DraftKIngs NHL: Thursday Breakdown

DraftKIngs NHL: Thursday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

There are seven games scheduled for Thursday, consisting of five contests getting underway at 7:00 p.m. ET, one starting at 8:00 p.m. ET and one puck drop set for 9:00 p.m. ET. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook. 

SLATE PREVIEW 

Florida (vs. Washington), Winnipeg (at Philadelphia) and Vegas (at Arizona) are the biggest favorites on the Moneyline. The Jets-Flyers, Golden Knights-Coyotes and Capitals-Panthers check in at the lower end of the Over/Under with 5.5 goals. The Flames-Devils and Avalanche-Hurricanes matchups are on the higher side at 6.5 goals.

GOALIES 

Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at PHI ($8,100): Hellebuyck has given up three goals in three straight losses heading into Thursday night's action. He also made 34 saves in a 2-0 loss to the Flyers on Jan. 13. Still, Hellebuyck is primed for a bounce-back effort. He has played slightly better on the road this campaign, going 12-4-1 with a 2.11 GAA and a .925 save percentage over 17 games. It also helps that Philadelphia has struggled at home in 2023-24 with an 11-12-2 record. 

Connor Ingram, ARI vs. VGK ($7,100): Ingram has plenty of bang for the buck upside despite a difficult matchup. He registered a 34-save shutout win over the Golden Knights on Nov. 25. Ingram has also earned a mark of 11-4-0 on home ice this campaign. Additionally, Vegas has a lackluster 11-10-4 record on the road in 2023-24. 

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Brayden Point, TB at NYI ($7,300): Point has accumulated eight goals, 14 points and 31 shots on target across his past 11 appearances. He also has 17 points, including 11 helpers, in 17 career contests against the Islanders. 

Mathew Barzal, NYI vs. TB ($6,400): Barzal has only been held off the scoresheet once in his past six outings. He has two goals and five assists during that span, including two tallies and two helpers in a three-game point streak. 

Elias Lindholm, VAN at BOS ($4,900): Lindholm potted a pair of power-play goals in a 3-2 win over Carolina on Tuesday during his Vancouver debut. He has three goals and one assist in his past four games. 

Yegor Sharangovich: CGY at NJ ($4,800): Sharangovich has netted 10 goals in his last 10 outings. He has two goals on the power play, one shorthanded tally, two assists and 20 shots on net during that stretch. Sharangovich also lit the lamp in a 4-2 loss to the Devils on Dec. 9. 

Nicolas Roy, VGK at ARI ($3,800): Roy has racked up three goals and 12 points in his past eight outings, including all three markers and six helpers in a five-game point spree. 

Jonathan Huberdeau, CGY at NJ ($3,600): Huberdeau has collected 11 assists and 14 points in his past 14 appearances. He is coming off a three-point performance, which included two power-play helpers, versus Boston on Tuesday. 

FORWARD LINE STACKS 

Panthers vs. Capitals 

Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,200), Sam Reinhart (W - $7,800), Evan Rodrigues (W - $3.900) 

Barkov has 19 assists and 41 shots on net during his 17-game goalless drought. He is long overdue to find the back of the net, but he stands a good chance of being productive even if that doesn't happen. Reinhart's 13-game point spree was snapped in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get back on the scoresheet Thursday. He has 14 goals, 18 points and 43 shots in his past 14 contests. Rodrigues has contributed one goal, one assist and eight shots across his last three appearances. 

The first line of the Panthers has plenty of upside against a Washington team that has surrendered 24 goals during a five-game winless skid. Barkov also has nine goals and 26 points in 22 career contests versus the Capitals, while Reinhart has six goals and three helpers in his past seven outings against Washington. Rodrigues had one goal and one helper in Florida's 4-3 overtime victory over the Capitals on Nov. 8. 

Devils vs. Flames 

Nico Hischier (C - $5,700), Jesper Bratt (W - $6,600), Ondrej Palat (W - $3,200) 

Hischier has 15 points in 15 games going into Thursday night's slate. He has two goals and six assists over his past seven contests, including two straight two-assist efforts. Bratt has generated four goals and two helpers during his five-game point streak. He has 22 shots on goal over that stretch. Palat has one goal and three points in his last two appearances. 

The top line of the Devils checks in with very affordable cap hits and plenty of offensive upside on Thursday. Hischier has three goals and two assists in his past three meetings with the Flames, while Bratt has one goal and two helpers over that span. 

DEFENSEMEN 

Cale Makar, COL at CAR ($8,400): Makar could be worth the high salary investment on Thursday based on his four goals and eight assists during an eight-game point spree. Makar has five power-play points (one goal, four assists), one shorthanded goal, 30 shots on net and 17 blocked shots over that period. He also has two goals and five points in six career meetings with the Hurricanes. 

Quinn Hughes, VAN at BOS ($6,800): Hughes has one goal and a whopping 12 assists during his seven-game point streak. During that stretch, he has eight helpers on the man advantage and 16 shots. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Corey Abbott plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: armchair_gm, DraftKings: thenext1, Yahoo: Why.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corey Abbott
Corey Abbott is an avid sports fan who has been writing fantasy hockey for 15-plus years.
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