This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's busy NHL slate features 14 games after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
With 14 games to choose from, it's no surprise that quite a few represent tempting matchups to build around. The Maple Leafs against Buffalo and Panthers against Anaheim are both heavily favored home teams with prolific offenses, while the Flames are also overwhelmingly favored with the lowly Kraken in town. Though not quite as eye-catching, the Capitals (vs. Philadelphia) and Predators (vs. San Jose) are also set up for home success. Buffalo-Toronto comes in at a slate-high over/under of 7.0 goals, while the aforementioned Anaheim-Florida and Philadelphia-Washington games are accompanied by Ottawa-Detroit, Edmonton-Minnesota and New Jersey-Arizona in the 6.5 range.
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. SEA ($8,500): Markstrom's in a nice groove, having allowed just five goals throughout his three-game winning streak. He's up to 34-14-8 with a 2.16 GAA and .925 save percentage overall heading into this home date with Seattle's 31st-ranked offense (2.56 goals per game).
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. SJ ($8,000): If he's recovered from an illness in time to start this one, Saros should find success against a bottom-five Sharks offense that's averaging just 2.59 goals per game. Nashville's workhorse starter is actually $200 cheaper than backup David Rittich for this favorable matchup.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. CAR ($7,600): Grabbing Shesterkin on the cheap when possible has often paid off, as his 34-10-4 record, 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage indicate that he's been largely matchup-proof all season. His strong play has the Rangers just two points back of Carolina atop the Metropolitan Division, and if nothing else, Shesterkin should be busy here against a hot-and-cold Hurricanes team that's 2-3-0 in its last five with 10 goals in the two wins and just five over the three losses.
Ville Husso, STL at BOS ($7,300): Speaking of good goalies available at a discount, Husso would make for a nice bargain at $7,300 if he gets the nod against a Bruins team that might still be without star winger David Pastrnak (undisclosed). Husso has gone 6-0-1 in his last seven starts to improve to 22-6-5 with a 2.38 GAA and .924 save percentage overall.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. SEA ($7,600): Gaudreau was surprisingly quiet when these teams met Saturday in Seattle, but the bottom-10 Kraken defense is unlikely to keep Johnny Hockey in check twice in a row. Gaudreau has a 34-65-99 line through 72 games, ranking fourth in the league in points. He'll be hungry to hit the 100-point milestone in front of the home crowd after failing in his first crack at it on the road.
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. ANH ($7,500): Picking which members of Florida's league-best offense to build around isn't easy, but Huberdeau has the highest floor given his immense point production. With a 27-77-104 line, Huberdeau's second in points behind Connor McDavid. Huberdeau trails McDavid by four but could close the gap against a Ducks team that's won only twice in its last 16 games.
Nico Hischier, NJ at ARI ($5,700): Hischier has a 4-12-16 line in his last 12 games, including multi-point efforts in each of the past two. He should continue to produce while centering the top line and No. 1 power-play unit against a Coyotes team that's allowing 3.63 goals per game.
Matthew Boldy, MIN vs. EDM ($2,800): With plenty of pricey stars to build around, you'll need to find production on the cheap elsewhere, and Boldy should offer that. He showed no ill effects after missing four games with an upper-body injury, notching two points in his return to boost his season line to 13-16-29 in just 36 games. Now that he's back to full health, it won't be long until Boldy's valuation climbs back up as well.
Sam Gagner, DET vs. OTT ($2,500): While Gagner isn't a realistic threat to produce another eight-point night, he could certainly do enough against the bottom-10 Ottawa defense to outproduce his $2,500 valuation. The veteran forward has scored four goals during his three-game goal streak, giving Gagner appeal as a cheap lineup filler.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Sabres
Auston Matthews (C - $9,800), Mitch Marner (W - $8,200), Michael Bunting (W - $4,800)
If you're able to fit Matthews' and Marner's gargantuan salaries, building around them should be worth it against a Sabres team that's allowing 3.53 goals per game. Matthews is running away in the Rocket Richard race, with seven goals in his last four games and 12 in his last nine. Marner has been almost as hot himself, with 10 multi-point efforts during his current 13-game point streak. Bunting has been stuck on 20 goals for a while, but it's not hard to produce when skating with two red-hot stars, and he's still managed six assists in his last five games.
Capitals vs. Flyers
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $6,499), Alex Ovechkin (W - $8,300), Conor Sheary (W - $2,900)
Washington's top line is built similarly to Toronto's, with a star sniper, a productive setup man and a more affordable third guy. Ovechkin has a 45-38-83 line, ranking fourth league-wide in goals, while Kuznetsov's over a point per game with a 23-47-70 output in 69. Sheary's worth a look at just $400 above the minimum, as he's capitalized on his top-line deployment with a two-game point streak heading into this favorable matchup against a Flyers team that's giving up 3.50 goals per game.
Senators at Red Wings
Josh Norris (C - $6,300), Brady Tkachuk (W - $6,300), Mathieu Joseph (W - $3,000)
Ottawa's top line has already proven recently that it can produce against the league-worst Detroit defense (3.82 goals allowed per game), and that should remain the case in this meeting. Norris' 13-8-21 line in his last 17 games includes an April 3 hat trick against Detroit, while Tkachuk's 3-6-9 line over the past five games includes a pair of helpers against the Red Wings. Joseph has a 3-4-7 line in two meetings with Detroit this month, making him a tremendous value at just $3,000.
DEFENSEMEN
MacKenzie Weegar, FLA the vs. ANH ($6,000): Weegar's thriving as the top option on Florida's blue line, with a 1-5-6 line in his last five games and multiple shots in each of the past 12. He should play a prominent role in what's expected to be a one-sided affair against the reeling Ducks.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. BUF ($5,600): If you're going with a Maple Leafs stack, make sure to include Rielly. The standout offensive blueliner has been instrumental to Toronto's recent scoring prowess, contributing a 4-8-12 line in his last eight games. A home date with a Sabres team that's been outscored 14-6 during its current three-game losing streak presents a nice opportunity for Rielly to add to his recent success.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. SEA ($4,400): Hanifin's coming off a four-point performance against the Kraken in his last game, which gave the surging defenseman 12 points in his last nine games. He should easily outperform his $4,400 valuation in this rematch.
Erik Brannstrom, OTT at DET ($3,100): Brannstrom's getting the chance to strut his stuff on an Ottawa blue line that's missing Thomas Chabot (hand). He has four assists — two on the power play — in his last six games and has a great opportunity to remain productive against the league-worst Red Wings defense.
