This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and features six games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There may not be many games in this slate, but there's no shortage of favorable fantasy situations to choose from, especially with some of these teams having beefed up via trade in recent days. The Bruins and Maple Leafs are both heavy home favorites against the Sabres and Flames, respectively, while the Rangers (at New Jersey), Lightning (at Nashville) and Capitals (vs. Philadelphia) are all clear favorites as well. That leaves Panthers-Stars as the night's lone toss-up. There's plenty of star power to target from Tuesday's top teams, with the Capitals', Rangers' and Maple Leafs' games all tied for the slate's highest over/under of 6.0 goals.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at NSH ($8,200): Coming off Saturday's 36-save shutout of the Predators, Vasilevskiy's now 25-6-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .932 save percentage. The Vezina Trophy favorite is capable of posting a repeat effort in this rematch and should be worth paying up for as usual.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. NJ ($7,900): Shesterkin's 6-2-2 in his last 10 starts, but his 10-9-3 record still doesn't do his 2.46 GAA and .920 save percentage justice. The rookie isn't fazed by heavy workloads, with a pair of 41-save wins in his last eight games, and a Devils team that's averaging only 2.58 goals per game and depleted its roster further before Monday's trade deadline will have trouble penetrating Shesterkin.
David Rittich, TOR vs. CGY ($8,100): Rittich will likely make his Maple Leafs debut with the team finishing a back-to-back set Tuesday, and the recent trade acquisition will be extra motivated to make a strong first impression with his former team in town. The Flames are just 2-8-0 in their last 10 games, and they've scored two goals or fewer seven times in that stretch.
Linus Ullmark, BUF at BOS ($7,000): Ullmark is an against-the-grain bargain option, and locking him in against a Bruins team that's scoring only 2.72 goals per game can help clear cap space for this slate's top skaters. He's actually a solid 9-6-3 with a 2.64 GAA and .917 save percentage, including a 4-1-0 mark in his last five starts, so Ullmark has largely performed well despite the Sabres' overall struggles.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. FLA ($5,900): The only thing keeping Hintz from reaching the elite tier of production is a nagging lower-body injury, as he's been sensational when available. The third-year NHLer has a 13-19-32 line in 29 appearances this season, including a 2-6-8 output over the last three. Hintz should be a strong choice if he plays, but you'll likely need to check his status prior to puck drop, as the center's usually a game-time decision.
Colin Blackwell, NYR at NJ ($3,100): Blackwell finally saw his three-game goal streak come to a close Sunday on Long Island, but he still has six goals in his last eight games. Skating on a line with superstar Artemi Panarin at even strength while also contributing on the second power-play unit, the standout bargain bin signing has a nice opportunity to build on his recent momentum in this matchup with a Devils team that's allowing 3.20 goals per game.
Yanni Gourde, TB at NAS ($5,400): Gourde has six points in his last two games after logging a goal and an assist Saturday in Nashville. The streaky center — who put together a five-game goal streak last month — has heated up again and is especially appealing in the short term while he's filling Steven Stamkos' (lower body) usual spot on the top power-play unit.
Aleksander Barkov, FLA at DAL ($7,700): Barkov's in the midst of an extended hot streak that's consisted of an 8-7-15 line in his last 10 games played, including a goal Saturday in Dallas. He's also generating chances at a tremendous clip, with five five-shot performances and another three four-shot efforts in this stretch. Expect Florida's captain to once again lead the team's offense in this one.
Casey Mittelstadt, BUF at BOS ($3,000): Mittelstadt has some sleeper appeal against a Bruins team that just gave up eight goals and could remain without its top two goalies in Tuukka Rask (upper body) and Jaroslav Halak (COVID-19 protocols). Buffalo's eighth overall selection in the 2017 draft has been held without a point only once in the last seven games and without a goal twice in that stretch, mustering a 5-2-7 line.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Sabres
Patrice Bergeron (C - $7,900), David Pastrnak (W - $8,600), Brad Marchand (W - $8,100)
The "perfection line" should dominate at home against the last-place Sabres, who are getting outscored 3.46 to 2.32 in the average game. These guys rank 1-2-3 on the Bruins in both goals in points, as Marchand sports a 19-29-48 line in 37 appearances, Bergeron's at 16-19-35 in 39 and Pastrnak's at 16-16-32 in 32. If you only have room for one of these three, Marchand has the most compelling case given his 7-7-14 line over the past eight games.
Capitals vs. Flyers
Nicklas Backstrom (C - $5,500), Conor Sheary (W - $2,900), Anthony Mantha (W - $4,900)
Coming off an 8-1 shellacking of the Bruins, Washington should have no problem piling up offense against a Flyers team that's allowing 3.51 goals per game — second-most in the league. Rather than locking in the expensive top line, using this second line leaves significantly more cap space for the remainder of your lineup while still delivering excellent upside against the porous Flyers defense. Backstrom leads the Capitals in points through 42 games with a 13-29-42 line, and he's flanked by a pair of affordable wingers with some scoring touch. Sheary's two-goal game against Boston on Sunday gave him three goals on 13 shots in his last five games, while Mantha was acquired from the Red Wings via trade Monday and has an 11-10-21 line in 42 games. If Mantha isn't cleared to make his Capitals debut, Daniel Sprong ($2,800) would likely take his spot on this line.
Maple Leafs vs. Flames
Auston Matthews (C - $9,300), Mitch Marner (W - $8,300), Alex Galchenyuk (W - $3,600)
Matthews (32-21-53) and Marner (14-39-53) are tied for fourth league-wide in points, with the former running away with the Rocket Richard race at 32 goals. They're strong choices regardless of opponent, and especially so against a slumping Flames team whose starting goalie (Jacob Markstrom) has posted a sub-.900 save percentage in six of his last nine games. Galchenyuk has two assists and eight shots over his last three games, and he'll be a nice value play as long as he maintains this favorable deployment alongside two of the game's biggest stars.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at NJ ($6,700): Fox finally cooled down against the stout Islanders defense over the weekend but still has a 3-16-19 line in his last 11 games. His offensive capabilities should remain on full display in this matchup with a Devils team that's allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to defensemen.
Justin Schultz, WAS vs. PHI ($3,900): Schultz has been an affordable source of offense from Washington's blue line all season, with a 3-19-22 line in 38 games, including four points in the last two games. He has a great opportunity to add to that success in what's expected to be a fast-paced affair against the Flyers.
Ryan Ellis, NSH vs. TB ($4,200): Ellis didn't take long to get back up to speed, lighting the lamp Sunday in his second game back after a 20-game absence due to an upper-body injury. He has averaged a robust .58 points per game (89 in 154) since the start of 2018-19 campaign, so Ellis is a strong value pick at $4,200 and will likely see his valuation climb before long.
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI at WAS ($4,900): Gostisbehere is playing his best hockey of the season, with a 2-1-3 line in his last two games and 3-1-4 line in his last four. The former 65-point scorer has an 8-7-15 line in 31 games overall, but he has the skills to sustain this recent uptick for a while longer.
