This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's expansive NHL slate features 11 games and begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
This slate's most lopsided matchup has the Islanders — winners of nine in a row — hosting a Senators team that's finishing up a back-to-back set. The high-powered Toronto offense should also put on some fireworks at home against the defensively challenged Kings, while the Jets' underperforming attack should be able to spread its wings at home against a subpar Devils team. In addition to those three obvious spots, there are plenty of other places to find value in this large slate.
GOALIES
Whomever the stingy Islanders choose from their goalie rotation is in contention to finish as this slate's top play in net against Ottawa's bottom-10 offense. Semyon Varlamov ($8,400) shut out the Sabres in his last start, but Thomas Greiss ($8,400) — owner of a 2.15 GAA and .933 save percentage — could get the nod here if New York continues to alternate goalies.
Losing Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog to lower-body injuries has torpedoed an Avalanche offense that looked unstoppable to open the season. Colorado has dropped four games in a row while getting outscored 14-6. That stretch included a 2-1 home loss to the Stars in which Anton Khudobin set aside 38 of 39 shots. Starter Ben Bishop ($7,900) is likely to get a crack at this depleted lineup in Dallas, and he might be able to outperform his backup's impressive effort considering Bishop owns a sparkling 2.33 GAA and .922 save percentage.
With wins in two straight starts, Anaheim's John Gibson ($8,300) improved to 6-6-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .926 save percentage. Goal support is a problem in Anaheim, but Gibson ranks among the league's handful of best goalies skills-wise and should be able to carry his team to a home win over a Wild team that ranks third-worst in the league offensively with 2.36 goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
If you believe in riding the hot hand, then you need to stick with the Islanders' Derick Brassard ($4,100). Brassard's best years came with the Rangers, and a return to New York has reinvigorated his offensive game. The 32-year-old winger has a five-game goal streak going, including the lone marker in Saturday's win over Buffalo.
Toronto's Auston Matthews ($8,200) has the potential to singlehandedly carry lineups in this highly favorable matchup against a Kings team that's surrendering a league-high 4.07 goals per game. Matthews' 11 goals put him in the league's top five, and he's just outside the top five in shots with 58 through 15 games. There's little reason to believe the 22-year-old superstar will slow down considering Matthews has opened his career with three consecutive campaigns of 34-plus goals.
Mark Stone ($7,300) has about as high a floor as you can get here. The winger has failed to mark the scoresheet only twice through Vegas' first 15 games, compiling an 8-10-18 line. At least one point is a near certainty for Stone against a Blue Jackets team that's been outscored 18-8 over its last four games while failing to pick up a win in that stretch.
Robert Thomas ($2,800) has posted a point in each of his past two games (one goal, one assist) and the 20-year-old winger is expected to be deployed on the top line when his Blues travel to Vancouver. Though the Canucks have been surprisingly stingy this season, Thomas' combination of affordability and fantasy-friendly role make him an excellent low-cost filler.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Jets vs. Devils
Bryan Little (C - $3,700), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,000), Patrik Laine (W - $6,200)
Winnipeg's second line features two of the team's three forwards to amass at least 14 points. Ehlers has a team-high seven goals among his 14 points while Laine has matched that point total despite scoring only three goals on 42 shots — a 7.1 percent conversion rate that's less than half of his career 15.4 percent mark. Little has wasted no time getting into a groove after his start to the season was delayed by a concussion, as the center has racked up two goals and three assists in six games since making his return.
Hurricanes at Flyers
Sebastian Aho (C - $6,600), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,800), Warren Foegele (W - $3,200)
Stop me if you've heard this one before: the Flyers are having trouble keeping the puck out of their own net. Philadelphia's last five opponents have combined to score 22 goals, with no team managing fewer than three tallies over that stretch. This line is primed to add to the Flyers' struggles. Aho got off to a slow start after eclipsing a point per game last season, but he's come alive recently with three goals and seven points in his last five games. Svechnikov has a dominant four-game point streak going, with five goals and two assists in that stretch. Foegele is a cheap lineup filler who has proven he can succeed on this line with a goal and an assist in his last two games.
Maple Leafs vs. Kings
Alex Kerfoot (C - $3,500), Mitch Marner (W - $7,200), Ilya Mikheyev (W - $5,000)
Keep in mind that Kerfoot could be booted from this line if John Tavares (finger) returns. Either way, these wingers are both primed to provide strong value at their respective valuations against the lowly Kings. Marner's exceeding a point-per-game pace with a 4-13-17 line through 15 games after racking up 94 points last season, while Mikheyev has adjusted incredibly well to North American ice with four goals and seven assists in his first 15 NHL games. Kerfoot's four goals put him on a 22-goal pace after he delivered 19 goals and 15 goals in his first two NHL campaigns with Colorado.
DEFENSEMEN
Devon Toews ($4,200) has been the best source of offense from the blue line for the Islanders with a 2-6-8 line through 13 games. He can be a key piece of an Islanders stack or a solid standalone option.
This could be a good time to buy low on San Jose's Erik Karlsson ($5,500). He has a respectable 10 points through 14 games, but the four-time 70-point scorer is capable of much more, and his Sharks will be hosting a Blackhawks team that's been outscored 39-31 in its first 13 games while winning only four.
If you're stacking Maple Leafs, Morgan Rielly ($6,500) should be a key piece of the equation. After a breakout 72-point campaign last season, the talented defenseman is playing at a point-per-game pace through 15.
The Canadiens' weakness this season has been penalty killing, as Montreal's 69.8 percent mark ranks third-worst in the league. As the lone defenseman surrounded by high-end forward talent on Boston's top power-play unit, Torey Krug's primed to take advantage of that weakness in this clash of Atlantic Division rivals. Krug has capitalized on his situation thus far, with nine of his 11 points this season coming with the extra man.
