This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are 12 NHL games scheduled after 7:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The surging Maple Leafs are overwhelming home favorites against the Ducks, and many lineups will likely be built around Toronto's top players. Anaheim-Toronto is one of six games tied for a slate-high over/under of 6.5 goals. Other substantially favored teams include the Panthers (vs. Columbus), Avalanche (vs. Philadelphia), Bruins (vs. the Islanders) and Capitals (in Chicago).
GOALIES
Matt Murray, TOR vs. ANH ($8,500): Toronto's goalie of choice between Murray and Ilya Samsonov ($8,400) should cruise to victory against the lowly Ducks. The Maple Leafs are 10-0-3 in their last 13 games, while the Ducks average a league-low 2.34 goals per game.
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. NYI ($8,200): Ullmark had been nothing short of spectacular all season, going 16-1-0 with a 1.77 GAA and .941 save percentage. He has stopped 77 of 79 shots over his last three starts, and Ullmark's poised to add to his recent dominance against a visiting Islanders team that's 2-4-0 on its last six games and coming off a shutout loss to Carolina.
Charlie Lindgren, WAS at CHI ($8,100): Lindgren has filled in more than capably since Darcy Kuemper suffered an upper-body injury. In four subsequent starts, Lindgren's 4-0-0 with only six goals allowed on 117 shots (.949 save percentage). Look for him to stay unbeaten on this run against a Blackhawks team that's averaging 2.38 goals per game — second-fewest in the NHL.
Ville Husso, DET vs. CAR ($7,500): Husso's an appealing against-the-grain option against a Hurricanes team whose offense has been more of a light breeze. The Finnish netminder is enjoying a strong first campaign in Detroit, as he's 11-4-4 with a 2.56 GAA and .916 save percentage. Carolina remains stout defensively but is scoring just 2.89 goals per game, which is seventh-fewest in the league.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Timo Meier, SJ vs. ARI ($7,600): Meier's 14-13-27 line through 30 games is impressive enough on its own, but he's also the league leader in shots with 137. The Coyotes allow the third-most shots (35.2) and sixth-most goals (3.62) per game, so San Jose's talented power forward should pile up plenty of scoring chances in this one.
Steven Stamkos, TB vs. SEA ($7,400): Few players have been more productive than Stamkos in recent weeks, as he boasts an 8-12-20 line during his active 13-game point streak. Seattle has been better than expected overall but comes in cold, having been outscored 15-9 en route to a 1-3-0 record over its last four games.
Patrik Laine, CLS at FLA ($6,700): If Panthers goalie Spencer Knight (illness) remains sidelined, Laine will likely face the scuffling Sergei Bobrovsky, who's a shell of his former self with a 5-8-1 record, 3.58 GAA and .884 save percentage. Laine has quietly been among the league's top scorers since returning from an ankle injury. He has reached 20 fantasy points in five of six games since recovering, compiling a 6-3-9 line and 26 shots over that span.
Anze Kopitar, LAK at BUF ($5,800): Kopitar has three goals in his last two games and a 7-6-13 line over his last 10. The Kings' first-line center has a nice opportunity to keep rolling against a Sabres team that's allowing 3.68 goals per game.
Alex Newhook, COL vs. PHI ($3,300): Newhook has stepped up while Colorado deals with injuries up front, and even with a couple of other forwards having recently returned, the 2019 first-round pick's improved production could be here to stay. After mustering only two goals and four points through 14 games, Newhook has picked up the pace with a 4-3-7 line in his last 12, including two goals again last these same Flyers last Tuesday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Ducks
Auston Matthews (C - $9,100), William Nylander (W - $6,600), Michael Bunting (W - $4,200)
The Maple Leafs are rolling right now, and since this is the regular season, there's no reason to believe that their dominance won't continue against a Ducks team that scores the fewest goals per game and gives up the most (4.17). Matthews has a goal in six of his last seven games and seven assists over that span. He's capable of maintaining that goal-scoring pace or even accelerating for a while, as the star center potted 60 last season. Nylander has a Matthews-like 11 goals during Toronto's 13-game unbeaten-in-regulation streak, while Bunting has heated up after a slow start with 10 points during his current eight-game point streak. If you're stacking Leafs, make sure to throw in Mitch Marner ($7,000), who has an 11-19-30 line during his ongoing franchise-record 22-game point streak.
Panthers vs. Blue Jackets
Sam Bennett (C - $5,700), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $8,200), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $6,200)
If you aren't going to build around the Leafs, the Panthers are the next logical choice against a Blue Jackets team that's giving up the second-most goals per game (4.07). Florida has scuffled lately, but this is a get-right game for some of the team's top forwards. Tkachuk easily leads the team in points with a 13-24-37 line despite missing two of Florida's 29 games. Verhaeghe is the only Panther with more goals than Tkachuk (15), and his 24 points are second on the team. Bennett's 7-15-22 puts him line third in points among Florida's forwards.
Sabres vs. Kings
Tage Thompson (C - $8,600), Alex Tuch (W - $6,100), Casey Mittelstadt (W - $3,600)
Buffalo's top line will likely capitalize on the defensive struggles of a Kings team that's surrendered 31 goals in its last seven games and 3.61 goals per game overall. Thompson's five-goal outburst against the Blue Jackets a week ago shows his ceiling is as high as anybody's, and his 21 goals on the season are good for third in the league. Tuch's thriving on Thompson's wing with a 6-11-17 line in his last 13 games. Mittelstadt is a nice value at just $3,600 while filling in on the top line for the suspended Jeff Skinner.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS at CHI ($7,200): Carlson's an annual staple near the top of the scoring leaderboards among defensemen, and this season is no exception. He's tied for third among blueliners with eight goals in just 24 games, and Carlson has been a two-way force recently. In his last eight games, Carlson has averaged 18.0 fantasy points thanks to a 3-4-7 line, 28 shots and 25 blocks.
Gustav Forsling, FLA vs. CLS ($5,600): Forsling has proven he doesn't need to score to be effective in fantasy, as he has averaged 11.6 fantasy points in the past seven games despite a modest 2-1-3 line over that span. The well-rounded blueliner has at least three shots in all but one of those games and is coming off consecutive three-block performances. His contributions in secondary stats give Forsling a high floor, while facing one of two NHL teams that's allowing over four goals per game substantially raises his ceiling.
Rasmus Sandin, TOR vs. ANH ($4,100): Including Sandin in a Toronto stack has multiple benefits. Not only does he share the ice with the team's top players on the top power-play unit, but Sandin can also be plugged in without breaking the bank. Outplaying his $4,100 valuation against the league's worst defense shouldn't be hard for the young blueliner, who has a 2-3-5 line over his last six games.
Nils Lundkvist, DAL at NJ ($3,300): Lundkvist possesses significantly more skill than your typical $3,300 defenseman. His 3-6-9 line doesn't jump off the page, but Lundkvist has stepped up recently with a 2-2-4 output over the past three games. He's a low-risk, high-reward play against a Devils team that's coming back down to earth, having been outscored 10-7 by the Islanders and Rangers in its last two games.
