This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's NHL slate consists of 11 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 lopsided matchups to choose from Thursday. The Bruins vs. Columbus and Kraken vs. Anaheim stand out as the two biggest favorites, but the Panthers in Montreal, Hurricanes in Detroit, Lightning vs. Washington and Penguins vs. Nashville are all expected to take care of business pretty handily. Kings-Oilers is expected to be the highest-scoring game, with an over/under of 7.0 goals.
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. CLS ($8,300): Swayman has won his last four starts, allowing only five goals across those outings. Backstopping the team with the most points in the standings against the team with the fewest, Swayman will likely cruise to victory against a Blue Jackets team that's getting outscored 3.97 to 2.70 on average.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. WAS ($8,000): Vasilevskiy just shut out the Hurricanes on the road Tuesday, improving to 32-20-4 with a 2.64 GAA and .915 save percentage. He'll have a nice opportunity to build off that strong outing against a Capitals team that's finishing up a back-to-back set and has won only three of its last 11 games.
Cam Talbot, OTT vs. PHI ($7,800): Talbot's expected to be available for this game, and if he gets the starting nod, he'll be well positioned to pick up a much-needed win for an Ottawa team that's still on the outskirts of the playoff picture. Prior to missing nearly a month due to a lower-body injury, Talbot had been locked in with three consecutive victories. The Senators will host a Flyers team that's averaging the third-fewest goals per game (2.68).
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at NJ ($7,300): The Devils give opposing goalies plenty of work, and Shesterkin should be up to the task of handling it. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been in peak form lately, with a 7-1-0 record, 1.86 GAA and .941 save percentage across his last eight appearances, and he should rack up plenty of saves against a New Jersey team that ranks fifth with 34.5 shots per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Aleksander Barkov, FLA at MON ($7,200): Barkov's been held off the scoresheet only once in his last 12 games, contributing 17 points over that span as the Panthers have pulled within one point of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. A Panthers win and Penguins loss could see Florida in playoff position by the end of the night, so look for the captain to continue leading by example while skating in all situations against a Canadiens team that's allowing 3.65 goals per game.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. LA ($6,800): Nugent-Hopkins has been overshadowed by the greatness of Connor McDavid ($10,200) and Leon Draisaitl ($8,300), but the former first overall pick is enjoying a career year of his own, as he's rapidly closing in on 100 points. RNH is coming off a five-point performance in Vegas, which extended his point streak to nine games while raising his season point total to 96. Skating alongside McDavid on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit, Nugent-Hopkins should get himself even closer to the century mark in this one.
Adrian Kempe, LA at EDM ($6,200): There should be plenty of goals to go arond in Kings-Oilers, and Kempe's likely to get in on the fun. He has a 4-2-6 line over the last four games, bringing Kempe up to a team-leading 36 goals. Kempe also leads the Kings with 222 shots on goal.
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at SJ ($5,900): Marchessault has compiled a 4-1-5 line during his three-game goal streak, and he could still reach the 30-goal and 60-point benchmarks, needing four goals and six points over Vegas' last eight games. A Sharks team that's allowing 3.78 goals per game is unlikely to cool him off.
Jason Zucker, PIT vs. NSH ($4,900): Zucker's a nice value play at his sub-$5,000 valuation. The second-line winger has 10 goals in his last 16 games, and he's amassed at least three shots in 12 of those 16. Nashville gives up the sixth-most shots per game (33.3), so Zucker should continue to fling the puck on net regularly in this one while taking advantage of setups from Evgeni Malkin ($6,300).
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Blue Jackets
Patrice Bergeron (C - $6,200), Jake DeBrusk (W - $6,400), Brad Marchand (W - $6,300)
You can lock in Boston's entire top line without breaking the bank, though you will also want David Pastrnak ($9,800) if you're going for a Bruins stack against a Blue Jackets team that's allowing 3.97 goals per game. This a nice time to buy low on Marchand, as he has only one goal since Feb. 25, though the veteran winger has dished out seven assists in his last six games and is two points shy of averaging a point per game this season. Bergeron has a 3-5-8 line in his last six games, while DeBrusk has a 4-4-8 line and 25 shots in his last seven.
Kraken vs. Ducks
Matty Beniers (C - $4,900), Jared McCann (W - $6,100), Jordan Eberle (W - $5,000)
Seattle's top line offers nice value against the league-worst Ducks defense (4.04 goals allowed per game). These are the only three Kraken forwards to reach the 50-point mark this season. McCann's 59 points include a team-high 35 goals, Beniers ranks second on the team in goals with a 20-30-50 line, and Eberle has contributed a 16-39-55 line.
Blues at Blackhawks
Kasperi Kapanen (W - $3,900), Jordan Kyrou (W - $7,700), Sammy Blais (W - $2,800)
The Blues are continuing their surprisingly effective late-season experiment of trying wingers at center, and Kapanen could get the opportunity to center the second line with Pavel Buchnevich (upper body) unavailable. Kapanen has a 3-2-5 line and 11 shots in his last three games, so he should fit right in with the surging Blais and Kyrou. Blais continues to provide outstanding value with a 6-8-14 line over his last 11 games. Kyrou has scored twice on 10 shots over his last two games, bringing his line to 33-35-68 through 71 games heading into this road game against a Blackhawks team that's bringing up the rear in the Western Conference with 54 points.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK at SJ ($6,800): With Shea Theodore (undisclosed) unavailable, Pietrangelo should add first-unit power-play duties to his plate against a Sharks team that's allowing 3.78 goals per game. Even while working on the second unit, Pietrangelo hasn't been shy about contributing offense recently, racking up 14 points in his last 10 games to go with his customary contributions in shots and blocked shots.
Mike Matheson, MON vs. FLA ($5,800): Matheson has been treated like a No. 1 defenseman in Montreal recently, and he's produced like one, with a 3-7-10 line and 29 shots on goal over his last nine games. He'll be motivated to keep rolling against the team with which Matheson spent most of his 458-game NHL career. The Panthers are coming off a much-needed win in Toronto, but they had dropped their previous four games, allowing 21 goals across those four losses.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. ANH ($5,300): Dunn leads the Kraken with 61 points, 21 of which have come in his last 16 games. He has blossomed into an elite offensive defenseman in all but valuation heading into this home game against the league's worst defensive team.
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. LA ($3,900): Bouchard continues to thrive on the star-studded top power-play unit for the Oilers. His 3-10-13 line over the past 12 games includes six power-play points.
