This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Tuesday's nine-game NHL slate fires up at 7:00 p.m. ET with two clashes, and the final puck drop of the night will take place at 10:30. Just one team -- the Coyotes -- are playing back-to-back contests. Eight teams playing tonight participated in last year's postseason, including three of the final four teams.
There are plenty of moving parts tonight, so read on for tips on how to stake your claim in DFS glory.
GOALIES
Carey Price ($8,600) is fifth in the league with 4.99 goals saved above average as he looks to will the Habs into their first playoff appearance since the 2016-17 season. The Blue Jackets have dropped six of seven games and averaged two goals per contest. They'll deploy rookie Elvis Merzlikins ($7,200) in a spot start -- his fourth -- to attempt to turn things in their favor. Merzlikins was a promising prospect, but he's been shaky in the NHL and is seeking his first win.
It's tough to bet against the Blues' seven-game win streak, but Darcy Kuemper is a darkhorse nominee for the Vezina Trophy with a .930 save percentage. Counterpart Jordan Binnington is just a tick below at .922, though, and he has a 9-2-3 record to show for it.
The Penguins are second with a 53.51 Corsi For percentage, but they'll be without Sidney Crosby (lower body) for the first time this season. They've battled through an assortment of injuries before, although none have reached this magnitude. Alexandar Georgiev ($7,500) will get the first crack at them in this shape. Matt Murray ($8,900) is expected in the opposite crease as the highest-priced option in the slate. The 25-year-old has allowed three or fewer goals in the last nine outings, sporting a 6-1-1 record in that span.
John Gibson ($7,800) is coming off a couple of rough outings, as he's allowed nine total goals to the Oilers and Wild. This is a perfect bounce-back venue for Gibson, though. While the Red Wings showed life by taking down the red-hot Bruins on Saturday and the Golden Knights on Sunday, they'll cross three time zones to face off against the Ducks. Furthermore, they still rank 21st in the league with a 49.03 Corsi For percentage and 29th with a measly 2.0 goals per road contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
The loss of Crosby is irreplaceable, but Evgeni Malkin ($8,000) is in a prime role to step up. When Crosby sat out three games last year, Malkin notched three assists in each contest. It's a small sample, but it shows how one superstar fills in for the other. The Rangers aren't poised to stop that train, either, as they've yielded 3.33 goals per game -- ninth-worst in the league.
Evander Kane ($7,400) is exceeding his own peak form with 10 goals in 15 outings, and he's fired at least three shots on net in all but two. The Oilers' goaltending has holes, and Kane is primed to find them.
Jonathan Drouin ($5,300) racked up 13 points over the first 16 games, and he was rewarded with a top-line designation. He returned the favor with two helpers and a season-high 22:10 of ice time. It was already stated how shaky Merzlikins has been at the top level, lining Drouin up well to mark the score sheet for a third consecutive contest.
Luke Kunin ($3,300) has showcased his first-round pedigree with a goal and two assists over the last two contests, and the forecast doesn't call for any rain on his parade, as the Kings have let up 3.88 goals per game this year -- the highest-rate in the league.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Edmonton Oilers (TOTAL: $23,300) 
C - Connor McDavid ($9,000)
W - Leon Draisaitl ($8,800)
W - Zack Kassian ($4,500)
McDavid is coming off a hat trick against the Ducks and Draisaitl assisted on each of those goals (of course) and one more. Even Kassian chipped in two helpers in the contest. The Sharks are ill-equipped to handle this load, as Martin Jones is ranked last in the league with -12.10 goals saved above average.
Colorado Avalanche (TOTAL: $16,700) 
C - Nathan MacKinnon ($8,600)
W - Joonas Donskoi ($4,700)
W - Matt Calvert ($3,400)
It's no coincidence that Donskoi filed his first hat trick while working on a line with MacKinnon, who had a hand in two of the goals. It's fair to call this unit boom-or-bust, but the upside is monster at a fair price. Mikko Rantanen (leg) will be returning from injury soon, so you won't find a line stack with MacKinnon this cheap for a long time.
Vancouver Canucks (TOTAL: $18,900) 
C - Elias Pettersson ($7,200)
W - Brock Boeser ($7,200)
W - Josh Leivo ($4,500)
The Canucks' top unit has been productive but missing the game-winning surges of late, so Leivo will replace J.T. Miller on the line. He certainly is capable with a 52.08 Corsi For percentage and eight points. The Predators' goaltending tandem has an .886 save percentage and 3.86 GAA on the road this year, putting this group in a position for immediate success.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi ($6,800) has 17 points through 17 games, and 10 of his points have surfaced with the man advantage. It may be tough to crack Vancouver's 84.4 penalty-kill rate, so a cheaper and less power-play dependent option like Ryan Ellis ($5,000) -- who has 16 points and just three while up a man -- appears to be a more disciplined approach.
Alex Pietrangelo ($6,500) has six goals this year. It took him until Feb. 10 last season to hit that mark, as the Blues captain looks determined to cash in this summer (or sooner). Pietrangelo comes with an intriguing floor, too, averaging 2.7 shots on net per contest. Vince Dunn ($3,900) and Justin Faulk ($4,200) are also appealing power-play skaters against the Coyotes' underwhelming penalty kill.
With Torey Krug (upper body) on the shelf, it looks like Charlie McAvoy ($4,400) will quarterback the top power-play unit. That entails working with the legendary Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak stack. McAvoy is off to a slow to start this year, but he provides a valuable ceiling at the price.
