The 2023 portion of the NHL season is officially underway with an 11-game slate to get us going after ringing in the New Year. The current landscape of the league is beginning to form an early playoff picture, with teams like Boston, Toronto, New Jersey, and Carolina leading the way in the Eastern Conference, while Dallas and Vegas are the current front-runners in the Western Conference. Connor McDavid (C – Oilers) currently leads the league in goals (32) and is also tied for first in assists (40) with Nikita Kucherov (RW – Lightning) and Erik Karlsson (D – Sharks). Several goaltenders have recorded three shutouts, headlined by Ilya Sorokin (G – Islanders), Ville Husso (G – Red Wings), and Pyotr Kochetkov (G – Hurricanes). We’re nearing the halfway point of the regular season, so teams will begin to make runs to improve their playoff seeding once mid-April arrives.

My recommended picks from Friday’s edition of the Primer turned out to be great assets in DFS lineups. Connor McDavid scored five points, including a goal, while Jack Hughes (C – Devils) scored two goals, and Jonas Siegenthaler (D – Devils) contributed with an assist during a 4-2 road win over Pittsburgh. Martin Necas (RW – Hurricanes) recorded an assist in a 4-0 rout of Florida, while Vitek Vanecek (G – Devils) stopped 25 of 27 shots on goal to lead the Devils to a win. Adam Larsson (D – Kraken) also managed an assist in a 7-2 loss to Edmonton, while Matthew Tkachuk (RW – Panthers) was the only skater who failed to generate a point. Once again, Pyotr Kochetkov was passed over for Antti Raanta (G – Hurricanes), who recorded his second shutout this year. These picks should’ve helped you cash your DFS builds on DraftKings and FanDuel while gearing up for New Year’s Eve.

Let’s get into my top eight recommended prospects to use in DFS builds ahead of a much bigger slate on Tuesday night.

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Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Auston Matthews (C – Maple Leafs): $8,700
Toronto is one of the best teams in the league right now, winning seven of their last ten games outright, while also boasting a +31 goal differential. Auston Matthews is among the top contributors within the Maple Leafs’ attack line, scoring 18 goals and notching 24 assists this season. He has five points in his last five games, including a multi-point outing with a goal against Colorado during his last game played on New Year’s Eve. Matthews and the Maple Leafs are -265 favorites to beat St. Louis, who allow 3.6 goals per game, so pay up to land one of the biggest blue-chip prospects on the slate.

Alex Ovechkin (LW – Capitals): $9,000
We’re staying with the chalk here and continuing to invest in Alex Ovechkin’s heater horse that he’s currently riding. The veteran winger has four goals in his last two games played and is setting all types of records, so with Washington facing Buffalo at home as -265 favorites in a game where the goal total line is -120 over six goals, it’s shaping up to be another big night for the talented star. Pay up to acquire Ovechkin’s massive ceiling.

Shayne Gostisbehere (D – Coyotes): $5,600
We’re dipping into the bottom of the barrel here but it’s still a value play. Defensemen are top-heavy in terms of production and pricing in DFS, so I’m opting to roll with Shayne Gostisbehere, who stays busy on both ends of the rink for Arizona. The 29-year-old has three points in his last four games played, while also being a high-shot volume player in the offensive zone. Gostisbehere can rack up blocked shots too, creating a high floor that is appealing at $5,600 on DraftKings.

Cam Talbot (G – Senators): $8,100
Ottawa’s veteran netminder, Cam Talbot, is 10-9-1 as a starter for the Senators in the net this season. Talbot is coming off of a poor showing against Detroit, surrendering four goals on 25 shots, but he’s matched up against one of the worst offenses in the league on Tuesday night. Columbus is a bottom five-offense in terms of goal scoring with 2.7 goals per game, giving Talbot a nice bounce-back spot as a home favorite.

Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000

Steven Stamkos (C – Lightning): $9,300
Tampa Bay is on a three-game winning streak and climbing its way up the Atlantic Division ranks. Veteran Steven Stamkos has been involved with all of the Lightning’s success in the past decade and he continues to be a big piece despite playing in his 15th season for the organization. Stamkos already has 17 goals and 41 total points and is fresh off of a two-point outing against Arizona, where he also scored a goal. The Lightning will travel to play the lowly Chicago Blackhawks, who allow 3.8 goals per game, so it’s a smash spot to pay up for Stamkos’ services in DFS.

Jamie Benn (LW – Stars): $7,000
Dallas sits in first place atop the Central Division with a +33 goal differential, relying on Jamie Benn as a key piece of its offense. The 14-yea veteran is another player who has spent his entire career within the same organization like Stamkos, allowing him to carve out a role no matter the personnel. This season, Benn has 36 points which include 15 goals, so he’s trending towards crushing the 46 total points he logged last season. Benn has a point in five consecutive games entering Tuesday’s road contest against Los Angeles. The Kings are expected to allow plenty of scoring opportunities as a bottom-eight goaltending unit, allowing 3.4 goals per game, while the goal total line is leaning over 6.5 goals. We’re getting Benn at a value here, so plug him in with confidence.

Vince Dunn (D – Kraken): $5,300
Seattle is a good team to target for cheap defensemen. Vince Dunn fits the billing, logging four goals and 17 assists for the Kraken this season. The 26-year-old has three assists across his past two games, which include a couple of blocked shots and shots on goal to create a decent floor without an assist. Seattle will play another head-to-head game against Edmonton, who just beat them 7-2, but Dunn possesses enough juice to be a solid salary-saving option on FanDuel.

Matt Murray (G – Maple Leafs): $8,600
Discarded by Pittsburgh and finally free from Ottawa’s struggles, 28-year-old goaltender Matt Murray is playing some of the best games of his career for Toronto this season. Murray is 9-3-2 as a starter with a 2.44 GAA and .920 save percentage, coming off of a win against Colorado where he allowed two goals on 28 shots. It helps to have elite offensive personnel, but Murray is talented enough in his own right and will be in a good spot to win against a pedestrian St. Louis Blues offense on Tuesday night.