This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We have eight games ahead of us tonight, but if you want a smaller slate, DraftKings is also offering a late set. In that scenario, the contests you need to worry about are Minnesota at Calgary and Anaheim at Colorado, which each start at 9:00 p.m. ET as well as New Jersey at Vancouver, which will begin at 10:00 p.m. ET.
SLATE PREVIEW
For most of the season, the Sharks have been regarded as the saddest team in the NHL, but they've won three of their last five games and challenged the Rangers in a 6-5 loss Sunday, so lately at least, they haven't been that bad. The Islanders have done well, too, winning five of their last seven outings, but New York still needs to be careful not to underestimate the Sharks tonight. LA might want to be similarly cautious in its contest against Columbus, which has done alright recently, winning four of its last seven games and even splitting its last contests two versus the mighty Bruins.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NAS at CHI ($8,200): Saros hasn't been an option that's paid off regularly this season — through 19 contests, he has a 9-10-0 record, 3.05 GAA and .900 save percentage. However, he seems to have rebounded, posting a 4-1-0 record with a 2.54 GAA and a .922 save percentage over his last five appearances. What's more, the Predators are facing Chicago tonight, which ranks 30th offensively this campaign with 2.43 goals per game and has managed just three goals over its last three contests.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at OTT ($8,100): Shesterkin has been a steady presence throughout the campaign, only once surrendering more than four goals in a contest. Through 14 games this year, he has a 10-4-0 record, 2.58 GAA and .916 save percentage. Ottawa's been okay offensively, tying for 12th this year with 3.32 goals per game, but the Senators have hit a rough patch, scoring just four goals over their last three contests. Shesterkin has also done well against the Senators, stopping 84 of 89 shots (.944 save percentage) over his three career appearances against them.
Alex Lyon, DET at BUF ($7,700): Lyon didn't make his first start of the season until Nov. 17 because he was behind Ville Husso and James Reimer on the depth chart, but Lyon has taken advantage of every opportunity he's been given since then, posting a 3-1-0 record, 1.26 GAA and .958 save percentage in four outings. Meanwhile, the Sabres are on a three-game losing streak and rank 25th offensively this year with 2.84 goals per game, so the 30-year-old goaltender has a great opportunity to extend his strong start.
VALUE PLAYS
Leo Carlsson, ANA at COL ($4,900): Carlsson has spent some time as a healthy scratch and missed a little time with an undisclosed injury. However, when he has been in the lineup, the 18-year-old rookie has been effective, providing seven goals and 12 points in 16 contests. He's even collected a goal and three points over his last two games. While you might think periodically being scratched is an indication that Carlsson is on the fringe of Anaheim's depth charts, it's more of a developmental decision and when he has played, he's averaged 18:13 of ice time, including 2:59 with the man advantage.
Gustav Nyquist, NAS at CHI ($4,200): Nyquist has three goals and 17 points in 24 contests this season, making him a pretty solid choice at his price point. With the Blackhawks averaging 3.70 goals per game, which ranks them 30th defensively, there's a fair chance this will be a productive day for the Predators and Nyquist.
Anders Lee, NYI vs. SJS ($3,200): Lee had a quiet start to the year, providing just a goal and an assist over his first 15 games, but something clicked, and he's scored four goals and six points over his last eight outings. That's not star-level performance, but it's more than enough to justify taking him at his current price. As noted above, the Sharks have been decent recently, but they do rank last defensively this campaign with an average of 4.00 goals allowed per contest.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Predators at Blackhawks
Colton Sissons (C - $3,500), Yakov Trenin (W - $3,100), Cole Smith (W - $2,500)
For how cheap Nashville's third line is, it's been really effective lately. Dating back to Nov. 18, Trenin has been one of the Predators' top forwards with five goals and seven points over nine contests. Smith isn't far behind with two goals and six points in the same span, though it is worth cautioning that he had a four-game scoring drought from Nov. 26-Dec. 2 before ending it with an assist Sunday. Sissons also has two goals and six points over the last nine outings, including a goal and an assist over his last two games.
Nashville's third line isn't likely to be a great long-term pick, but as noted above, Chicago is a particularly weak team defensively, so if you're looking for more value plays, the Predators have you covered.
Avalanche vs. Ducks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,600), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,400), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $6,800)
The Avalanche's top line is the league's most expensive, but justifiably so.
There are players worth taking when they're hot, but MacKinnon seldom has a bad game. In fact, he has significantly more multi-point contests this year (10) than games in which he's been held off the scoresheet (six). The 28-year-old will take an eight-game scoring streak into Tuesday's action and has eight goals and 31 points in 24 outings this campaign.
Not to be outdone, Rantanen has contributed 12 goals and 31 points this year. He's not quite as hot, but he's certainly done just fine with six assists (four on the power play) over his last five appearances.
Nichushkin rounds out the line with 10 goals and 21 points in 2023-24. He might have shattered his career high of 52 points if he stayed healthy last season — he finished with 47 points in 53 contests — but has a chance to set a new personal best this year instead.
The Ducks are a good target for this line, ranking 26th defensively this campaign with 3.50 goals per game.
Red Wings at Sabres
Dylan Larkin (C - $8,200), Lucas Raymond (W - $5,100), Joe Veleno (W - $3,100)
Larkin missed two games from Nov. 29-30 for personal reasons, but he returned Saturday to register an assist against Montreal. He now has recorded a point in each of his last four appearances, giving him three goals and two helpers over that span. Larkin is also having a fantastic campaign with eight goals and 22 points in 21 contests.
Raymond has provided four goals and nine points over his last nine games while being held off the scoresheet only once over that period. That brings him up to eight goals and 19 points in 23 outings this year.
Veleno by contrast has just six goals and nine points in 23 outings in 2023-24. He did find the back of the net Saturday, though, and is a cheap option if you're interested in taking the entire line.
DEFENSEMEN
Filip Hronek, VAN vs. NJD ($5,100): Hronek has recorded at least a point in five of his last six contests, giving him a goal and seven points over that stretch. This is shaping up to be the best season of the 26-year-old's career — his personal best in points going into the campaign was 39, and he already has two goals and 25 points in 2023-24.
Luke Hughes, NJD at VAN ($4,000): Hughes is having a strong rookie campaign with three goals and 14 points in 22 contests. He's been particularly effective recently, contributing two goals and four points over his last three outings, including two points with the man advantage.
K'Andre Miller, NYR at OTT ($3,600): For a defenseman that's this cheap, Miller is pretty hot, providing three goals and four points over his last five contests. That puts an end to a rough patch in which he was held off the scoresheet for nine straight games from Nov. 2-24. Miller might not be having a consistent season, but he's been fine overall with four goals and 11 points in 23 outings.
