The NHL has a seven-game slate on tap for Thursday night, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to load up on high-value players in DFS lineups. Wednesday yielded several surprises, starting with the New York Islanders and Arizona Coyotes, each scoring at least five goals en route to blowout victories. In addition, Calgary enjoyed their own 6-0 rout of the Vegas Golden Knights, as Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (G -N CGY) recorded his eighth shutout of the season.
Goals have been stacking up across the league, so adding at least a few of these recommended players will prove lucrative at the end of Thursday night. Games that oddsmakers project to go over six goals include matchups between Washington at Montreal, Carolina at Boston, Ottawa hosting Pittsburgh, New Jersey at St. Louis, and Colorado hosting Tampa Bay. So if you feel overwhelmed or unsure of how you want to approach lineup construction, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with eight of my favorite prospects during Thursday’s seven-game NHL slate.
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Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Patrik Laine (C – CBJ): $4,500
Patrik Laine is finally delivering the production the Columbus Blue Jackets expected when they traded to acquire him from the Winnipeg Jets last season. The 23-year old is now in his sixth year in the league and has strung together four consecutive multi-point outings across his previous four games played. Laine attempts three to five shots on goal and earns additional minutes on Columbus’ top powerplay unit. He enters Tuesday’s game with massive momentum and will face an extremely vulnerable Buffalo Sabres team with reserve netminder Dustin Tokarski (G – BUF) tasked with defending the crease. Tokarski has surrendered 12 goals in his previous three games played. Laine is a massive value at a $4,500 salary on DraftKings, so go ahead and plug him into lineups with confidence.
Tom Wilson (RW – WAS): $4,400
One of the league’s most notorious wingers is 27-year old Tom Wilson. The big-bodied veteran has spent all nine seasons with Washington and currently occupies the second-line attack and their top powerplay unit. The Capitals have been without Alex Ovechkin (LW – WAS), which is undoubtedly a factor in their 4-6 record across the previous ten games. However, this has allowed Wilson to rack up a few extra opportunities in Ovechkin’s absence. Wilson has two goals and an assist in the previous four games. His numbers aren’t eye-popping by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s another great value player at under $5,000. The Capitals will face Montreal, which plans on deploying Cayden Primeau (G – MTL) in the net. Primeau surrendered an abysmal seven goals in his last start against New Jersey, so there is zero hesitation with plugging Wilson into lineups as a salary saver with tremendous upside.
Torey Krug (D – STL): $5,400
St. Louis is heating up and sitting firmly in the fourth seed within the Central Division. 30-year old defenseman Torey Krug has been a solid contributor, accruing six assists during this ten-game stretch. He has a 3:1 assist: goal ratio, so you aren’t rostering Krug for his scoring prowess. Despite skating on the Blues ‘ second defensive line, he’s talented enough to earn minutes on the top powerplay unit. Krug also likes to dive in front of opposing shots, which counters the lack of shots on goal. You could do a lot worse than Krug, and he will face New Jersey goaltender Jon Gillies (G – NJ), who had a great game in his last start against Montreal but surrendered six goals in his previous start against Toronto. However, St. Louis is closer to Toronto’s talent level than Montreal, so get Krug into lineups at a solid price.
Ville Husso (G – STL): $8,300
This season, Ville Husso has been fantastic behind Jordan Binnington (G – STL). The 27-year old reserve netminder has a 1.90 GAA, a 9-3-2 record, and two recorded shutouts. Husso has allowed a total of eight goals in his previous five starts, which includes one of his shutouts, so he’s carrying momentum into Thursday’s home tilt against a sub-par New Jersey Devils offense. The Devils had a rare scoring burst in a 7-1 win on Tuesday but don’t expect this trend to continue, particularly against Husso. New Jersey had only scored one goal in three of their previous four games before their massive win on Tuesday. This means Husso should be trusted in lineups to defend the crease with ease on Thursday night.
Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000
Erik Haula (C – BOS): $5,200
With Patrice Bergeron (C – BOS) day-to-day due to an upper-body injury sustained on Tuesday, 30-year old center Erik Haula will get the bump up to the first-line attack for the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Haula managed to produce an assist during a 4-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins while attempting three shots on goal. Haula is intriguing to me due to the talent surrounding him on the Bruins’ first-line attack, with Brad Marchand (LW – BOS) and David Pastrnak (RW – BOS) combining for 94 points. Haula has also scored two of his five goals within the last four games he’s played, which adds to his appeal at $5,200 on FanDuel. This season, Frederik Andersen (G – CAR) is among the best goaltenders in the league, so it won’t be an easy task. However, I believe in Boston showing up after a bad loss on Tuesday. Andersen did surrender four goals to Toronto during his last start on Monday, showing that he can be vulnerable. Haula is an inexpensive asset with promising upside due to his momentum and his personnel.
Tyler Toffoli (RW – MTL): $6,400
I’ve been running back to Tyler Toffoli for days now. Since his return from a hand injury, the 29-year old first-line winger has been good for a bad Montreal Canadiens team. He was held without a point against New Jersey on Tuesday, but he did attempt four shots on goal. The volume and usage matter, as Toffoli will stay home to host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov (G – WAS) has surrendered four goals in the last 21 minutes he’s been defending the crease. He has struggled at times this season, and one of those lulls is right now, so Toffoli should be able to get right back in the point column against a Capitals team missing its leader and top point-scorer Alex Ovechkin.
Oliver Kylington (D – CGY): $5,200
Second-line Calgary defenseman Oliver Kylington has a nice three-game point streak intact heading into Thursday’s home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite not skating on either powerplay unit, the 24-year old earns roughly 19 to 20 minutes average time on ice and is not afraid to take shots when in the offensive zone. Kylington has two assists, and a goal in his previous three games but will face the talented Jack Campbell (G – TOR) defending the crease for Toronto tonight. Campbell is undoubtedly in the mix for Vezina Trophy consideration, but he did allow New Jersey to score three goals in nine minutes and allowed a combined total of 13 goals in his previous three starts. Kylington is rolling, so why pivot now? He’s a solid value and should only help launch lineups into the green by the end of the night.
Tristan Jarry (G – PIT): $7,900
After enduring a four-game losing skid, the Pittsburgh Penguins are pulling themselves out of the hole they dug themselves. Part of the reason is the elevated play of goaltender Tristan Jarry, now in his sixth year with the franchise. The 26-year old goaltender has had some memorable moments, both good and bad. Still, he came prepared to handle business against a talented Boston Bruins attack on Tuesday, allowing only two goals while facing 45 shots. We’ve also seen Jarry produce three shutouts this season, so he’s certainly talented enough to lead the Pens on a winning streak. Of course, it will depend on Pittsburgh’s offense, as Jarry allowed four goals against Ottawa three weeks ago but still managed to pull out the victory. Rostering a goaltender on a winning team can often make the difference between cashing a lineup. Jarry is enticing regardless, but the sub-$8,000 salary is too appealing to pass up.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
