This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL main slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features seven games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
This slate has a few mismatches to target, as the Golden Knights and Panthers are heavy home favorites against the Ducks and Red Wings, respectively. Additionally, the Oilers are solid favorites in Ottawa in what's expected to be the night's highest-scoring game (over/under 6.5 goals), and the Lightning are clearly favored in Nashville. Blackhawks-Stars, Jets-Flames and Sharks-Kings matchups round out this slate.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. ANH ($8,400): Fleury was expected to play second fiddle to Robin Lehner this season, but he has outplayed Lehner in the early going, with a 4-0-0 record, 1.25 GAA and .944 save percentage. Assuming he gets the nod for this one, Fleury should be worth paying up for against the league-worst Anaheim offense (1.85 goals per game).
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at NSH ($8,000): Vasilevskiy should start the second leg of the Lightning's back-to-back set in Nashville after Curtis McElhinney manned the crease in Monday's 4-1 win. He boasts a stellar 7-1-1 record, 1.88 GAA and .931 save percentage, while Nashville's bottom-five offense is scoring only 2.42 goals per game.
Kevin Lankinen, CHI at DAL ($7,300): The Stars have won only once in their past five games, including Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to Chicago, which marked Malcolm Subban's first win of the season. Lankinen has significantly outperformed Subban with a 2.32 GAA and .928 save percentage through out eight starts, and the affordable rookie should keep rolling against the struggling Stars.
Cal Petersen, LA vs. SJ ($7,600): He's just 1-4-0, but Petersen has significantly outplayed Jonathan Quick in the early going, with a 2.52 GAA and .925 save percentage. A visit from a Sharks team with a minus-9 goal differential offers a nice opportunity for Petersen to improve his record while maintaining his efficiency. He'll be a solid value option if he gets the start.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at OTT ($8,200): Draisaitl has an 8-17-25 line through 14 games, trailing only teammate Connor McDavid in points. He has been especially effective against the league-worst Ottawa defense, with a 2-7-9 line in three meetings with the Senators.
Brady Tkachuk, OTT vs. EDM ($6,800): This game should feature plenty of offense from both sides, and Tkachuk is by far the most dangerous Ottawa forward. He has a share of the team points lead with a 3-4-7 line and leads the entire NHL with 54 shots through 13 games.
Chandler Stephenson, VGK vs. ANH ($4,100): Stephenson scored two goals against the Kings when Vegas was last in action Sunday, and the affordable center is in one of the league's most fantasy-friendly even-strength roles, skating between premier wingers Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone on the top line. While goalie John Gibson is often capable of keeping the Ducks in games, Vegas scored seven goals over two previous meetings between these teams and should control the puck for most of this game.
Givani Smith, DET at FLA ($2,800): Florida will get most of the attention in this matchup, but Smith's a solid cheap filler to round out your lineup. He recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick when these teams met Sunday, picking up a goal, an assist and a fighting major. That performance bumped Smith's line up to a quietly impressive 1-3-4 in six appearances this season.
Mikael Backlund, CGY vs. WPG($4,500): Backlund posted his strongest performance of the season in Calgary's last action, with a goal, two assists and seven shots against Edmonton. It's worth turning right back to the Swedish center while he's hot, as Backlund has 11 shots in his last two games after totaling only 16 shots in the first nine.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers vs. Red Wings
Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,700), Anthony Duclair (W - $5,100), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $5,600)
This line was held off the scoresheet in Sunday's surprising 4-1 loss to Detroit, but it still mustered 12 shots and should collectively bounce back in this rematch with the 3-8-2 Red Wings. All three of its members are off to excellent starts, as Barkov sports a 4-7-11 line through nine games, Verhaeghe has a 6-3-9 line and Duclair has chipped in six assists despite being snakebitten on his 26 shots thus far.
Oilers at Senators
Connor McDavid (C - $9,000), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $6,900), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $4,800)
McDavid leads the league in points with a 9-18-27 line through 14 games, including multiple points in seven of the last eight. Nugent-Hopkins has demonstrated solid chemistry with McDavid, chipping in a 5-6-11 line. Puljujarvi has underwhelmed since being selected fourth overall in 2016, but the previously disgruntled winger may have finally found a spot that works for him, as he has three goals on eight shots over the past three games. The sky's the limit for this line against a 2-10-1 Senators team that's allowing a league-high 4.23 goals per game.
Kings vs. Sharks
Anze Kopitar (C - $6,200), Alex Iafallo (W - $4,800), Dustin Brown (W - $4,300)
The Kings are rarely a recommended stacking option, but Los Angeles' top line has some against-the-grain appeal at home against a Sharks team that's getting outscored 3.60 to 2.50 on average this season. Kopitar is by far the best offensive player on the team and has piled up 14 points through 11 games. Brown's among the league leaders in power-play goals with four, and his eight points are second on the Kings, while Iafallo has chipped in a respectable 2-4-6 line after finishing second behind Kopitar with 43 points in 70 games last season.
DEFENSEMEN
Darnell Nurse, EDM at OTT ($5,900): Nurse had a three-game goal streak snapped in Monday's 3-1 win over Ottawa, but he tied for the team lead with five shots in that one, giving him 14 shots in his last four games and 37 in 14 games overall. Edmonton's top overall defenseman has a nice opportunity to build on his 4-6-10 line here against the defensively challenged Senators.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. DET ($5,800): Ekblad failed to convert on any of his five shots Sunday against Detroit, but the 2014 first overall pick continues to put plenty of pucks on net. He has 25 shots through nine games to go with a 3-3-6 line, and Ekblad should continue to generate offense in this highly favorable matchup.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB at NSH ($4,400): Sergachev's starting to find his offense after a slow start, with five helpers in his last five games, including a power-play assist Monday in Nashville. His role on the second power-play unit should help Sergachev stay hot against a Predators penalty kill that ranks last in the league at 65.2 percent.
Mario Ferraro, SJ at LA ($3,500): Ferraro's overlooked on a Sharks blue line that doesn't lack big names, but he's working on the top defensive pairing and has delivered strong results relative to his affordable valuation. The 22-year-old blueliner has four assists, 18 shots and 19 blocks through 10 games and has topped 20 minutes of ice time in every one while eclipsing 25 in each of the last two.
