This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features six 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 are four different heavy favorites to build around here, as the Wild (in Ottawa), Blues (in Philadelphia), Maple Leafs (in Columbus) and Panthers (vs. Nashville) are all expected to take care of business handily. Predators-Panthers and Maple Leafs-Blue Jackets are tied for the highest over/under at 6.5 goals. A pair of potentially low-scoring affairs round out the action Tuesday, with the Islanders in Seattle and the Ducks hosting the Sharks.
GOALIES
Cam Talbot, MIN at OTT ($8,500): Despite being in a bit of a rut lately, Talbot's still 19-10-1 with a 2.91 GAA and .911 save percentage overall. A visit to Ottawa should help him get back on track. The Senators have scored just 12 goals over their last six games and are missing two of their top three point producers in Drake Batherson (ankle) and Josh Norris (shoulder).
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. NSH ($8,300): Bobrovsky's six-game winning streak has boosted his record to 26-4-3, and while being backed by Florida's top-ranked offense is nice, he's also held up his end of the bargain with a 2.51 GAA and .919 save percentage. The Predators have dropped four straight in regulation coming out of the All-Star break, and they'll find it exceedingly difficult to get back on track against Bobrovsky in FLA Live Arena, where he's 16-1-0 this season.
Ville Husso, STL at PHI ($8,000): The gulf in performance between Husso and Jordan Binnington is growing ever wider, and the former would be an appealing option if he gets the nod against the bottom-five Flyers offense (2.56 goals per game). Husso's 12-3-2 with a 1.97 GAA and .936 save percentage, while Binnington's 11-10-3 with a 3.35 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. NYI ($7,500): There has only been one shutout win in Kraken franchise history, and it was delivered by Grubauer on Long Island just before the All-Star break. That performance is part of his recent 5-6-0 stretch, in which the German netminder has limited the opposition to two or fewer goals five times. Those numbers aren't overly impressive, but they're certainly an improvement on his overall 12-21-4 record, 3.15 GAA and .887 save percentage. He has a nice opportunity to deliver another strong outing here against the same Islanders team, which has averaged just 2.44 goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Patrik Laine, CLS vs. TOR ($6,000): It wasn't too long ago that there was a legitimate debate between whether you'd rather have Laine or Auston Matthews. Two years into their careers, the winger selected second overall in the 2016 draft had 80 goals, outpacing the center picked before him by six. That debate seems settled now with Matthews only improving on his output since then and Laine declining, but the Finn's recent play could be resparking that conversation as the top two selections in the 2016 draft go head-to-head here. Laine has been sensational over his active nine-game point streak, posting a 9-9-18 line.
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. NSH ($6,900): All Huberdeau does is produce. He has multiple points in each of his last three games, and an active seven-game, 12-point streak has him up to 70 points in 50 games overall. That total's tied with Leon Draisaitl for second in the league, just one behind Connor McDavid's league-leading total. The struggling Predators are unlikely to slow him down; Nashville's 0-4-0 since the All-Star break and has been outscored 18-9 during this losing streak.
Timo Meier, SJ at ANH ($7,500): Meier continues to pepper the net with pucks, racking up 21 shots in three games since the All-Star break along with a 2-1-3 line. His 189 shots are good for sixth league-wide, and he's amassed that total in only 44 games while adding a 23-27-50 line. Paying up for the power forward should be worth it against a Ducks team that's struggled defensively of late, having been outscored 21-15 in four games since the All-Star break.
Brock Nelson, NYI at SEA ($4,700): Nelson's doing all he can to keep the Islanders' slim playoff hopes afloat, as he's managed to light the lamp in each of the past two games while adding an assist, 10 shots and two blocked shots. The 6-foot-4 center leads the Islanders with 17 goals in just 36 games, making Nelson a nice value play if you don't believe Grubauer will repeat his impenetrability from the previous meeting between these teams.
Gerald Mayhew, PHI vs. STL ($2,500): Mayhew's an accomplished AHL scorer who's getting an extended look on a bad Flyers team and making the most of it. He's scored three goals on nine shots in the past two games, showcasing some of the offensive ability that allowed Mayhew to score 39 goals in 49 AHL games during the 2019-20 campaign. Mayhew's a low-risk, high-reward option at the minimum $2,500 valuation, especially if the Blues end up going with Binnington in net.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs at Blue Jackets
Auston Matthews (C - $9,300), Mitch Marner (W - $8,300), Michael Bunting (W - $5,000)
Toronto's top line will be motivated to lead the Leafs to victory one night after falling 5-2 to Montreal. Only the Canadiens allow more goals per game than Columbus' 3.65, and the Blue Jackets are without their top three goalies due to injuries. Matthews is on a rare two-game point drought, but his 33-26-59 line in 46 games overall suggests he's due to get back on the scoresheet before long. Marner's also gone pointless in two straight, but he still has an 11-13-24 line in his last 14 games. Bunting has chipped in seven goals in his last 10 games, capitalizing on his linemates' playmaking ability.
Wild at Senators
Frederick Gaudreau (C - $3,700), Kevin Fiala (W - $5,700), Matthew Boldy (W - $5,300)
Minnesota's affordable second line should wreak havoc on the undermanned Senators, and you don't have to break the bank to lock these guys in. Fiala has at least one point in 15 of his last 18 games and a 12-10-22 line over that stretch. Boldly has fit in seamlessly on the opposite wing, as the rookie boasts an 8-8-16 line over his first 16 games. Even the affordable Gaudreau has gotten in on the scoring consistently, contributing a 3-6-9 line in his last 10 games.
Blues at Flyers
Robert Thomas (C - $4,600), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $5,900), David Perron (W - $4,000)
St. Louis' productive second line should keep on rolling against a Flyers team that's won only two of its last 20 games. Thomas's 2-5-7 line over an active four-game point streak has him closing in on a point-per-game pace overall with 39 in 42. Buchnevich has surpassed a point-per-game pace with 45 in 43, including a 3-6-9 output over an active five-game point streak. Perron has spent most of the season in the bottom six, but a move to this line should help him improve on his 9-15-24 line through 36 appearances – a respectable 21-goal, 55-point pace over 82 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. NSH ($6,500): Ekblad has come out of the All-Star break on fire, notching a goal and an assist in each of Florida's three games since. His season line's up to 13-34-47 in 49 games, and Ekblad's showing no signs of slowing down while playing a pivotal role in a Panthers offense that's leading the league with 4.12 goals per game. The slumping Predators are unlikely to cool him off.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at CLS ($6,200): This game should feature plenty of offense, and that's the kind of environment Rielly's most comfortable in. The puck-moving blueliner has a 6-37-43 line in 49 games, and Rielly has put 19 pucks on net in his last five games, so he's generating fantasy value even when he doesn't get on the scoresheet.
Mark Giordano, SEA vs. NYI ($4,800): Giordano's days in Seattle are likely numbered, as he's expected to be traded to a contender for the stretch run. The veteran blueliner has given potential suitors plenty of reasons to trade for him lately, as he's played excellent two-way hockey. Over the past five games, Giordano's contributed a 1-3-4 line while adding 13 shots and 11 blocked shots.
Justin Faulk, STL at PHI ($4,500): Faulk has quietly put together a six-game point streak, raising his season line to 7-17-24 in 43 games. He's added multiple shots in each of those games and multiple blocked shots in four of the six, so Faulk's doing a little bit of everything heading into this favorable matchup against a Flyers team that's surrendering 3.44 goals per game.
