This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thanksgiving Thursday features just one NHL game, with the Canadiens hosting the Devils at 7:30 PM Eastern time. We'll take a break from the usual article format for this single-game contest. Your lineup will consist of six FLEX options regardless of position, including one spot that costs 1.5 times the price and scores 1.5 times as many points, but the below breakdown will still go by position.
GOALIES
Carey Price ($10,600) remains the chalk choice for your 1.5x spot, even though he's mired in an 0-3-1 slump during which he's surrendered 18 goals. His recent ills should be cured by a visit from a Devils team that's won only eight of 23 games while scoring 2.52 goals per game — third-fewest in the league.
Most lineups will likely feature both goalies, but MacKenzie Blackwood ($10,000) will be a high-risk, high-reward option, as he's 7-6-3 with a 3.07 GAA and .898 save percentage after giving up nine goals en route to consecutive losses in his last two starts. Montreal's offense is holding down a spot in the top 10 at 3.29 goals per game.
FORWARDS
The Canadiens have the worst penalty kill in the league at 71.6 percent, and Kyle Palmieri ($9,200) is the Devils player best positioned to capitalize on that weakness. Palmieri leads the team with four power-play goals and ranks second with eight power-play points, behind Taylor Hall's 10. He's no stranger to success with the extra man, having scored 11 power-play goals in three of his previous four seasons with New Jersey and eight such goals in the other campaign.
Brendan Gallagher ($9,600) leads the Canadiens in goals (nine) and shots (86) while ranking third on the team with 18 points, three off Tomas Tatar's team-leading total. On pace for a third consecutive season over 30 goals, Gallagher is more likely to light the lamp than any other player in this slate. He's a good candidate for your 1.5x spot if you believe this will be a high-scoring affair.
Nick Suzuki ($6,400) has been moved into a top-six role with Jonathan Drouin (wrist) and Paul Byron (knee) both facing multi-week absences, and he's made the most of the opportunity thus far with three goals and three assists in his last seven games, including a pair of power-play goals. The rookie should provide good bang for the buck given his recent deployment and affordability.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Weber ($9,800) gives Hall a run for his money as the best all-around player in this game. The standout defenseman brings a two-game goal streak into this one, giving Weber an 8-11-19 line through 24 games. Weber also ranks in the top 10 among defensemen with 69 shots and top-40 in blocks (41).
Sami Vatanen ($7,800) is the lone defenseman on New Jersey's top power-play unit, along with Hall, Palmieri, Nico Hischier and Nikita Gusev at the forward spots. He's also the only Devils defenseman to register a power-play point this season, as Vatanen has three. Given Montreal's poor penalty killing, Vatanen's prominent role with the extra man separates him from New Jersey's other options on the blue line.
