Below we’ve got a discussion of the best matchups and potential stacks of the day followed by player rankings for Thursday’s 12-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

Nashville Predators @ Arizona Coyotes

Nashville only has the seventh highest team total in Vegas tonight, which is still above average but not as high as it should be. Arizona has allowed the most shot attempts per 60 at even strength this season, and they have below average goaltending, which makes them an excellent matchup for opposing skaters. Arizona doesn’t have any individual matchups you have to avoid, so Nashville’s top line is the choice tonight. All three top liners, James Neal, Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg plus Roman Josi who joins them from the blue line on the power play, are all priced much better on DK than FD, so DK is the spot to use Preds tonight. They would make for an excellent GPP stack there. You need some exposure to them in cash as well. Neal is the best value on DK, and Neal or Johansen is how to get exposure on FD.

On the other side of this game, Nashville allows an above average number of shot attempts and Arizona takes an above average number of shot attempts, so the Yotes should have their chances tonight. Defenseman Oliver-Ekman Larsson is easily the most dangerous Coyote, and he’s priced well on both sites. If you’re looking for a mini-stack partner for OEL, Radim Vrbata is the best choice.

San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames

San Jose has the highest implied total in Vegas tonight, and they’ve been a good offensive team so far as they rank third among teams playing tonight in shot attempts per 60 at even strength. Calgary has a strong checking third line you’d like to avoid, which means their top line is probably the safest bet. Their second and third lines are both candidates to get matched up with Calgary’s third. Joe Pavelski is the guy you want from that line, though he’s pricey and he may be tough to roster given that there are other expensive guys you might want to roster tonight like Patrick Kane and Alex Ovechkin. If you can’t afford Pavelski, Joe Thornton is priced well on FD, and Mikkel Boedker has been skating on the top line at even strength and is a nice value on both sites. Brent Burns is also a great way to get San Jose exposure given how much he shoots the puck, but like Pavelski his salaries may be prohibitive.

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

[cointent_lockedcontent article_labels=”hockey”]

Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks

Ottawa is in a nice spot tonight hosting a Vancouver team that played last night, and they have the second highest implied total in Vegas. Mike Hoffman continues to be under-priced on both sites but especially on FD, so he’s the best way to get Sens exposure. He plays on a line with Kyle Turris and Tom Pyatt, however he does not play with either linemate on the power play. All three linemates are priced better on FD than DK, so FD is the spot for a Sens stack if you want to use one. You could also pair Hoffman with D-man Erik Karlsson who joins Hoffman on the top power play unit. Karlsson is also priced better on FD.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche

Chicago is tied with the Rangers for the third highest Vegas total of the day. The obvious target here is the Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews pairing on the top line. The one hesitation I have here is that Matt Duchene’s line for Colorado is a tough possession matchup, and there’s a pretty good chance Toews’ line draws that defensive assignment. Kane is still a chalk option to be a stud you pay up for in cash games, but the individual matchup is a bit risky. If you do end up going with Hawks (even if it’s just in a GPP), Duncan Keith is priced well on both sites, Toews is priced reasonably on DK, and Richard Panik, who joins Kane and Toews on the top line, is priced well on FD.

Washington Capitals vs. Winnipeg Jets

Washington has the fifth highest implied total in Vegas, and they have the third best matchup of the evening according to my own little matchup statistic. Winnipeg doesn’t present any individual matchups that scare me, so Ovechkin’s line is the choice here. Ovi makes for a great cash game choice where you can fit him in, and Justin Williams, who is playing on the top line with Ovi, is a very nice value on both sites. Their center, Nicklas Backstrom, can be paired with them in GPPs if you go with a full on Washington stack.

New York Rangers vs. Edmonton Oilers

As mentioned, the Rangers are tied with the Blackhawks for the third highest implied total of the night. The best value on the team is Jimmy Vesey, who is a nice moderate salary relief option on both sites in cash games. For mini-stacks or stacks, build around Vesey’s second line which includes Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. Stepan is more reasonably priced so he makes for a better mini-stack partner while Nash is best left for full NYR stacks. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh is also a really nice value as he sees quite a bit of work on the power play.

Quick Hits

Other lines I like tonight include:

Sabres: Kyle Okposo-Ryan O’Reilly-Matt Moulson, Rasmus Ristolainen

Islanders: Shane Prince, John Tavares, Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy

Lightnin: Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman

Player Rankings

Centers

1. John Tavares
2. Ryan Johansen (DK only)
3. Joe Thornton (FD only)
4. Derek Stepan
5. Ryan O’Reilly (FD only)
6. Jonathan Toews (DK only)
7. Kyle Turris (FD only)

Defensemen

1. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
2. Duncan Keith
3. Nick Leddy
4. Victor Hedman
5. Ryan McDonagh
6. Brent Burns
7. Rasmus Ristolainen

Wingers

1. Kyle Okposo
2. Mike Hoffman
3. Radim Vrbata
4. James Neal
5. Patrick Kane
6. Alex Ovechkin
7. Ondrej Palat
8. Justin Williams
9. Jimmy Vesey
10. Shane Prince
11. Matt Moulson
12. Mikkel Bodeker

Goalies

1. Marc-Andre Fleury
2. Thomas Greiss*
3. Jaroslav Halak
4. Antti Raanta*
5. Ben Bishop (FD only)
6. Robin Lehner

Goalies with an asterisk next to their name are not expected to start tonight but haven’t been ruled out, so don’t count on them playing. Any players in bold have been confirmed as the starter for the day. Make sure you always check LeftWingLock for starting goalie updates in case I am unable to update the list throughout the day.

[/cointent_lockedcontent]