Good morning, all! We have a fun 11-gamer upcoming tonight! I love slates where I can really get creative with my build and tonight offers just that.

Slate Preview

New York Islanders

Be honest, you knew that I was going to the Islanders, who again find themselves in a good spot on an 8-12 game slate.

The Islanders are going to welcome a Ducks team that got shelled last night out against the Rangers and are on the second half of a road back-to-back. It's also a Ducks team that is giving up plenty of chances with 29 shots against per game in their last three contests. The Ducks did this last season too, where there would be stretches where they would sit close to 30 shots on goal against per game, and when that happens, I'll look at who they're up against.

For the Islanders, their top line of Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat, and Kyle Palmieri is going to skate together at all strengths and I think could go far overlooked tonight. I have some ice time concerns for the wings on the top line, but if I can get on the scoresheet once, I'll be happy. This is a line that in single entry formats has my attention, going out against an Anaheim club that has dropped their last three games.

Colombus Blue Jackets

I haven't played any Columbus so far on the season but tonight might just be a slate where I dip my toe into the water and roster some Blue Jackets going up against the Maple Leafs on a road back-to-back.

On tonight's slate that includes Edmonton, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Colorado…the Blue Jackets and their top line are going to get skipped. The top line for Columbus is going to skate together at all strengths, and that's where my interest lies. Toronto on the season so far has had a league best PK by kill percentage, but they are third by shots against at all strengths.

I know we'll hear all about Matthew Knies playing for the Leafs…pretty much this time last month, but he's third by shots on goal on the top line for Columbus with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson. As a line, this would be where I'd look to stack the Blue Jackets and will of course add in Zach Werenski to this build as well.

Vegas Golden Knights

I have interest in Vegas' top line tonight, but more so as an anchor where I can mix and match my stacks with them in multi-entry.

Jack Eichel is at six points in his last three games, with Mark Stone at seven points in his last three games. I love playing Vegas on home ice, and this duo has been great so far together. You can add in Ivan Barbashev to make this a top-line stack, but he has no goals so far on the season, so if you wanted to make this a three-man stack for the Knights, you could add Mitch Marner or even Tomas Hertl if that's the direction you want to go.

For me, I would consider making a stack that would be something like Eichel & Stone + the St. Louis top line, or Eichel & Stone + the Boston top line. Their pricing allows you to create builds like that plus you should still have salary leftover to potentially spend up on goaltending.

Defense

The tippy-top of the board is where I'd land if I'm spending up, and the good news is there's enough cheaper defensemen here tonight that could allow you to do so. Yes, Zach Werenski is $8K, but he has double-digit DK points in every game so far this season. If I'm paying a hefty price-tag, that's the type of production I'm looking for.

In the mid-tier pricing, I really like Brandt Clarke at $5,500, with points in his last three games. Filip Hronek is another great option, as he has hit the block bonus three times this season and will likely have the chance to achieve that again tonight out against the Hurricanes.

There are plenty of cheaper defensemen that I have circled tonight, starting with Colton Parayko at $3,900. His offense started to pick up last week, and he is usually live for the block bonus as well. At the same price, Rasmus Andersson has seen a minutes bump since the season started and is priced down to where he makes for an excellent play sub-$4K. Jaccob Slavin for the Hurricanes has played better lately and this morning when I went to check his game sheet on DraftKings I accidentally added him to my lineup. Maybe it's a sign?

Goalies

I don't see the need to spend up in net tonight, as the highest I would go would be Ilya Sorokin at $7,500. He's been great so far to start the season but if you do decide to roster him, just be sure to check back before lineup lock that he is in net tonight for New York. Last week, for reasons that remain unclear, we got the Semyon Varlamov show. That's a no-fly zone for me!

Jake Oettinger at $7,400 should see good volume tonight going up against the Bruins, and Oettinger himself has been fantastic so far to start the season. For goaltenders tonight, he feels like a steal given where he is priced.

For a cheaper goaltender…buckle in, I don't mind Leevi Meralinen. Walk with me, friends. I think plenty of folks out there are going to see the Vancouver logo behind his picture (where he's still in a Senators sweater) and look elsewhere. All that said, he's played well given his situation on a struggling Canucks club. He currently sits fifth by goals saved above average and will see volume tonight from the Hurricanes. For $6,900 tonight, I don't mind taking a swing if you need salary relief in net.

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

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