This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
After the Sharks and Predators got the NHL regular season started with a pair of games in Europe last week, Tuesday marks North America's first action with an Opening Night doubleheader. First, the Lightning visit the Rangers for an Eastern Conference Final rematch at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Then, the Golden Knights travel to Los Angeles for a Pacific Division rivalry clash. This column is geared towards DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests, and all betting lines are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Lightning-Rangers clash features the two goalies most consider the two best in the world, as Andrei Vasilevskiy will guard the visiting cage against reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. Goals are expected to be at a premium, as the over/under is set at 5.5 goals, and New York's a modest favorite in what's basically a toss-up. Golden Knights-Kings is also viewed as a toss-up with the home team slightly favored, and the over/under is set at 6.0 goals.
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GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. TB ($6,900): Shesterkin's the best value in net as the most affordable expected starter Tuesday. With the Madison Square Garden faithful cheering him on, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner will look to get off to a strong start on the heels of a historic season in which he went 36-13-4 with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. Even in the six-game Eastern Conference Final loss to the Lightning, Shesterkin allowed only two goals in each of the three games at MSG, and Tampa Bay will be adjusting to some notable offseason departures, including Ryan McDonagh to Nashville and Ondrej Palat to New Jersey.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at NYR ($7,900): Losing McDonagh will sting defensively, but Vasilevskiy has done a great job of covering up the Lightning's rare defensive lapses over the years. He has won at least 39 games in three of the past five seasons and has sparkling career numbers when it comes to GAA (2.50) and save percentage (.919).
Logan Thompson, VGK at LA ($7,600): The Kings were an extremely fantasy-friendly matchup for opposing goalies last season, ranking 20th in goals per game (2.87) despite averaging the fifth-most shots per game (34.9). With Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit both sidelined long-term after their respective hip surgeries, Thompson's the No. 1 option in the Vegas net for the foreseeable future, and he'll have the opportunity to get his season off to a strong start against a Kings team that many still view as a pretender rather than a contender despite last season's playoff berth. Thompson's coming off a promising rookie season in which he went 10-5-3 with a 2.66 GAA and .914 save percentage.
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. VGK ($7,200): It remains to be seen whether Quick or Cal Petersen ($7,000) will start this game, though Quick should be viewed as the favorite to get the nod given his .910 to .895 edge in save percentage over Petersen last season. Either goalie could provide solid value against a Vegas team that missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season while all three other teams in action Tuesday participated in the postseason.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jack Eichel, VGK at LA ($6,900): No disrespect to former 43-goal scorer William Karlsson, but Vegas' trade for Eichel made with the intention of getting the first true No. 1 center in the franchise's history. The Golden Knights took the risk of acquiring Eichel while he was injured, and his 14-11-25 line in 34 games after returning suggested his skills haven't diminished. The 25-year-old center has averaged nearly a point per game (380 in 409) since being drafted second overall in 2015 by the Sabres, and Eichel has a better supporting cast in Vegas than he did in Buffalo.
Artemi Panarin, NYR vs. TB ($5,800): Panarin's coming off a 96-point season and has 249 points in 186 regular-season games since signing with the Rangers. He doesn't shoot as much as other elite scoring wingers, but $5,800 is a bargain for a player who has the fifth-most points in the league since the start of the 2019-20 season, trailing only Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jonathan Huberdeau and Auston Matthews.
Anze Kopitar, LA vs. VGK ($5,500): Kopitar's 67 points last season were easily best on the Kings, as no teammate totaled more than 54. Los Angeles added more talent to its top line by trading for former Wild winger Kevin Fiala ($6,000), who had a 33-52-85 line last season. That move raised Kopitar's offensive ceiling as the team's clear-cut first-line center heading into the season opener.
