It took 18 consecutive losses before the Buffalo Sabres finally eradicated their losing woes in a 6-1 shellacking of the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. Week 12 rolls into Thursday with a nine-game slate that offers several matchups we previously saw play out on Tuesday. Will the Blue Jackets pull off another surprise upset over G Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning? Does Blackhawks G Kevin Lankinen go for 30+ saves and a .969 save percentage again to defeat the Hurricanes and keep Chicago in the playoff hunt? Is it possible Buffalo carries the momentum from their win last night into Thursday’s home-ice matchup against the red-hot New York Rangers?
With numerous storylines to follow and value plays to target when constructing your lineups, let’s have a look at a few skaters that should cash for you while remaining undervalued.
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Center
Ryan Strome (NYR): $5,900 @ BUF
The 27-year old centers the Rangers’ second-line alongside talented LW Artemi Panarin, earning additional minutes on the top power-play unit. Strome has at least a point or more in nine consecutive games and should be in line for a multi-point game against the worst team in the league when they travel to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. The Sabres are expected to start reserve G Dustin Tokarski, who has a 4.11 GAA and .890 SV% in just two starts this season, creating a massive opportunity for all six skaters on the Rangers’ top two lines to generate huge production. Strome is a consistent point scorer and is a good value play in your lineup, averaging over 19 minutes of time on ice (ATOI) across his last four starts.
Wing
T.J. Oshie (WSH): $5,600 @ NYI
T.J. Oshie is a ridiculous value play in your lineups against the New York Islanders on Thursday night. The 34-year old American skates on Washington’s first line and the top power-play unit, averaging over 18 minutes of time on ice with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) on 65 shots on goal. The Islanders’ netminder G Semyon Varlamov plays solid in between the pipes and will present a solid challenge for Oshie, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Still, their collective offensive talent is among the best in the league, making for an intriguing game to watch unfold. Oshie has two goals and three assists across his last three games and managed to light the lamp in his last outing against the Islanders, making him a great value add to your lineups on Thursday night.
Defense
Alec Martinez (VGK): $4,600 vs. MIN
Alec Martinez sees quite a bit of time on ice, earning 22:51 ATOI in 34 games for the Golden Knights this season. Skating on the top defensive line alongside fellow D Shea Theodore, Martinez also gets a chance to get pucks on the net while logging minutes on the team’s second power-play unit. Despite being held without a point and just one shot on goal during Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Martinez managed to rack up goals in back-to-back games before Wednesday and is a talented skater in the offensive zone. The Minnesota Wild are expected to start G Cam Talbot in the net on Thursday, who allowed three goals in his last start against a San Jose Sharks team with much less fire-power than the Vegas Golden Knights. A key statistic to highlight for rostering Martinez is the fact that Talbot allowed nine goals across his last two starts against Vegas, signaling that there will be a lot of shots on goal from the Golden Knights and an opportunity for Martinez to flourish and return value in your lineups during the late puck-drop on Thursday night.
Goalie
Casey DeSmith (PIT): $8,300 @ BOS
Pittsburgh has the luxury of seeing both of their goaltenders overcome early struggles, elevating their play in the net during recent stretches. The 29-year old DeSmith is expected to start on Thursday against Boston, one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league this season. The Bruins have scored an average of 2.75 goals per game, well under the league average (2.91), which drives up DeSmith’s value in your lineup on Thursday night. He has a 1.91 GAA with a .929 SV%, earning eight wins in 11 starts for the Penguins. DeSmith also has two shutouts across his last six starts, allowing more than one goal only once during this same stretch. Since the play of the goalie you opt to roster in DFS dictates a lot of the scoring production in your lineup due to the possibility of earning bonus points from a win or shutout, DeSmith should be a lock in your lineups at this salary.
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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_.
