Below we’ve got a discussion of the best matchups and potential stacks of the day followed by player rankings for Tuesday’s 14-game evening slate of NHL contests on DraftKings and FanDuel.

As always, make sure to check Twitter for any injury news, and check LeftWingLock for starting goalies and line combos.

Game Breakdowns

Colorado Avalanche @ Anaheim Ducks

Picking on the Colorado Avalanche has become the norm at this point of the season. They’re a terrible team that just doesn’t generate many scoring chances. The Ducks aren’t exactly a powerhouse team at even strength (2.15 GF/60, 20th), but they can easily put up a crooked number by the end of the night.

Anaheim’s top line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell is the line to go with if you want to pay up for top talent. Perry has been demoted to the second power play unit, so a mini-stack of Getzlaf/Rakell also works.

Behind the paywall you’ll find the rest of today’s NHL DFS game breakdowns and player rankings

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Defenceman Sami Vatanen has found a spot on the top man advantage, so he becomes a nice option to consider, along with Cam Fowler. If you’re looking to save some salary, Vatanen is the player to go with.

John Gibson is going to be the chalk option of the night, and his price tag is a tough pill to swallow. There’s a legitimate chance that he picks up a shutout in this contest, but he’s still a high risk play. The Avs don’t generate many shots on net, so even just allowing two goals won’t make Gibson a great play.

That being said, he does have the best chance at picking up a win, and as mentioned earlier, he’s going to be chalk, so if you want to follow the crowd in cash games, go ahead. If you’re rocking the GPP life, find some better value elsewhere.

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars should be a playoff team, but they can’t even find a mediocre goalie to just help them squeak into a wild card position. As long as Kari “trashcan” Lentonen is getting starts, it’s wise to stack against him.

Dallas loves to mix and match their lines, but one thing is for sure, Mike Babcock will do everything possible to get Nazem Kadri out there against Seguin/Spezza. This makes Toronto’s top line of James Van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Mitchell Marner a great line to consider. The trio are a tad expensive to roster, but they could easily score a couple against a below-average Dallas team.

On the flip side, Toronto is still a young team, and they make a ton of mistakes. If you’re feeling a little contrarian, Jamie Benn, Cody Eakin and Patrick Eaves is one way to go. Eaves and Benn play on the top power play unit together, so it’s not a perfect scenario, but it’s worth a look in GPPs. If for some reason Benn & Seguin get reunited, they’d become a duo to consider, but only if you aren’t playing up for any Anaheim studs.

Winnipeg Jets @ St. Louis Blues

Ondrej Pavelec and Jake Allen are probable to start for their respective teams in this one, so the over should hit midway through the second period. There will be no shortage of goals in this one, so make sure to get a piece of the action. I mean, you could even double stack the game!

Let’s start with the Jets. Their top line will most likely attract a lot of attention, which is normal, but Winnipeg’s second line is where the money is at. Patrik Laine is back from his concussion and is skating with Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little.  Of the three, Ehlers/Laine is the mini stack I would go with. Pair the duo with defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, and you have yourself a pretty solid power play stack.

On the flip side, St. Louis has lots of options to consider. Vladimir Tarasenko is always an elite option every time he takes the ice. The Russian winger is joined on the second line by Jaden Schwartz and Jori Lehtera. Lehtera isn’t seeing any power play time, so he’s an easy fade for me.

On the blue line, Kevin Shattenkirk joins Tarasenko/Schwartz on the top man advantage, so he becomes a candidate to look at if you want to stack the power play. If you really want to go all out, Alexander Steen completes the four-man stack.

Player Rankings

Note: Player rankings are based on projected value, not on who will score the most points.

Centers

1. Tyler Bozak–Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Phillip Danault–Montreal Canadiens
3. Ryan Getzlaf–Anaheim Ducks
4. Nazem Kadri–Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Jason Spezza–Dallas Stars
6. Mark Scheifele–Winnipeg Jets
7. Tyler Seguin–Dallas Stars
8. Ryan Kesler–Anaheim Ducks
9. Paul Stastny–St. Louis Blues

Wingers

1. Rickard Rakell–Anaheim Ducks
2. Nikolaj Ehlers–Winnipeg Jets
3. Tyler Toffoli–Los Angeles Kings
4. Jaden Schwartz–St. Louis Blues
5. Patrik Laine–Winnipeg Jets
6. Vladimir Tarasenko–Winnipeg Jets
7. Corey Perry–Anaheim Ducks
8. Mitchell Marner–Toronto Maple Leafs
9. Alexander Radulov–Montreal Canadiens
10. Wayne Simmonds–Philadelphia Flyers
11. Jamie Benn–Dallas Stars

Defenceman

1. Ivan Provorov–Philadelphia Flyers
2. Sami Vatanen–Anaheim Ducks
3. Jake Muzzin–Los Angeles Kings
4. Aaron Ekblad–Florida Panthers
5. Kevin Shattenkirk–St. Louis Blues
6. Dustin Byfuglien–Winnipeg Jets
7. John Klingberg–Dallas Stars
8. Drew Doughty–Los Angeles Kings
9. Brent Burns–San Jose Sharks
10. Shea Weber–Montreal Canadiens

Goalies

1. John Gibson–Anaheim Ducks
2. Roberto Luongo–Florida Panthers
3. Cory Schneider–New Jersey Devils
4. Carey Price–Montreal Canadiens
5. Peter Budaj–Los Angeles Kings
6. Steve Mason–Philadelphia Flyers (GPP only)
7. Matt Murray–Pittsburgh Penguins (GPP only)

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