A nine-game slate will be on tap during Tuesday in the NHL, with teams like Tampa Bay, Nashville, Vegas, and Toronto currently riding two or three-game win streaks. Others like Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit, and Pittsburgh find themselves on the opposite spectrum, as each of these teams has been unable to end their losing skid. Records don’t mean everything, as there are talented players buried on the depth chart of bad teams that will have every opportunity to yield massive value due to their discounted salary in DFS. However, the same applies to skaters riding a hot streak with point momentum, as their salaries will almost certainly be marked up to justify their recent performances.
Exercising a balance of buyer beware and buying low is the key to shuffling through the massive amount of players to roster when constructing winning lineups for the fourth week of the 2022 NHL season. Here are a few of my favorites to prioritize ahead of Tuesday puck drops.
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Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Sean Couturier (C – PHI): $6,600
The Flyers are in the middle of the Metropolitan Division and currently have a plus-four goal differential, with Sean Couturier anchoring the top-line in Philadelphia. The veteran is in his 11th season with the Flyers and has produced when on the ice, which averages just over 20 minutes of time on ice per game this season. Couturier was held without a point for the first time in four games against a talented Calgary Flames team on Saturday, yet he still ripped four shots on goal. He gets an even bigger bump than usual facing the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, who is definitively the worst team in the league, allowing three times the amount of goals that they score on offense. Playing on the top powerplay unit is also a nice incentive for plugging Couturier into lineups on Tuesday, as he will get prime opportunities to score and notch assists throughout the night.
Travis Konecny (LW – PHI): $5,600
I like to stack skaters on the same line, particularly in a juicy plus-matchup like the one presented to Philadelphia at home against the Arizona Coyotes. This is a big reason for backing Travis Konecny in lineups, as his salary is fairly pedestrian and you give yourself the opportunity to double-dip on scoring plays. True, the 24-year old winger on the Flyers’ first-line has not scored a goal since October 20th, however, he has at least one point in five of seven games played this season. He was unable to produce against a good Calgary Flames team this weekend but will likely face Coyotes’ goaltender Karel Vejmelka (G – ARI), who has been better in his last couple of starts in the crease but tires quickly due to the lack of offense Arizona can generate. Take advantage of a plus-matchup and even if you don’t want to stack a couple of first-line Flyers skaters, at least you can get a piece of an underrated offense against the worst team in the league on Tuesday.
Cam Fowler (D – ANA): $5,100
Anaheim has been one of the most surprising teams to start the season, manufacturing 31 goals to rank as the fourth-highest scoring team across the league. Ducks veteran defenseman Cam Fowler is coming off of a two-assist game in their win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday and will look to transfer his momentum into Tuesday’s home contest against the New Jersey Devils. Fowler skates on the second defensive line and second powerplay unit and has at least one blocked shot in four of five games played this season. Fowler isn’t an elite scoring defenseman but he does have the ability and talent surrounding him to set up a scoring play or two against Devils’ goaltender Scott Wedgewood (G – NJ), who has a 3.19 GAA in two starts this season. Plug Fowler into lineups for a solid floor and the potential to hit 20 points with a pair of assists.
Filip Gustavsson (G – OTT): $7,000
The Ottawa Senators sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division but not due to a lack of good goaltending, as the team’s inability to score (20 goals) has been the issue thus far. Second-year goaltender Filip Gustavsson will make his third start between the pipes this season and is 2-0, having allowed only three goals in these two starts while facing 70 shots. He is a cheap goaltender to insert into lineups on Tuesday and despite playing a good Minnesota Wild team, the total goals are set at 5.5, implying that defense may reign supreme in this road contest. Gustavvson is worth taking a chance on, especially considering that Minnesota has only scored 22 goals this season, barely registering above the Senators in terms of offensive output. Gustavsson will face quite a few shots and if the offense can find a few goals, he will come away with his third win of the season, flooding lineups with points. Take a risk and get a good goaltender at a discounted rate for Tuesday’s slate.
Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000
Mikael Backlund (C – CGY): $4,100
Mikael Backlund is a well-established veteran with Calgary, riding with them in good and bad seasons alike. To start the 2022 season, Backlund has been contributing to one of the best teams in the league, as Calgary is 6-1-1 with a plus-14 goal differential. While it was a slow start for the 32-year old center, Backlund has four points in his last four games, including two goals, which shows that he is settling into a rhythm on the second-line alongside Blake Coleman (LW – CGY) and Tyler Pitlick (RW – CGY). He is a great discount on one of the most potent offenses in the league facing an improved Nashville team that is still struggling to produce goals. Juuse Saros (G – NSH) has only allowed three goals in his last two starts, both yielding wins, so Backlund will need to make the most of his time in the offensive zone. At his salary and based on recently increased production, Backlund is worth a roster spot during Tuesday’s slate.
Chris Kreider (LW – NYR): $6,100
Quietly sitting atop the Metropolitan Division, the New York Rangers have emerged as an early-season playoff contender, though primarily due to the 19 goals allowed through nine games. While goaltender Igor Shesterkin (G – NYR) deserves the majority of the credit with a blistering 1.70 GAA and .947 save percentage, first-line winger Chris Kreider has found his stride as of late. The 10th year veteran has had three goals in his last two games, including two multi-point outings that have both occurred in the last ten days. Meanwhile, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (G – VAN) has been pedestrian in the net, allowing three or more goals in two of his five starts. Kreider has five or more shots in two of his last four outings, so he will certainly be involved with the Rangers’ offense alongside Ryan Strome (C – NYR) and opposite of Artemi Panarin (RW – NYR), a very good first-line to be featured on. Take advantage of Kreider’s momentum and plug him into Tuesday lineups.
Quinn Hughes (D – VAN): $6,300
Vancouver has lost three in a row and desperately needs a win on home ice against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Second-line defenseman Quinn Hughes has been involved within the offense this season and earns additional looks on the Canucks’ top powerplay unit. Hughes has averaged a whopping 28 minutes of time on ice across the last four games, which yielded a four-game point streak that came to an end against Edmonton on Saturday. He is an expensive defenseman to roster but he has the capacity and talent to produce at least a point per game, which the Canucks need now more than ever to end their losing skid. Hughes’ massive amount of time on ice and skating on the top powerplay unit is enough to convince me that he will be a solid floor play in Tuesday’s lineups, as he also has four blocked shots in his last three games.
Craig Anderson (G – BUF): $6,900
Craig Anderson is not letting father time catch up yet, as the veteran goaltender continues to impress as the Buffalo Sabres’ starter in net this season. The 40-year old netminder has a 1,98 GAA and has only one loss in five starts thus far. He and the Sabres will travel to face a talented San Jose Sharks team during the late window of Tuesday’s slate, where Anderson will face an offense that has just 22 goals scored this season and relies on their goaltending to stay atop the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, Anderson is playing lights out with enough offensive talent surrounding him to keep the goal-differential at plus-eight, which bodes well when facing a defensive-minded team like the Sharks. He may not face over 30 shots but the win will boost his appeal as an extremely cheap goaltending option on Tuesday night.
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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_.
