This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The NHL's 11 evening games are included in DraftKings featured contest. The Rangers and Devils are the only teams playing the second leg of a back-to-back set, so expect a lot of No. 1 goalies. Here's a quick-hit primer to help with your lineup assembly.
Notable favorites from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Bruins
Lightning
Canadiens
Stars
Golden Knights
Potential high-scoring games:
Ducks-Lightning
Panthers-Hurricanes
Maple Leafs-Avalanche
Red Wings-Devils
Oilers-Golden Knights
GOALIES
In a deeper player pool, it's easier to pluck out some values to spend up in nets - and there's an obvious case for Tuukka Rask ($8,500). He's 10-2-2 with a .931 save percentage, 2.05 GAA and two shutouts, and the Wild have scored the fourth fewest goals per hour (2.29) on the road this season.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Robin Lehner ($7,000) is a screaming value and also playing at a high level. The first-year Blackhawk has posted a .934 save percentage through 12 outings, including a .939 mark through his past eight. However, the Stars have been one of the league's best teams with an active 12-1-1 record while scoring 3.49 goals per 60 minutes. Lehner lands in high-risk, high-reward territory.
With so many clear-cut favorites, the goalie salaries aren't easy to accommodate. Ben Bishop ($8,400), Carey Price ($8,300), Jordan Binnington ($8,200), Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,200) and Connor Hellebuyck ($8,100) are all on home ice, have solid numbers and are receiving significant chalk.
The answer may be to look to the next tier and accept more risk. The game between New Jersey and Detroit is a near coin flip, so taking a flier on Jonathan Bernier ($7,700) or Louis Domingue ($7,600) isn't out of the question. Additionally, while it was just a single game, Toronto could ride the helium of its coaching change for a stretch. Frederik Andersen ($7,600) is in value range and owns a long track record of above-average production.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
It should have been expected that Brayden Point's ($6,400) production slipped following last season's monster campaign. However, his single goal and two assists through his past seven outings represent a significant decline. And the Ducks have surrendered 10 goals through their past two road games.
Brayden Schenn's ($5,400) price is a little more puzzling. He's marked the scoresheet in six of his past eight outings and recorded 20 shots during the stretch. Additionally, the veteran remains locked into a top offensive role, and the Preds have been a defensive mess with 5.0 goals against per contest during their current six-game losing streak.
Now two games removed from a lower-body injury, Jake DeBrusk ($3,700) is priced for profit after missing the scoresheet in consecutive outings. He's been held to just three tallies and three helpers for a disappointing 1.32 points per hour through 17 games. So, after posting a rock-solid 2.42 mark through his first two seasons in the league, statistical correction is ahead.
Ilya Mikheyev ($3,000) has shown the typical scoring peaks and valleys of rookies, but his bump to John Tavares's ($6,500) wing could prove fruitful. The 25-year-old Russian has also produced three assists and averaged 12.9 DraftKings points per contest through his past three outings.
With four consecutive multi-point showings, Anthony Beauvillier's ($4,800) salary is probably too low. He's been an inconsistent scorer to this point of his career, but 22-year-old winger was a first-round selection and tore up the QMJHL before making the immediate jump to the NHL in 2016-17. A true breakout campaign could be in the works.
Way down the price list, Ivan Barbashev ($2,500) is projected to skate on the second line and with the No. 2 power-play unit in the noted soft matchup against Nashville. Similarly, Cody Glass's ($2,800) nine points - including four goals -- through 24 games are nothing to be too excited about, but he's proving capable of chipping in at the NHL level. Fellow rookie Martin Necas ($3,200) boasts an impressive 2.97 points per 60 minutes and remains affordable.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
The Hurricanes remain a tough matchup on home ice, but Florida's top line has also been an offensive juggernaut this season with 4.79 goals per 60 minutes and a 56.7 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five. Additionally, Aleksander Barkov ($7,900), Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,400) and Evgenii Dadonov ($6,700) have 1586:34 of shared ice time over the past three seasons, so there's oodles of chemistry.
In a potential game stack, it's not out of the question to load up Carolina's top offensive trio. Sebastian Aho ($6,800), Andrei Svechnikov ($6,600) and Teuvo Teravainen ($6,100) are up to 6.18 goals per hour this season, and it should be Jordan Staal ($4,00) who receives most of the five-on-five matchups against Florida's No. 1 line.
The Islanders are the league's hottest team and their top line is affordable. Mathew Barzal ($6,300), Anders Lee ($5,100) and Jordan Eberle ($4,400) have combined for an impressive 16.5 high-danger scoring chances per hour this season, but an unsustainably low 6.6 shooting percentage has held them to just 2.0 goals per 60 minutes. They could be a sneaky stack with San Jose owning the fifth lowest team save percentage in the league.
Similarly, with Dallas rolling along and in a good matchup, Joe Pavelski ($5,000), Alexander Radulov ($5,700) and Denis Gurianov ($4,000) check out as a mid-priced line to consider. The Blackhawks are surrendering the second most expected goals per hour in the league, and the Stars' second line has driven possession with a 62.8 Corsi For percentage the past three games without scoring, so puck luck should turn in their favor soon.
DEFENSEMEN
Sporting a six-game point streak consisting of two goals, seven assists, 21 shots and 10 blocks, Victor Hedman ($6,500) has been automatic since returning from a lower-body injury. As noted, the Ducks are also entering a potentially tough road spot in poor form.
If you're looking for more ammunition for the Panthers-Hurricanes matchup, Keith Yandle ($5,300) presents significant value considering his offensive track record. While the veteran is a streaky scorer, he still ranks eighth among all regular defensemen in points per hour (1.9) over the past three seasons.
Two other proven offensive defensemen check in at an even larger discount. Torey Krug ($5,000) returns against Minnesota following a five-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and Tyson Barrie ($4,700) returns to Colorado. Perhaps no Maple Leaf will receive a larger bump from the coaching change than the former Av. Krug and Barrie also rank first and sixth, respectively, in the previously highlighted points per 60 minutes standings among defensemen.
Down the salary ladder, Esa Lindell ($4,400) is quarterbacking Dallas' No. 1 power-play unit, which only boosts his fantasy floor. The Finn hasn't been a dominant offensive contributor with just six points through 23 games, but he's blocked 48 shots and has earned the bonus in the category seven times this season.
Near or at minimum price, Joe Hicketts ($2,500), Michael Del Zotto ($2,500), Mike Reilly ($2,500) and Jake Gardiner ($3,200) are all projected to receive power-play time and could be price-point fits providing cap relief with a splash of upside.
