This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features 11 games after 7:00 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There's no shortage of lopsided matchups to choose from, so figuring out which of the heavy favorites to build around will be key to finding DFS success Tuesday. The most obvious favorites are the Avalanche at home against the Coyotes, followed by the Golden Knights against the Sabres and the Lightning against the Sharks. The next tier of enticing options includes the Bruins (vs. Seattle), Islanders (vs. Ottawa) and Maple Leafs (in New Jersey). The Colorado and Toronto games are tied with Panthers-Rangers for the night's highest over/under at 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. SJ ($7,400): It's not immediately clear why Vasilevskiy's so affordable here, but you'll be hard-pressed to find better bang for the buck in net. He has an outstanding 24-7-4 record, 2.24 GAA and .922 save percentage, while the visiting Sharks have struggled recently, having won only twice in their last eight games.
Darcy Kuemper, COL vs. ARI ($8,500): Both Kuemper and Pavel Francouz ($8,500) have been excellent lately, as good goaltending has been an understated yet important component of Colorado's active 18-game home winning streak and 10-game overall win streak. Look for Kuemper to improve on his 21-5-1 record, 2.58 GAA and .915 save percentage against a Coyotes team that's scoring a league-low 2.19 goals per game.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY at DAL ($7,700): Markstrom won't be among the first goalies most people consider since his game should be one of Tuesday's most competitive, but he makes for a strong under-the-radar play given his recent form. The Swede leads the league with seven shutouts, two of which have come in his last three starts. In the three starts before that, Markstrom held two of those opponents to one goal each.
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. BUF ($8,400): The Sabres find themselves in familiar territory near the bottom of the league standings, having won only four of their last 15 games. They've also scored only four goals in their last three games, and the stout Vegas defense won't make life easy for the struggling Buffalo offense. Lehner should be the beneficiary of this favorable matchup, which should help him build on his 18-12-1 record, 2.79 GAA and .909 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. SEA ($7,200): It's been a little while since Marchand produced a flashy performance, so perhaps he's due for one against a Kraken team that's allowing 3.52 goals per game. The feisty winger still has a 21-26-47 line in 37 appearances overall, and Marchand looks like the superior value compared to fellow Bruins winger David Pastrnak ($8,300), who has a 20-20-40 line in 42 games.
Filip Forsberg, NSH vs. VAN ($6,200): Forsberg has racked up exactly one goal and one assist in each of his last three games, and he has eight goals in his last nine games to bring his season goal total to 22 in 32 appearances. Look for Forsberg to build on his recent success against a visiting Vancouver team that's playing its second game in as many nights.
Ondrej Palat, TB vs. SJ ($4,800): Palat was held off the scoresheet for only the second time in his last 11 appearances by the Golden Knights last time out, but the first-line winger should return to his productive ways against the Sharks. San Jose has allowed 18 goals in its last five games, including seven to the Lightning on Jan. 22, while Palat has a 6-7-13 line over his last 11 contests.
Anders Lee, NYI vs. OTT ($4,200): Lee has underwhelmed this season, but the former 40-goal scorer has been generating more chances recently, scoring his 11th goal of the season to go with an assist and 12 shots in his last three games. The power forward's net-front presence will likely cause issues for a porous Ottawa defense that's allowing the eighth-most goals per game (3.36).
Nolan Patrick, VGK vs. BUF ($2,600): With Chandler Stephenson in COVID-19 protocols, it looks like Patrick will get the opportunity to skate on the top line between star wingers Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Such a deployment makes Patrick a low-risk, high-reward play at just $100 above the minimum valuation against a Sabres team that's allowing 3.43 goals per game.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Coyotes
Nazem Kadri (C - $8,300), Andre Burakovsky (W - $4,300), Alex Newhook (W - $3,200)
The question here isn't whether to target the Avalanche, but rather which Avs skaters to include in your lineup. In this case, my vote goes to the more affordable second line. We keep waiting for Kadri to regress, but Colorado's leading scorer is showing no signs of doing so, as his 3-5-8 line over an active four-game point streak has bumped Kadri's season output up to 18-41-59 in 40 games. Burakovsky was demoted to the fourth line last game as coach Jared Bednar was displeased with his compete level, so look for the winger — who has a 14-20-34 line — to have his motor running from the get-go in this one. Newhook has been the biggest beneficiary of Nathan MacKinnon's broken nose, as the 2019 first-round pick has a point in both games since sliding into a top-six role as a result of MacKinnon's absence.
Maple Leafs at Devils
Auston Matthews (C - $9,200), Mitch Marner (W - $5,700), Michael Bunting (W - $3,600)
This line was downright dominant in Monday's 6-4 home win over the Devils, continuing a trend of recent production. Despite a change in venue, similar results should be expected 24 hours later. Matthews produced three goals and an assist Monday for his third consecutive multi-point game, and he now boasts a 28-21-49 line in 38 games. Marner's three-point night Monday extended his goal streak to six games, and he's added six assists in that stretch. Bunting was held off the scoresheet Monday by a Devils team that's allowing 3.45 goals per game, but Maple Leafs fans will forgive the affordable winger for the off night considering Bunting still has five goals in his last six games.
Rangers vs. Panthers
Mika Zibanejad (C - $7,300), Chris Kreider (W - $5,600), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $2,600)
This game should feature plenty of offense, and the Panthers are unlikely to be at the top of their game defensively after using top goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in an 8-4 barnburner in Columbus on Monday. Zibanejad has been held without a point only twice in his last 14 games while producing a 9-11-20 line over that span. He would have another goal in this dominant stretch if not for an egregious goalie interference call last Friday against the Wild that denied him the game-tying tally in the final seconds on Henrik Lundqvist number retirement night. Kreider may not be able to hold off the hard-charging Matthews much longer, but at least for now, the winger leads the league with 31 goals in 46 games. Lafreniere's getting a shot on the top line with Kaapo Kakko (upper body) on IR, and the 2020 first-overall pick rewarded coach Gerard Gallant's decision to promote him by scoring his ninth goal of the season in New York's previous game.
DEFENSEMEN
Morgan Rielly, TOR at NJ ($6,400): Rielly has seven points during his active four-game streak and 20 points in his last 15 games. He dished out two helpers in Monday's 6-4 win over the Devils and should continue to play a key facilitating role in Tuesday's rematch.
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. OTT ($5,500): Dobson has been a two-way force on the Islanders' blue line recently, and he just needs to get hot offensively to become a DFS powerhouse at $5,500. Perhaps hosting a Senators team that's giving up 3.36 goals per game will help him do so. Dobson has just one goal and one assist in his last six games but has averaged 15.3 fantasy points over that span thanks to 28 shots on goal and 14 blocked shots.
Brent Burns, SJ at TB ($5,400): Burns is an intriguing against-the-grain play in Tampa Bay. He's stuffing the stat sheet as the unquestioned top guy on San Jose's blue line following Erik Karlsson's arm surgery. Burns has accrued double-digit fantasy points in all four games since Karlsson was injured, supplementing two assists with 14 shots and 14 blocked shots over that span.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. ARI ($4,200): If you don't have the funds for Cale Makar ($7,300) or Devon Toews ($5,600), Girard's a nice consolation prize. The overlooked Avalanche defenseman has a 2-5-7 line in his last eight games, as well as four power-play points in his last five contests. He should stay hot with the lowly Coyotes in town.
