This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate includes 11 games after 7:00 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
Many of Tuesday's games are viewed as toss-ups or close to it, but a few stand out as potentially more lopsided affairs. The Sabres are heavy home favorites against the Coyotes, as Buffalo has turned the corner on its lengthy rebuild while Arizona doesn't appear close to doing so. Other clear favorites include the Rangers (vs. Islanders), Lightning (vs. Oilers) and Red Wings (vs. Canadiens), all on home ice. Edmonton-Tampa Bay also has the highest over/under (7.0 goals), which isn't surprising given all the talent up front on both sides.
GOALIES
Ville Husso, DET vs. MON ($8,400): Husso's off to a fantastic start in Detroit after coming over from St. Louis in the offseason. He's 5-1-1 with a 1.86 GAA and .941 save percentage, and Husso picked up his second shutout of the season in his previous start. The Finn should keep rolling at home against a Canadiens team that's been outscored 13-7 during its current 0-2-1 skid.
Vitek Vanecek, NJ vs. CGY ($7,900): Vanecek's thriving for the surging Devils, who pushed their winning streak to six games Saturday in Calgary. The Czech netminder improved his personal record to 5-1-0 in that one, having added a 2.21 GAA and .908 save percentage. Vanecek will look to stay hot in the rematch, and he'll have the benefit of home-ice advantage this time.
Carter Hart, PHI vs. STL ($7,300): Hart's the reason for Philadelphia's early success, as he's undefeated in regulation while the team has yet to win when he sits. The 24-year-old netminder's 6-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA and .946 save percentage heading into this visit from a Blues offense that's been surprisingly tame so far, scoring a league-low 2.20 goals per game.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at NYR ($7,000): Sorokin's a nice value option at just $7,000. He shut out the Rangers in their previous meeting and boasts an impressive 2.20 GAA and .933 save percentage to go with his 6-3-0 record this season.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at TB ($8,500): Tampa Bay isn't easy to play against, but Draisaitl's just about matchup-proof. He's been held off the scoresheet only once all season, notching an 8-17-25 line through 13 games. At $900 cheaper than Connor McDavid, Draisaitl offers nearly as much scoring upside as his star teammate while saving you a bit of cap space.
J.T. Miller, VAN at OTT ($5,800): Miller's a bargain at $5,800 against a Senators team that's allowing the 10th-most goals per game (3.45). He's coming off a 99-point season, and after taking a few games to get going, Miller's back to producing at an elite level. In the past six games, he has a 5-4-9 line, with at least one point in every game over that stretch.
Claude Giroux, OTT vs. VAN ($4,600): You'll be hard pressed to find a better value in this slate than Giroux, who can be had for $3,200 less than linemate Brady Tkachuk against a Canucks team that's allowing 4.00 goals per game. Giroux's one of the hottest forwards in the NHL heading into this favorable matchup, as he's riding a five-game point streak that's included four goals in the last three games.
Reilly Smith, VGK at TOR ($4,000): Vegas' hot start has been driven by stout defensive play and a balanced offense, with seven different skaters having totaled double-digit points. Smith has reached that mark thanks to three goals in his last two games, raising his line to 5-5-10 through 13 contests. The affordable winger has a nice opportunity to keep rolling against a Maple Leafs team that's missing goalies Ilya Samsonov (knee) and Matt Murray (groin) to injuries, leaving Erik Kallgren as the team's top option in net.
Filip Chytil, NYR vs. NYI ($3,300): Last time these two teams faced off, Chytil was out of commission due to an upper-body injury. Now that he's back and has had one game to shake off the rust, the Rangers' third-line center should help swing the game in the home team's favor. Chytil came into his own during the playoffs with seven goals in 20 games, and he lit the lamp twice in five games before getting hurt, so the 23-year-old center's a better goal scorer than his $3,300 valuation gives him credit for.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Oilers
Brayden Point (C - $6,300), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,300), Brandon Hagel (W - $4,300)
Tampa Bay's top players should thrive in this star-studded showdown, as the Oilers have been tagged for 3.62 goals per game. Kucherov's tied for third in the league with 20 points, and he's in the midst of a six-game goal streak and 10-game point streak. Point comes in riding a four-game point streak (2-5-7), which has pushed him over a point per game for the year. Hagel's a nice value while skating on this line, and he's more than held his own with a 4-6-10 line over the past seven games.
Sabres vs. Coyotes
Tage Thompson (C - $7,500), Casey Mittelstadt (W - $3,700), John-Jason Peterka (W - $3,600)
Buffalo's top line should dominate an Arizona team that's giving up 4.09 goals per game, which is the most among teams playing Tuesday. Thompson has quickly erased all memories of a slow start with a 6-6-12 line over the past five games. Mittelstadt's in the early stages of a breakout season, with a 2-6-8 line through 12 games, and Peterka has proven NHL-ready at age 20 with a 3-4-7 line.
Wild at Kings
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $6,400), Matthew Boldy (W - $5,600), Jordan Greenway (W - $2,500)
Minnesota's second line has a nice mix of skill and toughness, which will make this trio tough to handle for a Kings team that's allowing 3.79 goals per game. Eriksson Ek notched career highs in goals (26) and points (49) last season, and he's on pace for an even better year with a 4-5-9 line through 11 games. Boldy flies under the radar in Minnesota's highly skilled forward group, but the sky's the limit for the 21-year-old American, who boasts a 6-4-10 line. Greenway's a nice value at the minimum $2,500 given the coaching staff's decision to deploy him in the top six for what will be only his second appearance of the season due to an upper-body injury.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at WPG ($5,700): Heiskanen has been a two-way force since returning from a brief upper-body injury. In three subsequent games, Heiskanen has dished out five helpers while averaging two shots and two blocks. With first place in the Central Division on the line, look for Dallas to give its top defenseman a heavy workload here, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Heiskanen surpass his team-high average TOI of 23:32.
Moritz Seider, DET vs. MON ($5,100): Seider's off to a slow start, but the second-year blueliner's starting to stir on offense. He has three assists in his last two games and should continue to contribute regularly on that end after reaching the 50-point threshold as a rookie last season. Seider's defensive prowess gives him a high floor, as he's blocked multiple shots in all but two games, and the well-rounded defenseman should shine against an underwhelming Montreal team.
Jordan Gross, NSH at SEA ($4,400): Gross was in the lineup for only the second time this season in Nashville's last game, but the team's lack of talent on the right side of the blue line gave him an opportunity to skate on the top pairing with Roman Josi ($8,100). Gross made the most of that deployment by lighting the lamp twice, and his continued usage alongside Josi makes Gross an intriguing option here, even against a Kraken team that's off to a surprisingly strong start.
Owen Power, BUF vs. ARI ($3,200): Power will be especially appealing if Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) misses another game. In Buffalo's previous outing, Dahlin's absence created an opportunity on the power play for Power, who picked up his first power-play point of the season as part of a two-assist effort. With a 2-8-10 line through 20 NHL games, Power — whom the Sabres drafted first overall in 2021 — has demonstrated enough skill to provide nice value at $3,200 against the lowly Coyotes even if Dahlin suits up.
