH at VGK ($7,800): Saros has been a feast-or-famine option lately, though those that have leaned on him have generally walked away with a full stomach. He's 6-2-0 in his last eight starts, allowing no more than one goal in four of the wins and five goals in each of the losses. Saros is more likely to put forth another stellar outing than a clunker against a free-falling Vegas team that's been shut out in each of its last two games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Connor McDavid, SJ vs. EDM ($9,000): Even at $9,000, you should consider building around McDavid given his recent output. The superstar center is riding a seven-game point streak, and he's accrued multiple points in all but one of those games for a 6-8-14 line over that stretch. He leads the league in points with a 35-58-93 line over 63 games overall and will try to spoil the Sharks debut of goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, who went 0-5-1 in his last six starts with a much stronger Wild team.
Patrick Kane, CHI at LA ($7,300): With Los Angeles battling a number of injuries on the back end, Kane should be worth paying up for as he looks to build on his recent success. The star winger has an 8-19-27 line in his last 13 games, and his five points in the last two games suggest Kane's not about to slow anytime soon. Even with this being Chicago's second game in as many nights, Kane's likely to keep providing elite production.
Ryan Hartman, MIN vs. VAN ($6,000): Minnesota's deep offense gets contributions from many sources, but Hartman is the team's hottest forward. The top-line center has a three-game goal streak going and a 7-3-10 line in the last 10 games. With a 26-21-47 line on the season, Hartman has six fewer goals than team leader Kirill Kaprizov, but also at least six more than any other Wild player.
Adrian Kempe, LA vs. CHI ($5,400): With Marc-Andre Fleury now in Minnesota and Kevin Lankinen having started Wednesday, the Blackhawks likely will turn the crease over to Collin Delia for this one. Given Delia's career 3.69 GAA and .903 save percentage in the NHL, this should be an opportunity for Los Angeles' offense to feast. No member of the Kings is more likely to score on Delia than Kempe, who has thrived in a top-line role this season with a team-high 28 goals in 62 games. None of Kempe's teammates have even reached the 20-goal mark yet.
Brayden Schenn, STL vs. PHI ($4,800): Schenn has five points in his last two games and a 2-8-10 line over the last six. Given his top-six deployment at even strength and usage on the top power-play unit, the veteran center's a bargain at his sub-$5,000 valuation against a Flyers team that's allowing 3.43 goals per game.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Canadiens
Sam Bennett (C - $5,800), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $6,800), Anthony Duclair (W - $4,500)
Florida's second line offers tremendous value as the Panthers' league-best offense (4.06 goals per game) gets set to take on Montreal's league-worst defense (3.76 goals allowed per game). Huberdeau's 21-65-86 line has him third in the league in points behind only McDavid (93) and Leon Draisaitl (88). Both of his linemates have actually scored more goals, though, as Bennett boasts a 25-12-37 line in 52 games and leads all Florida forwards with 178 shots on goal, while Duclair's at 24-23-47 through 54 appearances.
Jets vs. Senators
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $5,400), Kyle Connor (W - $8,600), Evgeny Svechnikov (W - $2,500)
This line offers a combination of elite production and affordability against Ottawa's bottom-10 defense. Connor has a 6-11-17 line during his current eight-game point streak, and his next goal will be his 40th of the season. Dubois is a nice value at $5,400 given his 25-24-49 line over 63 games, while Svechnikov has spent most of the season in the bottom six but should hang around the top six for the remainder of the season after Andrew Copp was traded to the Rangers. Andrei's brother has two assists in his last three games.
Islanders vs. Red Wings
Brock Nelson (C - $6,100), Anders Lee (W - $5,100), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $4,000)
The Islanders have two of the hottest scorers across the league at the moment in Nelson and Lee, while the Red Wings have hemorrhaged goals lately and are allowing 3.70 per game overall. Nelson has an 8-6-14 line in his last 11 games, including a hat trick and a three-assist performance within the last three. Lee has added a 10-3-13 line in his last nine appearances. Beauvillier has chipped in eight helpers in his last nine games, though he's left all of the goal-scoring over that stretch to Nelson and Lee.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB at BOS ($6,600): Hedman's generally matchup-proof — just look at his recent playoff performances for proof of that. Despite coming in riding a four-game point streak that has included a 3-2-5 line, 14 shots and seven blocks, Hedman's available at just $6,600, which is tied for his lowest valuation in the last month. If you locked in some value up front and have money left to spend on the blue line, don't let a tricky matchup in Boston scare you away from taking advantage of this discount on Hedman.
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. OTT ($4,900): Morrissey has been piling on the shots in his last four games, and he's been rewarded for his aggressiveness on the scoresheet. He has a 2-1-3 line, including a power-play goal, to go with 16 shots over that stretch, and Morrissey likely will continue to have ample shooting opportunities with Winnipeg expected to control play at home against the lowly Senators.
Brandon Montour, FLA at MON ($3,000): This will be Florida's first game since Aaron Ekblad suffered a regular season-ending lower body injury. Montour's a candidate to see a significant bump in usage, including on the power play, in Ekblad's absence. He's on pace to top 30 points for the third time with a 7-18-25 line in 61 games, but Montour could pick up the pace if he gets promoted into Ekblad's old spot on the top power-play unit. At just $3,000, it's worth locking him in and seeing what happens, especially given the favorable matchup.
Cody Ceci, EDM vs. SJ ($2,900): Ceci's in a nice little groove, having dished out five assists in his last five games. He also lit the lamp two games before this stretch began and has added 14 blocked shots in his last five games. At just $400 above the minimum valuation, it's worth seeing whether Ceci's able to keep capitalizing on his top-pairing deployment alongside Darnell Nurse.
