This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The Tuesday before the the All-Star break is unusually light on NHL action, with only three games on the schedule after 7:00 p.m. EST. 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
All three games have a clear favorite. The Capitals are expected to take care of business in Columbus, as are the Senators in Montreal, while the Hurricanes are home favorites against the Kings. The Washington and Ottawa games both have over/unders of 6.5 goals, while Carolina's checks in at 6.0.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. LA ($8,300): Andersen has been effective when available, going 10-3-0 with a 2.38 GAA and .909 save percentage behind the sturdy Carolina defense. He's a sensible choice as the goalie for the favored team in what's expected to be Tuesday's lowest-scoring game.
Darcy Kuemper, WAS at CLS ($8,200): Kuemper has been solid for the Caps, with a 15-14-4 record, 2.62 GAA and .915 save percentage. His 10 shutouts since the start of last season are second-most in the league behind Ilya Sorokin's 11 over that span, and Kuemper could have an opportunity to tie Sorokin here against the bottom-five Columbus offense (2.54 goals per game).
Anton Forsberg, OTT at MON ($8,000): Forsberg has answered the bell since a lower-body injury to Cam Talbot left the Swede as the clear No. 1 In Ottawa's net. Over his last three appearances, Forsberg has stopped 80 of 83 shots, including all 28 the Canadiens threw at him in Saturday's shutout win.
Jake Allen, MON vs. OTT ($7,200): Allen's the likeliest candidate among the underdog teams' goalies to steal a game Tuesday. He has played only once since Jan. 7 due to an upper-body injury but looked sharp in that outing, making 38 saves in his return last Thursday. While Montreal will likely leak plenty of shots, Allen's capable of keeping the bottom-10 Ottawa offense (2.96 goals per game) at bay.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. LA ($6,900): Aho's on a goal binge, having lit the lamp seven times during his current four-game goal streak. The top-line center is in familiar territory hovering slightly above a point per game, and Aho's poised to keep rolling against a Kings team that's allowing 3.40 goals per game.
Kent Johnson, CLS vs. WAS ($3,100): Johnson has seen an uptick in ice time recently, topping 16 minutes in four of the past five games after doing so only five times in his first 42 appearances this season. The fifth overall selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has capitalized on the increased usage, notching a 2-3-5 line over the last five games. At just $3,100, Johnson's a low-risk, high-reward play.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard, MON vs. OTT ($2,700): Harvey-Pinard's another unheralded winger that's making the most of his opportunities on a rebuilding team. In six games since being promoted from AHL Laval, Harvey-Pinard has a 3-1-4 line for the Canadiens.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Capitals at Blue Jackets
Dylan Strome (C - $4,300), Alex Ovechkin (W - $8,900), T.J. Oshie (W - $4,900)
Ovechkin will look to head into the All-Star break on a high note by adding to his season total of 32 goals against a Blue Jackets team that's surrendering 3.86 goals per game — third-most in the NHL. His supporting cast on Washington's top line consists of Strome (3-2-5 in his last six games) and Oshie, who has five goals in his last 11.
Senators at Canadiens
Ridly Greig (C - $3,500), Alex DeBrincat (W - $7,100), Claude Giroux (W - $5,700)
Ottawa's second line offers a nice mix of value and production against a Canadiens team that's allowing 3.68 goals per game. Greig is off to an impressive start at the NHL level, racking up a pair of assists and 10 shots in his first three games while jumping right into a top-six role. DeBrincat's 9.5 shooting percentage is the second-lowest of his career, yet he's still on pace to top 25 goals for the fifth time in six NHL campaigns. Giroux has a 4-4-8 line during his current four-game point streak, which has pulled him up to 47 points in 49 games overall.
Kings at Hurricanes
Anze Kopitar (C - $5,500), Adrian Kempe (W - $5,600), Quinton Byfield (W - $3,700)
LA's top line has some against-the-grain appeal in this small slate. Kopitar is second on the team in points with a 15-25-40 line, trailing only the 52 of Kevin Fiala ($6,900). Kempe leads the team with 20 goals, proving that last year's 35-goal breakout was no fluke. The Kings have moved Byfield from center to wing in hopes of jumpstarting the offensive game of the underperforming second overall selection from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, and Byfield has shown incremental progress by notching a point in three of the past five games.
DEFENSEMEN
Thomas Chabot, OTT at MON ($6,700): Chabot should be worth paying up for against the lowly Canadiens. Over his last six games, Ottawa's top blueliner has a 1-3-4 line and 25 shots, so Chabot's generating plenty of chances.
Erik Gustafsson, WAS at CLS ($4,900): Gustafsson has slowed down substantially after a torrid late-December stretch, but all told, he still has a 7-10-17 line over his last 20 games. Washington's top offensive blueliner in John Carlson's (face) absence continues to man the top power-play unit and should generate plenty of chances against the porous Columbus defense.
Jalen Chatfield, CAR vs. LA ($3,000): Chatfield has a 3-3-6 line in his last eight games, and he's been occupying a top-four role on Carolina's blue line with Jaccob Slavin (lower body) banged up. He won't carry your team, but Chatfield's a nice value at just $3,000.
