This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features 10 games. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The hot-starting Sabres have a great opportunity to keep rolling against the slumping Rangers, while the Hurricanes are clear road favorites in Columbus. In the Western Conference, the Predators host a Wild team that has shown signs of life but still looks vulnerable overall, while the Blues get an opportunity to beat up on the lowly Kings. Those are just a few of this slate's most enticing situations, but there's value to be found in many of the other games as well.
GOALIES
The Coyotes-Islanders game pits perhaps the league's two stingiest defensive systems against each other. Expect very little open ice between the Arizona team that's allowing a league-low 1.88 goals per game and the New York team that held opponents to a league-low 2.33 goals per game last season. Both teams have two capable goalies, so any one of Darcy Kuemper ($7,500), Antti Raanta ($7,500), Semyon Varlamov ($8,000) or Thomas Greiss ($8,000) should be a strong option, provided that player is starting.
Anaheim's John Gibson ($7,200) is probably the best value play in net, as he sports a 2.24 GAA and .927 save percentage through nine appearances heading into a road tilt against Dallas' league-worst offense (2.09 goals per game).
Pekka Rinne ($8,300) has been a chalk option all season with a 5-0-1 record, 2.31 GAA and .921 save percentage. Things should be no different at home against the Wild, who own a bottom-five offense (2.33 goals per game) and are 3-6-0.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jeff Skinner ($7,000) absolutely loves facing the Rangers. His 14 goals in 33 career meetings with New York are only surpassed by Skinner's 16 goals in 30 games against Montreal and 15 in 35 games against New Jersey. He's been creating chances aplenty regardless of competition this season, with six goals on 49 shots through 10 games following last season's 40-goal campaign.
Travis Konecny ($6,600) is breaking out at age 22. After posting 24-23-47 and 24-25-49 lines in the past two seasons, he already has four goals and 10 points through seven games. The Flyers winger should continue to thrive against a Blackhawks team that's won only twice in its first seven games.
Panthers center Denis Malgin ($3,700) is another 22-year-old who's in the early stages of a breakout campaign. He has three goals and three assists through seven games played, including an active three-game point streak and two-game goal streak. Malgin could be relied on even more heavily if Victor Trocheck (lower body) has to miss a second straight game here in Calgary, but the affordable center is a strong value play regardless of Trocheck's status.
On the other end of the price spectrum from Malgin is Connor McDavid ($8,200). McDavid's Oilers have been shut out for two straight games, but McDavid is still tied with Boston's David Pastrnak for the league lead in points among forwards with 17. Don't be surprised to see the superstar center end his team's offensive drought with a breakout performance in front of the home crowd, especially if the visiting Capitals turn to Braden Holtby (3.60 GAA, .884 save percentage) in net.
Kyle Turris ($4,300) has two goals and three assists over an active four-game point streak, but Nashville's second-line center can still be had for just $4,300 at home against Minnesota. The Wild haven't been any better defensively than they have offensively, surrendering 3.56 goals per game.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Blues vs. Kings
Brayden Schenn (C - $7,000), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $7,600), Jaden Schwartz (W - $4,800)
Schenn and Tarasenko have carried the offense for the Blues through nine games, with 6-3-9 and 3-7-10 lines, respectively. Schwartz comes much cheaper than his linemates, but he has a respectable seven points and has averaged 0.69 points per game for his career, which translates to a 57-point pace over 82 games. A Kings team that's allowing a league-high 3.78 goals per game is unlikely to slow down the Stanley Cup champions' top line.
Sabres at Rangers
Jack Eichel (C - $7,900), Victor Olofsson (W - $5,500), Sam Reinhart (W - $5,400)
Eichel surpassed a point-per-game with 82 in 77 last season, and the second overall pick in the 2015 draft is playing even better this year with a 6-8-14 line through 10 games. Olofsson logged two goals and two assists in six games of NHL action last season, and the Swede is proving that production was no fluke with six goals and three helpers 10 games into his first full NHL campaign. Reinhart rounds out this group nicely with a 4-4-8 line on the heels of a 65-point campaign. This trio should continue to excel against a Rangers team that's gone 0-4-1 in its last five and is allowing 3.57 goals per game — fourth-most in the NHL.
Canadiens vs. Sharks
Max Domi (C - $5,900), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $3,500), Nick Suzuki (W - $3,300)
Montreal's second line won't cost you much, but it's capable of delivering strong results at home against a Sharks team that's tied for fifth-worst in the league with 3.56 goals allowed per game. Domi is the most talented playmaker on the team and is playing at a point-per-game pace through nine after breaking out with 72 points last season. The 24-year-old Lehkonen has four points through nine games in 2019-20, and he's put at least three pucks on net in four of his last five games. Suzuki took a few games to acclimate to the NHL level, but the game has started to slow down for the rookie, as he's scored his first two career goals while taking eight shots in his past three games after totaling only one assist and five shots in his first six.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($7,200) doesn't just lead all defensemen in points, he leads all NHL players with 20. Carlson's showing no signs of slowing down with three goals and six assists in his last four games, so finding the cap space for him here in Edmonton is likely to pay off.
Dougie Hamilton ($6,600) is adept at putting pucks on net from the blue line, and that skill should pay off against a Blue Jackets team that's receiving shaky goaltending, with a .904 team save percentage. His 29 shots through nine games have Hamilton on pace for 264 after he ranked third among defensemen with 259 last season and second in 2017-18 with 270. They aren't just empty shots, either, as Hamilton has five goals and leads the Hurricanes with 10 points.
Brad Hunt ($3,900) is a sneaky against-the-grain option in Nashville. He leads the Wild with four power-play points (including two goals), while the Predators actually have the league's second-worst penalty kill at 69.0 percent.
Sticking in the Wild-Predators game, Nashville has a trio of blueliners that make sense to deploy depending on your available budget. Roman Josi ($6,800), Ryan Ellis ($5,800) and Mattias Ekholm ($5,100) have all been superb two-way forces to start the season, averaging 15.1, 13.5 and 11.7 fantasy points, respectively.
