This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features 10 games. It was originally scheduled to have 11, but Golden Knights-Sharks has been postponed. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There's no shortage of options in this robust slate, but a few games stand out from the pack in terms of players to target. Two of the league's three worst defenses are in action (Ottawa and Vancouver), presenting the Flames and Oilers, respectively, with excellent stacking opportunities on the road. The Flames and Predators (in Detroit) are the night's largest favorites, while Penguins-Capitals is tied with the aforementioned contests in Ottawa and Vancouver for the night's highest over/under at 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Pekka Rinne, NSH at DET ($8,100): Rinne logged a 24-save shutout when these teams met Tuesday, dropping Detroit's season average to a measly 1.86 goals per game. The veteran has outplayed Juuse Saros ($8,300) in Nashville's net this season, and Rinne will be a strong choice if he gets the nod for this rematch with the 5-13-3 Red Wings.
Tuukka Rask, BOS at NYI ($8,000): Boston is favored in the game with the night's lowest over/under (5.0 goals), and Rask has gotten fantastic results all season, with a 7-2-1 record, 2.56 GAA and .901 save percentage. Goal support will be tough to come by against the stingy Islanders, but Rask likely won't need much considering New York's averaging only 2.44 goals per game.
David Rittich, CGY at OTT ($8,000): Rittich has held down the fort beautifully with Jacob Markstrom (upper body) on the shelf, stopping 71 of 73 Maple Leafs shots in the last two games. Assuming he gets the nod in this second leg of a back-to-back, Rittich should be even better against a much less dangerous Ottawa offense that's averaging only 2.43 goals per game after holding down the mighty Maple Leafs.
MacKenzie Blackwood, NJ at BUF ($7,200): Blackwood has lost to Buffalo in each of his last two starts, but those are his only regulation defeats this season, as Blackwood's 4-2-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .935 save percentage overall. If the Devils can finally figure the Sabres out, Blackwood would turn into a great value option at just $7,200.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Cam Atkinson, CLS vs. CHI ($6,400): With more skill players by his side again, Atkinson has regained the form that helped him pot 41 goals in 2018-19, producing a 6-5-11 line in his last seven games while putting at least four pucks on net in five of those seven contests. That hot streak includes a 2-4-6 line over two games in Chicago, and Atkinson should continue to carve up a Blackhawks team that gives up the most fantasy points in the league to opposing right wings.
Filip Forsberg, NSH at DET ($7,000): Forsberg continues to carry the mail for the Predators offensively, comfortably leading the team in both goals (nine) and points (17). He has been especially effective against the Red Wings, with a 2-3-5 line and 13 shots in three meetings, including a goal and an assist -- both on the power play -- in Tuesday's 2-0 triumph.
Kasperi Kapanen, PIT at WAS ($3,900): Kapanen has been moved back onto the top line alongside offensive stars Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, and he made the most of that favorable deployment with a goal and an assist Tuesday in Washington. This rematch with a Capitals team that's allowing 3.39 goals per game offers another nice opportunity for the affordable first-line winger.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WPG vs. MON ($3,000): Dubois was originally linked to Montreal in trade talks before eventually being traded from Columbus to Winnipeg, and after taking a few games to get his legs back following a two-week quarantine upon entering Canada, Dubois finally broke out with two goals and an assist in the Jets' last game. The French-Canadian forward, who normally plays center but is listed at wing, has a nice chance to build on that performance against a Canadiens team that's in disarray, having just fired coach Claude Julien after going 1-3-2 in the last six games.
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. PIT ($6,300): This game should feature plenty of offense, and Backstrom has been Washington's best offensive player through 18 games, leading the team in points (22) and, shockingly, goals (eight). The veteran center's a nice value as the 10th-priciest option at his position.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Canucks
Leon Draisaitl (C - $8,000), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $4,100), Dominik Kahun (W - $2,700)
This line combined for six points in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Canucks and should continue to find success against a Vancouver team that's surrendering 3.57 goals per game — third-most in the league. After leading the league in points last season, Draisaitl's hot on teammate Connor McDavid's tail this year with a 10-23-33 line through 21 games. Yamamoto returned from an undisclosed injury Tuesday and picked up a point, giving the diminutive winger a 16-20-36 line in 48 games since Edmonton brought him up for good last season. Kahun's coming off a two-goal game and has a respectable 4-3-7 line over his last 12 games after an excruciatingly slow start to his tenure in Edmonton.
Flames at Senators
Elias Lindholm (C - $6,100), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $6,700), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $4,800)
This line gets the slight edge over Calgary's similarly productive second line for this favorable matchup against a Senators team that's giving up a league-high 4.00 goals per game. Lindholm (5-13-18) is tied with Johnny Gaudreau for the team points lead and Tkachuk (6-8-14) is tied with Sean Monahan for third. On a team that doesn't lack big names up front, Mangiapane has actually been the hottest goal-scorer lately, potting Calgary's lone goal Wednesday in Toronto to give him seven in the last 12 games.
Hurricanes at Lightning
Sebastian Aho (C - $5,600), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,300), Brock McGinn (W - $4,000)
Facing the reigning champs after being shut out by them one night earlier is a daunting task, but Carolina's productive top line has some against-the-grain appeal in this rematch. While the Hurricanes couldn't solve star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy on Wednesday, they should have an easier time against little-used backup Curtis McElhinney, whose 3.57 GAA and .844 save percentage in two appearances leave a lot to be desired. All three members of this line have had productive campaigns thus far, as Aho and Svechnikov are tied for the team points lead with 6-10-16 and 7-9-16 lines, respectively, through 18 games, while McGinn's 7-4-11 line has come entirely over the last 13 contests.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NSH at DET ($6,900): Josi should be worth paying up for as this slate's priciest blueliner against the Red Wings. He dished out two helpers Tuesday in Detroit for his second multi-point outing in three games against the Red Wings this season, and Josi scored at least 49 points in each of the previous past six seasons, including 65 last year, so he's likely to pick up the pace from his current 10 points through 18 games.
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. EDM ($5,700): This game's expected to feature plenty of open ice, and Hughes thrives in such conditions, as evidenced by his 21 points through 23 games. That point total leads all NHL defensemen, and 11 of them have come on the power play.
Will Butcher, NJ at BUF ($3,400): It took Butcher a while to crack the lineup, but he's making the most of his opportunity, having kicked off his season with a three-game point streak since Feb. 16. He sports a 1-2-3 line and six shots through three games, and Butcher's capable of keeping this pace up for a while considering he already has a 44-point season under his belt.
Urho Vaakanainen, BOS at NYI ($2,600): Vaakanainen had an assist in over 23 minutes of ice time in his season debut Sunday, and he should continue to play big minutes moving forward with fellow left defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (hand) predicted to miss the next month. This could be a good time to buy low on the 2017 first-round pick, and doing so can help free up cap space to spend big at other positions in this busy slate.
