Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks have a prime matchup on Thursday

The NHL slate has been a consistent one this week. We had a seven-game slate Tuesday, a six-gamer last night, and we get back to seven games again tonight. All eyes will be on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight as they aim to tie the NHL record for most consecutive victories at 17 on the road against Washington. While that plays out we have some business to take care of, so let’s have a look at tonight’s FanDuel NHL Lineup Advice!

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Center

Connor McDavid (EDM): $8,600 vs. BOS
One guy that won’t be too upset to see the calendar flip over to the New Year is  McDavid. McDavid came out of the gates hard with 31 points over his first 24 games and looked like he would run away with in the scoring title. However, he has just five points over his last nine games which, by his standards, is certainly not enough. He gets a chance to get back on track tonight in a road matchup against the Bruins. While Boston has been solid defensively with just 2.40 goals against per game (7th), their back end can be suspect at times and that low number has a lot to do with the fine work Tuukka Rask has put in this season. This pick has more to do with taking the second best player on the planet to get back on track than it does anything else.

Jori Lehtera (STL): $3,900 vs. CAR
Lehtera will likely never put up gaudy number like top centermen, and it certainly reflects in his cost. However, there is a strong belief in St. Louis that he and Vladimir Tarasenko have some excellent chemistry, and that can only help Lehtera’s fantasy prospects. He assisted on one of Tarasenko’s two goals in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2 and will once again line up between him and fellow budding star Jaden Schwartz on what I believe is the Blues’ top line. He also centers the duo on the power play, a unit that ranks 9th with a 20.8% clip this season.

Wing

Patrick Kane (CHI): $8,700 vs. BUF
Beware of the player facing his hometown team. Also, beware of Kane after he goes two straight without a point. A favorable matchup awaits Kane tonight as the Blackhawks play host to the lowly Sabres. The Blackhawks have beat the Sabres in nine straight meetings and have scored at least three goals in seven of those nine wins. Kane enters play tonight tied for 10th in league in scoring with 37 points and alone at 10th with 129 shots on goal. He and the Blackhawks should be all over Buffalo tonight, and Kane falls into the “must-have” category as a result.

Vladimir Tarasenko (STL): $8,800 vs. CAR
Not hard to see this one coming given the inclusion of Lehtera in this lineup. Tarasenko had just two points in six games heading into Monday’s win over the Blackhawks in which he potted two third-period goals to lead the Blues to victory. Judging by his history of serious hot streaks, I firmly believe he is embarking on another after a brief slump in the last two weeks of 2016. His 41 points are fourth in the league and his 138 shots rank third. The Hurricanes are a solid defensive team at home (2.31 goals against per game), but that number jumps to 2.85 on the road.

Spencer Abbott (CHI): $3,000 vs. BUF
Abbott, a journeyman AHL player, falls into a pretty comfy situation tonight in his Blackhawks’ debut. After scoring 21 points in 30 AHL games this season, Abbott has been recalled by the big club and appears to be lining up next to Jonathan Toews and Marion Hossa on the team’s second line. Despite this just being his second NHL game of his career, he could provide big value should his line click for some offense tonight against the visiting Sabres.

Frank Vatrano (BOS): $4,200 vs. EDM
Another under-the-radar selection tonight could be  Vatrano of the Bruins. His time in the AHL is likely complete due to his utter domination of that league. Last season Vatrano scored 36 times in 36 games for the Bruins AHL team in Providence before tallying eight goals in 36 games for the Bruins. After beginning the year with an injury, Vatrano scored twice in his two games on the farm before being called up to likely spend the remainder of the season with the Bruins. He has fared well with two goals and four points in six games and lines up on the Bruins’ second line and second power-play unit as well.

Defense

Alex Pietrangelo (STL): $5,600 vs. CAR
Pietrangelo is a fairly large beast on and off the scoresheet for the Blues. On the scoresheet, he has seven goals and 18 points in 37 games, a solid production clip of 0.49 points per game for a defenseman. Off the scoresheet, the veteran rearguard has 83 shots on goal while blocking 78 as well. He is averaging over 24 minutes per game in all roles on the Blues’ blueline and makes for a solid play just about every night.

Nick Jensen (DET): $3,200 vs. LA
Welcome to tonight’s value play on the blueline. Jensen has done quite well in his brief time with the Red Wings this season with two points and nine shots on goal in six games. He isn’t a huge offensive threat from his time in the AHL but he played a career-high 20 minutes in last night’s loss in Anaheim while taking three shots and blocking two as well. He should be in for a similar workload tonight as head coach Jeff Blashill will likely spread the ice time out as the team is on the back end of back-to-back games.

Goalie

Corey Crawford (CHI): $8,800 vs. BUF
If history is any indication this pick should be a solid one. Crawford’s Blackhawks, as mentioned, have taken care of the Sabres nine times in a row and Chicago has held the Sabres to two goals or less in seven of their last 10  meetings. Buffalo also hasn’t scored more than three times in any of those 10 meetings. Buffalo scores just 2.36 goals per game on the road and the Blackhawks allow just 2.14 at home. Crawford is a must-start at home against one of the NHL’s weakest offenses.

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Kemper is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Kemper, check out his site www.doubleupsports.com and follow him @KemperDoubleUp.