Corey Perry, TB at NYR ($3,200): With plenty of stars to choose from in this slate, it wouldn't hurt to find some value among more affordable options. Perry's a prime candidate to provide such value, as his net-front skills continue to earn the veteran forward a prominent role on the power play, even if he's limited to fourth-line duties at even strength. While the 37-year-old Perry's no longer a threat to score 50 goals like he was in his prime, he still offers substantial upside relative to his modest $3,200 valuation.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Rangers
Steven Stamkos (C - $7,200), Nikita Kucherov (W - $7,400), Vladislav Namestnikov (W - $3,300)
Neither Kucherov nor Stamkos need much introduction, as Kucherov's 1.38 points per game since the start of the 2017-18 season trail only Connor McDavid, while Stamkos is coming off his sixth 40-goal season. Namestnikov posted a 20-goal season as a member of the Lightning in 2017-18, when he played in the first-line role that Palat subsequently stepped into. The 29-year-old Namestnikov makes for a low-risk, high-reward play as he begins his second stint with Tampa Bay alongside two of the NHL's most productive forwards.
Golden Knights at Kings
William Karlsson (C - $4,700), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,300), Mark Stone (W -$5,100)
Karlsson and Marchessault made up two thirds of the misfits line that helped the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, while Stone is among the league's most productive wingers when healthy. Marchessault tied his career high with 30 goals last season and has scored at least 25 goals in four of the past six seasons while notching at least 250 shots in three of those campaigns. Karlsson's 43-goal season in 2017-18 appears to be an aberration, but the second-line center's still a solid value at $4,700. Stone has 154 points in 157 games over the past three seasons, so he's a nice value at $5,100, as the oft-injured winger appears to be fully healthy heading into Opening Night.
Rangers vs. Lightning
Filip Chytil (C - $4,100), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $2,800), Barclay Goodrow (W - $2,900)
The Rangers' kid line of Chytil, Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko ($3,000) played a key role in New York's deep postseason run last season. Kaako will likely start the season in the top six due to the Rangers' underwhelming alternatives at right wing, but the third line of Chytil, Lafreniere and Goodrow could still continue to produce if the youngsters pick up where they left off. Chytil has yet to eclipse 23 points in a season, but the 2017 first-round pick's still only 23 and found another gear in the postseason with seven goals in 20 games. Lafreniere potted 19 goals in the 2021-22 regular season before adding nine points in 20 playoff games, and the 2020 first overall pick is likely to keep improving considering he'll be celebrating his 21st birthday Tuesday. Goodrow contributes more physicality than point production, but he set career highs in both goal (13) and points (33) in his first year with the Rangers after helping the Lightning capture back-to-back Stanley Cups.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB at NYR ($6,100): Hedman will have even more responsibilities on his shoulders with McDonagh gone and Mikahil Sergachev's status uncertain due to an undisclosed injury, and the hulking Swede had already been doing it all on the Lightning's blue line, anyway. While his immense defensive contributions don't show up on the scoresheet, Hedman's also among the top offensive contributors from the blue line, as he ranked third in both goals (20) and points (85) among defensemen last season.
Jacob Trouba, NYR vs. TB ($5,400): Trouba will be amped up for this one after being named captain of the Rangers in the offseason, and few players can match his well-rounded skill set. While Trouba's high hit totals don't matter in DraftKings DFS, his mix of shots and blocks coupled with respectable point production give him one of the highest floors among NHL defensemen. Trouba finished the playoffs on a streak of eight consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points, and that stretch included all six games against the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.
Shea Theodore, VGK at LA ($4,800): Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo ($5,300) are Vegas' versions of the Rangers' Adam Fox ($5,800) and Trouba archetypes; Theodore and Fox are skilled defensemen who are especially dangerous in the offensive zone and play prominent power-play roles, while Pietrangelo and Trouba are more well-rounded and physical. Theodore's 35 goals and 43 power-play points over the previous three seasons rank eighth and 15th among defensemn, respectively, and he'll have a nice opportunity to get off to a hot start against a Kings team that had the league's 11th-most generous penalty kill last season at 76.7 percent.
Mikey Anderson, LA vs. VGK ($2,500): Given his expected deployment on the Kings' top defensive pairing next to Drew Doughty ($5,00), Anderson's a low-risk, high-reward option on the blue line at the minimum $2,500 valuation. The 23-year-old blueliner's best hockey is likely still ahead of him, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Anderson improve on his modest offensive contributions moving forward, even if he'll never deliver Doughty-like offense from the back end.
