This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. DET ($8,500): It's been four days since Vasilevskiy last played, and he gets an easy matchup against the winless Wings. There are 18 goalies tonight but other than Vasilevskiy no one seems like a sure bet. Keith Kinkaid ($7,900) against Semyon Varlamov ($7,400) is a toss-up and Corey Crawford ($8,300) feels expensive. Even with a sputtering offense, the Lightning should provide enough goal support. Vasilevskiy is 6-0 with a 1.71 GAA against the Red Wings in his career.
CENTER
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. PIT ($8,200): Matthews is going to abuse the Penguins defense, which doesn't defend well as a group and far too reliant on an injury-prone risk taker in Kris Letang. The Penguins are bottom 10 in both shot and goals against per game and nothing has changed overnight to make them more capable of stopping an elite scoring unit, even if Matt Murray starts. Matthews has 10 goals and 16 points in seven games.
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at TOR ($6,700): Geno is undervalued as an elite center with nine points in five games this season, and enters Thursday's game with six assists in his past three games. There are plenty of talented centers but Malkin has proven his ability to score at an elite level. Defense has not been Toronto's strong suit and Malkin has an astonishing 59 points in 35 career games against the Buds.
WING
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. ARI ($7,600): Kane is on an absolute tear with four goals and six points in his past four games and averaging six shots per game. He's a high-volume scoring machine right now and scoring at the highest pace in four seasons. Arizona isn't always an easy matchup but Kane has 45 points in 35 career games against them and the return of Corey Crawford could give the team a boost.
Artemi Panarin, CLS vs. PHI ($6,100): The Jackets do not look good at all this season but the Bread Man's doing his best to land earn some big dough with five points in his past three games. The Flyers defense has not been any better than the Jackets', but at least on any given night the Jackets have the superior goaltender. In what should be a high-scoring affair, Panarin could break out with multiple points.
Claude Giroux, PHI at CLS ($5,500): He's an Art Ross runner-up with three multi-point efforts in his past four games, yet Tomas Hertl ($5,700) and Jeff Carter ($5,800) are more expensive. Sergei Bobrovsky isn't scaring anyone right now and if there's one thing the Flyers are doing right so far, it's definitely scoring goals. He's still got great chemistry with new (former?) linemate Jakub Voracek.
DEFENSE
Alexander Edler, VAN at WPG ($5,800): Edler should be a DFS mainstay because of the enormous role he plays for the Canucks. He averages over 25 minutes per game, leads all defensemen with 35 blocked shots by a margin of 14 and anchors the power play because no one else on the team can. He is a high-floor, low-ceiling option, but he might be the best one.
Dennis Cholowski, DET at TB ($4,000): He's obviously a gamble but the 20-year-old is an intriguing rookie. In short, he's been very impressive, scoring three points in four games and averaging more than 22 minutes per game. He skates, passes and shoots well and he blocks a lot of shots (11), putting up Zach Werenski-like lines. Tampa is a tough opponent but Cholowski deserves strong consideration among cheaper defensemen for the amount of upside he brings.
