I can’t say I was the biggest fan of last week’s slate, especially after Friday’s dud, but we’re back at it tonight and I genuinely like what I see on the board. Let’s hope we get some early scoring and avoid another night of chasing points.

Slate Preview

New Jersey Devils

This should be a high-energy game, as Winnipeg fans are ready for the return of Connor Hellebuyck. It may feel similar to Brady Tkachuk‘s return to Ottawa a few weeks ago, even if Hellebuyck won’t actually be in net. Devils GM Sunny Meta apparently crunched the numbers and determined that starting one of the league’s best goalies might lower your win probability. He’s 5-0 in his starts, but sure. I’m somewhat of a scientist myself.

Despite all that, I like the Devils in DFS tonight. Over their last 10 games, I’d argue they’ve been the second-best even-strength team in the league behind only Colorado. That’s important because the Devils don’t offer much power-play correlation among their top six forwards. For me, the focus is on the second line, specifically the unit centered by Jack Hughes.

For single-entry contests, I’m strongly considering this group. My only concern is the price tag. The line checks in at $19,700, and at that cost I’d prefer to see them skating together in all situations. Still, they looked excellent late in Sunday’s game against Toronto and draw a favorable matchup against a struggling Winnipeg team.

Ottawa Senators

I can’t get Logan Thompson‘s performance against Dallas last week out of my head. As I dug into this slate, I kept coming back to Ottawa and think there’s a good chance the Senators control play at even strength for much of this game.

I lean toward the top line because it includes two members of Ottawa’s top power-play unit, with Tim Stützle serving as the centerpiece. There’s certainly an argument for leaving Fabian Zetterlund out of the stack, but I may just run all three forwards together. It creates a more unique build, and all three have generated strong volume over their last ten games, each recording more than 20 shots on goal.

The full trio comes in at $15,800. If you wanted to swap Zetterlund for someone on the second line, the build remains affordable. This feels like a spot where I could add a defenseman and roll out a 4-3-1 construction.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Before getting too invested here, I want to see what the Blue Jackets’ lines look like. Most of my interest comes from their power-play matchup against a Florida team that has spent plenty of time in the penalty box over the past month.

If the top line remains Matthew Knies, Sean Monahan, and Kent Johnson, and they stay together on the power play, this could become a very sneaky, correlated stack that sees significant man-advantage time. While I’d prefer Adam Fantilli at center, Monahan skating at 1C may cause this line to fly under the radar, creating leverage if he finds the scoresheet.

I’m monitoring this situation closely. If Columbus rolls out a different configuration at even strength, I may move on, but as of 9 a.m., this is a group firmly on my radar.

Defense

Quinn Hughes continues to do Quinn Hughes things, with five points in his last five games. He draws a matchup against Montreal that could feature plenty of offense and would be my preferred premium defenseman at $6,600. Seth Jones recently surpassed 20 points on the season and, despite a slight salary increase to $6,000, remains a strong option.

In the mid-range, Josh Morrissey practiced yesterday and is worth considering at $5,400. Lane Hutson is priced just below him and enters tonight with seven assists in his last five games. Thomas Chabot, at $4,800, has recorded a point in four straight games and is someone I’m strongly considering.

Value options are a little thinner tonight, but Jonas Brodin stands out at $3,500. His offensive involvement has been noticeable, and he carries block-shot upside after recording six blocks in his last game. I’ll also mention Kaiden Guhle, who rewarded me with 9.3 DraftKings points against Toronto last Saturday. At $3,300, he’s a solid punt play.

Goalies

Joel Hofer ($8,200) is my favorite spend-up goalie tonight. His offense hasn’t provided much support over his last two starts, but he draws an excellent matchup against Detroit. There aren’t many St. Louis skaters I’m interested in, but I could certainly justify paying up for Hofer if salary allows.

Sam Ersson ($8,000) has won three consecutive starts. For whatever reason, I keep circling back to Ottawa tonight. I’m sure that won’t come back to haunt me around 10 p.m. CST.

Jesper Wallstedt finds himself in a game that could feature offense from both sides, but I’m at the point where he’s under consideration regardless of matchup. His price has dipped below $8,000 again, making him an intriguing option if I have salary remaining.

There aren’t many cheap goaltenders that stand out on this slate. Sometimes that’s just how it goes. If I had to choose one, it would be Juuse Saros at $7,300, coming off back-to-back 20+ DraftKings point performances.

That's it for now — best of luck tonight!

For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.