This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL main slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features six games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
This slate is expected to be full of competitive games, but the Stars (vs. Nashville) and Rangers (vs. New Jersey) are the biggest favorites. Meanwhile, Capitals-Penguins is expected to be the highest-scoring game with an over/under of 6.5. The game in Pittsburgh and the Colorado-Vegas matchup are rematches of Sunday's games, while the Islanders and Sabres will be facing off for the second time in as many nights. The fifth meeting of the season between the Wild and Kings rounds out this slate.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. NJ ($8,200): Despite an unimpressive 3-4-1 record, Shesterkin has outstanding ratios (3-4-1, 2.16 GAA, .922 save percentage), and he has been even better recently. None of his last five opponents have scored more than two goals against Shesterkin, and he has stopped 136 of 144 shots for a .944 save percentage over that stellar stretch. Expect him to get back into the win column against a rusty Devils team that hasn't played since Jan. 31 due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. COL ($7,700): Fleury shut out the depleted Avalanche on Saturday, stopping all 30 shots he faced in a 1-0 game. Colorado remains without Gabriel Landeskog and Samuel Girard, among others, due to COVID-19 protocols, and the Avs may or may not be getting Cale Makar (upper body) back in time for this one, so this matchup is less daunting than it looks on paper for a goalie who's off to a Vezina-worthy start — Fleury's 7-1-0 with a 1.38 GAA and .944 save percentage.
Carter Hutton, BUF vs. NYI ($7,200): Assuming he gets the second leg of Buffalo's back-to-back set after Linus Ullmark started Monday, Hutton would be an intriguing bargain option in net against the bottom-10 Islanders offense. Buffalo's chances of earning Hutton a win would also be boosted if the Islanders opt to start struggling backup Ilya Sorokin, who is winless through three starts with a 3.65 GAA and .871 save percentage.
Juuse Saros, NSH at DAL ($7,000): Like Hutton, Saros is a high-risk, high-reward bargain goalie. His 3-4-0 record, 3.66 GAA and .880 save percentage leave a lot to be desired, but Saros' career 2.63 GAA and .916 save percentage over 128 NHL games suggest the 25-year-old Finn is bound to turn things around before too long. He has a great opportunity to do so against a Stars team that came out of the gate on fire but has struggled mightily of late, winning just once in its last eight games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mathew Barzal, NYI at BUF ($7,100): It's easy to overlook Barzal on the defense-first Islanders, but he logged an 85-point campaign before coach Barry Trotz got to New York and reached the 60-point mark in each of his first two seasons under Trotz. Now, Barzal has a nine-game point streak going, with a 4-7-11 line over that span. His success should continue against a Sabres team that's allowing 3.09 goals per game.
Jack Hughes, NJ at NYR ($5,600): It's easy to forget because his team hasn't played in over two weeks, but Hughes was off to a terrific start before the Devils' season was put on pause. The 2019 first overall pick sports a 3-5-8 line through nine games, and his most impressive outing came in the team's first trip to Madison Square Garden, when Hughes skated laps around the Rangers' defensemen en route to a 2-1-3 line. Could a repeat effort be in store for his return?
Mika Zibanejad, NYR vs. NJ ($5,600): While Hughes is off to a great start after a forgettable season, the opposite is true for the opposing No. 1 center, as Zibanejad has just one goal and two assists after consecutive seasons with at least 74 points, during which he scored a combined 71 goals. The career 12.6 percent shooter won't score on just 2.6 percent of shots all season, and his lone goal this year came in the Rangers' only meeting with New Jersey, so this could be the perfect time to buy low on Zibanejad.
