It’s a busy 13-game slate in the NHL on Tuesday with the Panthers, Penguins, Jets, Lightning and Avalanche all significant favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. There are also a couple of marquee matchups. The Hurricanes-Wild, Golden Knights-Bruins and Maple Leafs-Oilers bouts all feature Stanley Cup hopefuls. Here’s a peek around the fantasy landscape ahead of Tuesday’s NHL action on DraftKings.
NHL NEWS ALERT: Tonight's game between the Wild and Hurricanes has been postponed, per @RussoHockey. pic.twitter.com/YBe17vHEeH
— DK Nation (@dklive) December 14, 2021
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Top Line Stacks
Jets vs. Sabres
Andrew Copp ($4,400) - Mark Scheifele ($6,600) - Kyle Connor ($7,400)
With Buffalo allowing 82 goals during its current 3-14-3 stretch, Winnipeg’s new-look top line is positioned to have a solid showing. Copp helps with the cap hit, and Scheifele and Connor have combined for 5.9 goals per 60 minutes this season. It’s also worth noting that all three are projected to skate on the No. 1 power-play unit, and the Sabres rank 22nd in penalty-kill percentage.
Avalanche vs. Rangers
Andre Burakovsky ($4,000) - Nathan MacKinnon ($9,500) - Mikko Rantanen ($8,600)
This trio clicked for all three goals during Sunday’s win and generated 17 shot attempts, and the Avalanche also scored seven times during last Wednesday’s meeting in New York. Burakovsky’s salary helps mitigate the hefty cap hits of MacKinnon and Rantanen, and with so much star power in the player pool, Colorado’s No. 1 line could fly a little under the radar.
Superstar to Build Around
Auston Matthews, TOR at EDM ($9,300) - Scorching hot with 11 tallies, five helpers, 43 shots and 18 individual high-danger scoring chances during his active nine-game point streak, Matthews draws the reeling Oilers. Edmonton has lost five straight with 16 goals and 58 high-danger scoring chances allowed.
Value on Offense
Danton Heinen, PIT vs. MON ($2,700) - With Montreal allowing 3.52 goals per game and ranking 30th in penalty-kill percentage, Heinen’s positioned for success as a low-salary flier. He’s skating on the second line and No. 2 power-play unit and has collected two tallies, two helpers, seven shots and been on the ice for nine high-danger scoring chances through the past three games.
Taylor Raddysh, TB vs. LA ($2,500) - Projected to skate on the No. 1 line with Steven Stamkos ($7,100) and Ondrej Palat ($4,100), Raddysh receives a notable value boost with the promotion up the lineup. The trio has combined for four goals, five assists and six individual high-danger scoring chances over the past two games, after all.
Stud Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. LA ($8,200) - The Russian has won six of his past seven starts with a .944 save percentage and 1.73 GAA, so he’s in high-end form for the favorable home-ice matchup against Los Angeles. The Kings have scored the eighth fewest goals per game in the league – and just 23 times through 10 road games.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. CLS ($8,000) - Not only has Demko rattled off four straight wins, he boasts an impressive .940 save percentage and 1.90 GAA through his past 11 appearances. The Canucks are trending in the right direction, and Columbus is in a 2-5-1 funk with a likely unsustainably high 10.1% shooting percentage.
Value on Defense
Noah Dobson, NYI at DET ($4,300) - It’s been a solid recent stretch for Dobson. He’s picked up four points, 17 shots and 12 blocks through the past six games and projects to continue quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play unit against Detroit. To sweeten the deal, the Red Wings bring a 25th-ranked penalty kill into action Tuesday.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. LA ($3,700) - Call it a hunch Sergachev snaps out of his current underwhelming stretch. He’s been on the ice for 25 high-danger scoring chances the past seven games but has only found the scoresheet in one outing, so some statistical correction shouldn’t surprise. Additionally, Los Angeles ranks 28th in penalty-kill percentage.
Power-Play Defenseman
Kris Letang, PIT vs. MON ($7,100) - With a plus matchup against the Canadiens, Letang is a solid target from the top of the salary list. There’s probably positive regression ahead with the man advantage for Letang, too. He recorded 4.96 points per 60 minutes on the power play over the previous three seasons, which is notably higher than the 3.56 mark he’s posted this season.
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. CLS ($4,800) - This is a reasonable salary to target Hughes at. He ranks seventh in points per 60 minutes among all regular defensemen over the past three seasons, including a ninth-ranked 1.92 mark this season. There’s nothing scary about a matchup against Columbus, either. The Blue Jackets have surrendered 3.27 goals per game and sport a 17th-ranked 80.9% penalty-kill percentage.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is naparker77) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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