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 potent offenses facing vulnerable defenses, led by the Blues (vs. Ottawa), Maple Leafs (vs. Seattle) and Avalanche (in New Jersey). Of those three heavy favorites, it's worth noting that St. Louis will be the freshest, as both Toronto and Colorado played Monday night. Each of the three aforementioned games is tied for the evening's highest over/under at 6.5 goals, along with Panthers-Penguins. The Golden Knights in Philadelphia and Lightning in Winnipeg make up the second tier of teams to build around in this slate.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, COL at NJ ($8,300): Pavel Francouz was shaky after the Avalanche built a 5-1 third-period lead over the Islanders on Monday but was able to hang on for a 5-4 win. If it was Kuemper in net, maybe that game would have ended 5-1. Colorado's No. 1 goalie struggled against the Flames in his last start, but the level of competition will be much easier in New Jersey, setting Kuemper up to build on his 27-6-2 record, 2.53 GAA and .918 save percentage.
Robin Lehner, VGK at PHI ($8,200): Lehner showed that he's healthy and locked in by stopping all but one of 40 Senators shots in his last outing. A date with a Flyers team that's averaging the fourth-fewest goals per game (2.53) should yield similar results for the Vegas goalie, who's 21-14-1 with a 2.79 GAA and .909 save percentage overall.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at MIN ($7,400): Shesterkin's the obvious choice at $7,400 if you're looking for value in net. Minnesota's scoring 3.69 goals per game, but the star goalie has been pretty much matchup-proof en route to a 28-6-3 record, 1.93 GAA and .942 save percentage. The Wild are also mired in a slump, as evidenced by their 2-8-0 record over the past 10 games.
Jake Oettinger, DAL at NSH ($7,600): Shesterkin's not the only surging goaltender available at a discount in this slate. Oettinger has led Dallas' recent push up the standings, going 8-1-1 in his last 10 outings while allowing just 20 goals in those 10 games. Nashville just scored eight goals against the undermanned Sharks, but the Predators went 2-6-0 in the preceding eight games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nick Schmaltz, ARI at DET ($4,800): Schmaltz rightfully made headlines with seven points against the Senators in his last game, but the top-line winger had been hot before that, too, as Schmaltz now has a gaudy 9-8-17 line in his last nine games. He's an obvious choice at just $4,800 against a Red Wings team that's giving up 3.61 goals per game, which is the most among teams in action Tuesday.
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. ARI ($5,700): There's value to be found on both sides of this matchup between two of the league's losingest franchises from recent years. Larkin leads Detroit in both goals (27) and points (56) over 51 games, and the speedy center's showing no signs of slowing down. He has a 7-11-18 line in the last 12 games and has added at least three shots in all but three of those games.
Chris Kreider, NYR at MIN ($6,800): The magic seemed to be wearing off when Kreider scored just one goal in his first six games coming out of the All-Star break, but then he rediscovered it with four goals in the last three games. He's just two goals back of Matthews' league-leading 40, and Kreider's a threat to score any time the Rangers go on the power play, as his net-front role has resulted in a league-high 19 power-play goals. Meanwhile, Minnesota has hemorrhaged goals during its recent downturn, allowing 49 goals in its last 10 games.
Max Pacioretty, VGK at PHI ($6,300): Injuries have limited Pacioretty to just 26 appearances, but he's been excellent when available with a 15-13-28 line. He mustered an assist and five shots in his return from his most recent lower-body injury, and Pacioretty's heavy shot volume coupled with his scoring touch make him a strong choice at $6,300 against a Flyers team that's giving up 3.42 goals per game.
Mason Marchment, FLA at PIT ($4,800): Given Florida's robust depth up front, it's easy to overlook just how productive Marchment has been lately. It's remarkable that he's still available at just $4,800 considering the physical winger boasts an 11-12-23 line over his last 14 games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Devils
Nazem Kadri (C - $6,800), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $5,600), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $4,100)
Paying up for Colorado's top line will be tempting against a Devils team that's allowing 3.54 goals per game, but building around the second line will likely end up being the better play from a value standpoint. Kadri continues to pace the Avs in points with a 22-50-72 line in 54 games, while half of Landeskog's team-high 30 goals have been scored in his last 17 games. Nichushkin has flown under the radar, but the hulking Russian has been excellent on a per-game basis with a 14-17-31 line in 39 appearances.
Maple Leafs vs. Kraken
Auston Matthews (C - $9,000), Mitch Marner (W - $8,000), Michael Bunting (W - $4,700)
One reason you might go with the cheaper stack in Colorado is to have the cap space for one or both of Matthews and Marner. The star duo has looked nigh unstoppable of late, as Matthews has contributed a 7-6-13 line in the past seven games to take the league goals lead with 40, while Marner has a 5-10-15 line over that seven-game stretch and at least one point in every game. Bunting has a 3-7-10 line in his last five games, so don't forget him if you're looking to build around the Maple Leafs against a Kraken team that's surrendering 3.55 goals per game.
Blues vs. Senators
Ryan O'Reilly (C - $4,800), David Perron (W - $4,300), Brandon Saad (W - $3,200)
Building around the Blues can be tricky because they roll three effective scoring lines, but it's hard not to like the value of the team's top line against a reeling Senators team that just gave up eight goals to Arizona. Perron's playing arguably his best hockey of the season, having produced a 3-2-5 line and 15 shots in his last four games. O'Reilly's having a down year offensively after flirting with a point-per-game pace in two of the previous three seasons, but the two-way center should be able to focus more on offense here as he looks to add to his 12-23-35 line through 51 games. Saad's 17-13-30 output makes him a nice value at just $3,200.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at NJ ($7,100): The scary thing about Makar's 12-game point streak is that it came despite poor puck luck until Monday night. After dishing 16 assists and failing to score on 35 shots over an 11-game stretch, Makar exploded for two goals on eight shots, plus another helper, Monday on Long Island. Now that he's feeling confident in his shot again, the sky's the limit for the league's leading scorer from the blue line.
Moritz Seider, DET vs. ARI ($6,400): Seider had his point streak snapped at eight games in his previous outing, but he extended his streak of games with double-digit fantasy points to 12 thanks to three shots and three blocked shots. The rookie defenseman offers an excellent mix of scoring and supporting stats, and Seider's only getting better, as he has produced 12 points in his last nine outings.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB at WPG ($4,800): Sergachev has quietly been one of the league's most cost-effective blue-line options over the past month. He's scored at least 11.3 fantasy points in eight of the past nine games and topped 20 three times, including each of the past two contests.
Brandon Montour, FLA at PIT ($3,400): Montour's a streaky scorer from the blue line who's currently in the midst of a hot streak. The affordable defenseman has played a notable role in Florida's potent offense lately, with a 1-3-4 line and nine shots during his three-game point streak.
