This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's robust NHL slate features 10 games after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
While the league's three worst defensive teams all have the night off, there are still plenty of teams benefiting from favorable matchups in this one. The Predators will be looking to continue what has been a successful road trip in Ottawa, while the Blue Jackets will host a Kings team that's struggled on the road, and Arizona's shiny new toy is primed for success against an unimpressive Wild squad. Those are just a few of the many intriguing sources of value found in this slate.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper ($8,200) has rarely been a bad choice this season, going 15-7-2 with a 1.97 GAA and .935 save percentage. He should continue to thrive at home against a middling Wild offense and has the highest floor in this slate.
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,300) is starting to look like the goalie who took home the Vezina Trophy last season, yielding a total of 11 goals en route to a 4-1-0 record in his past five starts. He'll look to keep rolling against a bottom-five Stars offense that's potting only 2.57 goals per game.
Speaking of hot goalies, Joonas Korpisalo ($7,700) has allowed just eight goals on 141 shots for a .943 save percentage over his past five appearances. A Kings team that's averaging only 2.61 goals per game is unlikely to take the shine off his recent run in Columbus' net.
If you're looking to go cheap in net, Carey Price ($7,100) could be worth a look in Calgary. The big-name Canadiens netminder won't be mistaken for one of the game's elites anymore but has a passable 2.85 GAA and .908 save percentage. He's channeled his 2015 Hart Trophy form of late, going 4-1-0 with just seven goals allowed over his past five starts. A Flames team that's scoring only 2.58 goals per game could end up just pouring more fuel on this hot streak.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Taylor Hall ($6,600) dished an assist in his Coyotes debut, and he should start to rack up points in a hurry now that he's back on a competitive team — his 39-54-93 line carried the Devils to the playoffs in 2017-18. Hall has a respectable 26 points in 31 games this season as is, and a Wild team that gives up the most goals per game in this slate and fourth-most in the league overall (3.26) will have a hard time containing the highly skilled winger.
Jack Eichel ($7,800) is the hottest player in the NHL right now. He has lit the lamp six times in the past four games to pull within four goals of David Pastrnak's league-high 28, and the Sabres star is riding a 17-game point streak, during which Eichel has delivered a 16-15-31 line. A Flyers team that's 2-4-0 in its last six games is unlikely to slow the surging Eichel down.
Speaking of Pastrnak ($8,200), the Bruins winger makes for a great against-the-grain GPP option against the Islanders. New York has been the league's fourth-stingiest defensive team, but the league's leading scorer is always capable of producing, while the Islanders just surrendered eight goals to the Predators on Tuesday.
Elias Lindholm ($5,100) leads the Flames with five power-play goals and sits one power-play point back of the team lead with eight. His proficiency with the extra man should be on full display against a bottom-five Canadiens penalty kill that's operating at just 75.9 percent.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Predators at Senators
Ryan Johansen (C - $4,300), Calle Jarnkrok (W - $4,700), Yakov Trenin (W - $2,800)
Jarnkrok's 25 points lead all Nashville forwards, while his 12 goals are one back of Nick Bonino's team-leading total. Johansen has lit the lamp in three of his past five games and is on pace to top 50 points for a seventh consecutive campaign. Trenin has a goal and an assist through five NHL games, and the 22-year-old rookie was dominating the AHL ranks prior to his promotion with a 14-12-26 line in 19 games. This unit's combination of proven skill and untapped potential makes it a strong choice against a Senators team that's getting outscored 3.20 to 2.69 in the average game.
Jets vs. Blackhawks
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,200), Patrik Laine (W - $7,200), Kyle Connor (W - $6,500)
This is one of the stronger lines in hockey, as its three members are all over the 30-point mark and are the top three scorers on the Jets. Scheifele leads the team in both goals (16) and points (36). Laine's four points back despite a career-low 11.5 shooting percentage that's 3.9 percent below his career mark, while Connor is one point behind Laine and two goals shy of Scheifele, as the 23-year-old winger is continuing his upward career trajectory after posting 31-26-57 and 34-32-66 lines in his first two full seasons. This trio's primed for a strong performance against a Blackhawks team that's worse than average defensively and playing its second game in as many nights after losing for the fifth time in its last six Wednesday.
Blue Jackets vs. Kings
Boone Jenner (C - $4,400), Gustav Nyquist (W - $4,900), Oliver Bjorkstrand (W - $5,500)
Columbus' top line thrived in Tuesday's win over Detroit, combining for a 2-3-5 line and 11 shots. This trio gets a nice opportunity to keep rolling against another bottom-feeder in the Kings, who have played better of late but are still just 5-12-2 on the road. Nyquist's 8-15-23 line through 34 games is good enough for the team points lead, Bjorkstrand's 10 goals — three of which have come in the last two games — have him one behind Pierre-Luc Dubois' team-leading total, and Jenner's heating up with two assists and seven shots in the last two games.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi ($6,400) should be considered the key element of any potential Predators stack against Ottawa. The elite blueliner is on pace to submit his best season yet, with a 10-20-30 line that has him leading the team in points by five through 33 games.
Ivan Provorov ($5,500) leads the Flyers in both goals (four) and points (10) on the power play. His success on the man advantage should continue against a Sabres penalty kill that has been the fourth-most generous at 75.4 percent.
Sticking in the Sabres-Flyers game, Rasmus Dahlin ($4,500) promises to be one of this slate's best values. He's marked the scoresheet in all three games since returning from a concussion (one goal, three assists), yet Buffalo's young stud can still be had for just $4,500 despite posting a robust 20 points through 27 games.
Miro Heiskanen ($5,400) is another young defenseman having an outstanding campaign, with a 7-14-21 line through 35 games. He'll have a chance to add some more offense against a Lightning team that's allowing 3.22 goals per game — second-most in this slate.
