This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Halfway through December, we are packed to the gills with NHL action. There are 12 games on the slate Thursday. Here are the players I'd try to slot in my lineups for some DFS success with a few days of Christmas shopping left.
SLATE PREVIEW
Wednesday was a light night, so only one team is on the second leg of a back-to-back. That would be the Canadiens, but they are at home. Also, they are playing the Ducks, perhaps the NHL's worst team.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. CLM ($8,300): Ah, the Vasilevskiy we all expected has arrived. Over his last 10 starts he has a 2.11 GAA and .930 save percentage. Columbus has averaged 2.86 goals and 29.4 shots on net per contest, and it is also bad defensively, increasing Vasilevskiy's chances of getting the win.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. NAS ($8,100): Even after a couple of tough starts, Hellebuyck has a 2.45 GAA and .926 save percentage. Facing the Predators at home is a great chance for him to get back on track. Nashville is 29th in goals per game, and it is pretty far from 28th at the moment.
Jake Oettinger, DAL at WAS ($8,000): Oettinger has been slightly better than last season, as he has a 2.49 GAA and .916 save percentage. He's also only allowed two goals in each of his last two starts. Alex Ovechkin is gunning for goals, but the Capitals are 21st in goals per game all in all. The Stars, meanwhile, are third in goals per game, so Oettinger often gets offensive support.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Zach Hyman, EDM vs. STL ($6,900): Hyman is getting to skate on a line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, an NHLer's dream come true. Sure enough, he has 14 points in his last eight games. He also has nine power-play points, and the Blues have the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
Taylor Hall, BOS vs. LOS ($5,600): Hall has an assist in back-to-back games but that is a continuation of a strong run of play. He has six goals and seven assists over his last 13 outings. Meanwhile, Jonathan Quick has a 3.54 GAA and .882 save percentage this season.
Kirby Dach, MON vs. ANA ($3,900): The Canadiens may be on the second leg of a back-to-back, but the Ducks rank last in GAA, shots on goal allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. There is no better matchup than this. Dach is back on the first line in Montreal, and he has 20 points in 29 games after picking up an assist Wednesday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Blue Jackets
Nick Paul (C - $4,700), Steven Stamkos (W - $7,300), Alex Killorn (W - $3,500)
The Jackets are almost as good of a matchup as the Ducks, and the Lightning aren't on a back-to-back. Columbus has a 4.07 GAA and has allowed 35.5 shots on net per game. I went with the Lightning's second line, where you shell out salary for one of their stars, but can save a little cash to fill the line out.
Paul only has eight assists, unusual for a center, but he has 12 goals in 28 games. That includes six goals over his last 10 outings. Stamkos is on an incredibly run, as he has a 14-game point streak. He's also put 97 shots on net through 28 contests. Killorn has not shot much, perhaps because Stamkos handles most of the shooting on this line. However, he still has eight goals to go with 14 assists, and he has at least one point in eight of his last 11 games.
Golden Knights at Blackhawks
William Karlsson (C - $4,600), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,600), Reilly Smith (W - $5,300)
The Blackhawks have allowed 34.4 shots on net per game, which is in the bottom five in the NHL. That's not good with the goaltending they are running out there. Arvid Soderblom has already been tapped to start Thursday. He has a 3.18 GAA and .906 save percentage. When Jack Eichel went down, the Golden Knights decided against messing with their second line to keep the continuity going.
Karlsson picked up a goal and an assist in his last game. He has potted seven goals to go with 13 assists this season. Marchessault is on an incredible goal-scoring run, with a goal in seven of his last nine outings. He's also the one in this trio that gets real power-play time, and the Blackhawks have the 25th-ranked penalty kill. Smith's 16.7 shooting percentage may be a little high, but he still has 12 goals in 31 games, and, he's put 72 shots on net. He picked up two assists in Vegas' last game as well.
DEFENSEMEN
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. LOS ($6,500): Since getting healthy and back into the lineup, McAvoy has hit the ground running, especially on the power play. The 24-year-old has averaged 3:05 per game with the extra man and has eight power-play points in 15 games. Los Angeles has the 28th-ranked penalty kill, so that's encouraging.
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. STL ($4,900): For Barrie, it has been business as usual. He has eight points in his last six games, and seven of them have come on the power play. It's all about the extra man for the defenseman. As I noted, the Blues have the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
Cam Fowler, ANA at MON ($4,300): Fowler is on a nice stretch, though as a veteran on a rebuilding team, that might mostly benefit him by generating trade value. He has 14 points in his last 15 games. The Canadiens are on the second leg of a back-to-back, which doesn't bode well for Jake Allen, who has a 3.26 GAA and .901 save percentage.