Jakub Vrana, WAS at PIT ($4,000): Vrana's the most affordable member of Washington's top-six forward group despite a solid 4-5-9 line through 12 games, which is right in line with his 25-27-52 output over 69 games last season. The speedy winger lit the lamp Sunday in Pittsburgh and is currently seeing time on the top power-play unit at Evgeny Kuznetsov's expense.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins vs. Capitals
Sidney Crosby (C - $6,400), Jake Guentzel (W - $6,100), Bryan Rust (W - $6,600)
Pittsburgh's top line doesn't have anyone valued higher than 15th among skaters in this slate, yet it's capable of carrying fantasy lineups in this matchup with a Capitals team that's allowing 3.77 goals per game, which is second-most in the league. That's exactly what happened when these teams met Sunday, as this trio combined for a 4-4-8 line and 14 shots. Crosby needs no introduction, and his 5-7-12 line through 13 games represents a slow start if anything. Guentzel has matched Crosby's line on the season, and he's heating up with a 2-4-6 line over the past three games, giving the standout winger 65 goals and 131 points in 134 appearances since the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Rust is tied with his linemates for the team lead with five goals and surprisingly holds sole possession of the Penguins' points lead with 13. That production includes three goals, three assists and 20 shots over the past three games.
Stars vs. Predators
Roope Hintz (C - $5,500), Jason Robertson (W - $2,700), Denis Gurianov (W - $5,900)
If you don't foresee a Saros turnaround happening here, then is should be a good time to lock in the Stars' young, productive and affordable second line. Hintz is the old man on this line at age 24, and he's budding into an elite center in his third NHL season, playing at a point-per-game pace through 10. Gurianov had a 20-goal campaign in 64 games as a rookie last season and chipped in a 9-8-17 line in 27 playoff games. He's looking like an even more dangerous scorer in his second campaign, with a 4-7-11 line through 12 games. The 21-year-old Robertson went scoreless in his first three appearances this year but has a 2-3-5 line over an active four-game point streak.
Wild at Kings
Marcus Johansson (W - $3,100), Mats Zuccarello (W - $2,500), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $5,700)
Like New Jersey, Minnesota also hasn't played in a while due to COVID-19, having last taken game ice Feb. 2. The team should find success in its return against a Kings squad that's surrendering 3.31 goals per game. Prior to the team's pause, Kaprizov made a terrific first impression at the NHL level, tying with Joel Eriksson Ek for second with nine points through 11 games — one behind Jordan Greenway. Zuccarello is expected to make his season debut after starting the year on IR, and it shouldn't be long until the three-time 59-point scorer's valuation climbs considerably. Johansson is listed as a winger, but the natural center is expected to move back to the middle. He has topped 44 points five times, scoring as many as 58, and while Johansson's 2-1-3 line is nothing to brag about, he had a goal and an assist the last time these two teams met.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR vs. NJ ($5,700): New Jersey has allowed more fantasy points per game to defensemen than any team in the league, and Fox has the skills and role to capitalize on this favorable matchup. His team-high ice time average of 24:53 per game includes a role on the Rangers' top power-play unit, and Fox has seven points through 13 games while contributing a solid 29 shots and 31 blocks, ranking top-10 league-wide in the latter category.
Matt Dumba, MIN at LA ($5,100): Dumba has three goals and three games with at least five shots through nine contests, and two of each have come against the Kings. Having scored double-digit goals in four of the past five seasons — including 12 in just 32 games in 2018-19 — and well on his way to that benchmark again, Dumba's upside is tremendous for a blueliner.
Drew Doughty, LA vs. MIN ($5,500): Doughty doesn't get as much fanfare as he used to toiling away on a rebuilding Kings team, but the 2016 Norris Trophy winner is still among the league's premier defensemen. His 3-8-11 line through 13 games includes eight power-play points, four of which have come in the last two games. Doughty's success should continue against a Wild team that remains without starting goalie Cam Talbot due to COVID-19 protocols.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph, PIT vs. WAS ($3,400): After getting eased in with limited ice time over his first four games, Joseph has had the training wheels taken off, averaging nearly 23 minutes in the last five. The rookie has capitalized on the expanded role, posting a 1-3-4 line and 11 shots in those last five games. He's an appealing cheap filler option against the defensively challenged Capitals.
