GOALIE
Carter Hutton, BUF at OTT ($7,500): The bet here is that the Sabres offense, which has scored a respectable 18 goals in five games even though it still ranks 26th overall, can overpower a patchwork Senators defense and an overworked Craig Anderson. Rasmus Dahlin is expected to play with Rasmus Ristolainen, so if that pairs works out Hutton will get even more help. Hutton was 2-0 with a shutout and a .978 save percentage against the Sens last season.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at CGY ($7,900): MacKinnon was held off the score sheet in his last game, but still managed to put eight shots on goal and skated more than 24 minutes in the second game of a back-to-back. After a four-day break the Avs should be fully rested, and the Flames have been terrorized by MacKinnon with seven goals and 16 points in 14 career games against him.
Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. CHI ($6,400): When Dr. Drai is at his best he's the best second-line center in the league, and he heads into Thursday's game on a three-game point streak, including an assist in a 2-1 win in Chicago last Sunday. The Blackhawks defense has improved but lacks experienced and quality depth, and if Duncan Keith is assigned to Connor McDavid, Draisaitl should have the upper hand in any other matchup.
WING
Nikita Kucherov, TB vs. NSH ($5,900): He should cost way more than this based on talent alone, and after a three-point effort against the Devils perhaps things are starting to click for Kucherov. We say this, even though Kucherov has 12 points in 11 games, because we know this isn't their maximum output. A leg injury suffered against the Devils shouldn't be a problem.
Rickard Rakell, ANA vs. NYR ($5,700): He's scored four points in his past five games and become a fixture on Ryan Getzlaf's wing, so that's good. The bad news is that the Ducks are pretty bad if you take away John Gibson, though they still should have the advantage hosting a mediocre Eastern Conference team. The Rangers defense and goaltending aren't what they used to be anymore.
Kasperi Kapanen, TOR vs. DAL ($5,300): He played a season-high 19 minutes in his last game and has certainly earned quite of trust from Mike Babcock. He's scored two goals in his past three games and really made an impact on the offensive side of the puck around the net, and the Stars' coverage in front of their own net has not been good this season. If Kapanen keeps this up, he might permanently replace William Nylander.
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, SJ vs. CLS ($5,700): Very few power plays in the league can rival the talent level of the Sharks' top unit, and they have some chum in the Blue Jackets' 26th-ranked penalty kill. Karlsson has yet to score a goal this season but he's averaging three shots per game, so the goals will come, especially if Sergei Bobrovsky continues to be a sieve.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at TOR ($3,700): He's scored two goals in three games and averaging over 21 minutes in his rookie season. The former third overall pick has the potential to be even better than John Klingberg, and already has shown flashes of elite offense. The Leafs forward depth now looks pretty thin and the defense already does, so the explosive Stars could blow the game wide open.
