This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate is a light one, with three games on the docket after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Wild and Devils are the two worst teams in this slate, and they'll face off in New Jersey in what will be Minnesota's second game in as many nights. The surging Stars are also finishing a back-to-back, but they'll be the biggest favorites on the road against Chicago. Boston will also be favored in Montreal, with both teams fresh.
GOALIES
Dallas' Anton Khudobin ($7,500) is among the league's best backups, with a sparkling 2.15 GAA and .929 save percentage in 10 appearances. He should continue to shine against a below-average Blackhawks offense for a Stars team that's 11-0-1 in its last 12.
Jaroslav Halak ($7,600) is another effective backup, sporting a 2.56 GAA and .924 save percentage in eight games for the Bruins. A Canadiens team that's yet to get in the win column since losing both Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron to injuries will have a hard time beating Halak.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Eric Staal ($4,700) has a 7-10-17 line through 24 games, and those 17 points are good for tops on the Wild. Minnesota should get its chances against Devils goalie MacKenzie Blackwood (3.07 GAA, .898 save percentage), so the veteran center's a nice value play given his affordability.
Rookie forward Nick Suzuki ($4,200) has been asked to step up with a couple of top-six forwards injured for Montreal, and he's responded with a 3-3-6 line in his last six games, including a pair of power-play goals. If the Canadiens are going to right the ship against Boston, Suzuki will need to play a pivotal role.
Though the Blackhawks will be underdogs against a hot Dallas team, taking a chance on Patrick Kane ($7,500) despite the tough matchup could pay off in GPP formats. The American winger is in the midst of a 12-game point streak that's seen Kane amass eight goals and 21 points.
Alexander Radulov ($5,500) has been a disappointment for the Stars this year following consecutive 72-point seasons, but the Russian winger exploded for two goals and an assist in Monday's win over Vegas. Perhaps that performance marked the beginning of Radulov finding his game, which would make this a terrific buy-low opportunity before his price starts to climb further.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins at Canadiens
David Krejci (C - $5,100), David Pastrnak (W - $8,500), Brad Marchand (W - $8,200)
These wingers routinely stand out in large slates, so ignoring this line in such a small slate could put you in a hole too large to overcome with alternative options. Marchand ranks third in the NHL with 39 points and Pastrnak is tied for fourth with 36, with the latter also leading the league with 20 goals. Krejci's a great value play as long as he's filling in on the top line for Patrice Bergeron (lower body). They'll take on a Canadiens team that's dropped four straight games, including a 6-5 loss to the Rangers on Saturday in which Montreal blew a 4-0 lead.
Stars at Blackhawks
Roope Hintz (C - $4,500), Tyler Seguin (W - $7,700), Jamie Benn (W - $6,000)
Despite missing seven of Dallas' 25 games, Hintz leads the team with 10 goals. Seguin holds the team lead with 21 points, 10 of which have come in the past six games. Benn has a disappointing 5-8-13 line, but he's capable of much more, having scored at least 79 points four times since the 2013-14 season.
Devils vs. Red Wings
Nico Hischier (C - $5,500), Taylor Hall (W - $7,200, Kyle Palmieri (W - $5,700)
The Devils were in a similar position last game, playing host to a subpar Red Wings team that was finishing a back-to-back set. New Jersey took care of business with a 5-1 win in that one, and the team will look to repeat that result here. Hall had been snakebitten for most of this season with two goals through 20 games, but the 2018 Hart Trophy winner has heated up with a goal in each of his past two games, and he's been a solid distributor all season with 16 helpers. Palmieri (14) and Hischier (12) rank second and third on the Devils in points behind Hall's 20, with Palmieri's eight goals also representing a team-high mark. With Devan Dubnyk (personal) still away from the team, third-string goalie Kaapo Kahkonen — who has an underwhelming .909 career AHL save percentage — will make his NHL debut for the Wild.
DEFENSEMEN
Torey Krug ($6,100) has been limited to 18 games by injury, but he has 16 points in those contests, including 12 on the power play. His success on Boston's star-studded power-play unit should continue against a 73.6 percent Canadiens penalty kill.
John Klingberg ($4,600) has fit in seamlessly after missing over two weeks due to a lower-body injury, dishing out four helpers in two games since his return. With a career rate of 0.69 points per game, the Dallas defender won't stay this cheap for long now that's he's healthy.
Brad Hunt ($2,900) is a nice pick for owners in search of a cheap blue-line filler. His seven power-play points are tied with Ryan Suter ($3,700) for the team lead — that's including both forwards and defensemen. Both blueliners have nice upside relative to their modest valuations against New Jersey's bottom-10 penalty kill (77.3 percent).
Sami Vatanen ($4,800) is the lone defenseman on New Jersey's top power-play unit, and he's the only blueliner on the team to mark the scoresheet on the man advantage, with three power-play points. That role could come into play against Minnesota's middling penalty kill.
