This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. TOR ($7,700) – Vasilevskiy is 1-1 in his two appearances against the Leafs this season, making 29 saves in a shutout win in January but allowed four goals in a one-goal loss just two weeks ago, no thanks to Auston Matthews' three-assist night. Now that Matthews is out, keeping pucks out of the net should be a lot easier. Vasilevskiy is a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy this season and victorious in his past two starts, both of which were on the road.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. VAN ($7,500) – The speedy scorer has been a nightmare for the Canucks with five points in two games against them, including a four-point effort in their previous meeting. MacKinnon's damage all came on the power play and the Canucks penalty kill ranks 27th in the league, so the Avs won't need many opportunities to capitalize. The Canucks played the Coyotes last night and Thomas Vanek sat out for precautionary reasons, which means they'll be a little tired and perhaps a little shorthanded as well. MacKinnon has scored 46 of his 66 points on home ice this season.
Nolan Patrick, PHI at MON ($4,800) – He's riding a four-game scoring streak and seven of his nine goals this season have come in the past 24 games. The Habs will likely start Antti Niemi, who has played well but not well enough to tip the scales against a Flyers team that has vaulted to the top of their division. Discount the Flyers' 1-5 shootout record and they're even better than the standings suggest, and the Habs' 193 goals allowed is fifth worst in the conference. Patrick's ice time has gone up over the course of the season, averaging 12 minutes a game for the first three months before climbing to 15:34 in February, and it's also worth noting that he's averaging close to three shots per game.
WING
Claude Giroux, PHI at MON ($7,100) – Giroux has scored eight points in his past four games, and in 29 career games against Montreal he's scored 10 goals and 23 points. The Habs are probably not done selling, which means by the time the puck drops they may be icing a far weaker lineup than they have now. Tack on the fact that Carey Price and Shea Weber are both out, and Giroux should no problems skating circles around the team. Without Tomas Plekanec, the Habs don't have another shutdown forward who can handle Giroux, who is having his best season in five years. His 15.9 percent shooting is a career high, but he's been scoring consistently all season so there's no reason to believe his efficiency will fall off a cliff.
Daniel Sedin, VAN at COL ($4,100) – He scored two goals Sunday against Arizona, giving him back-to-back games in which he's scored two points. The veteran winger is on pace for a 50-point season and has already surpassed last year's total of 15 goals, and over the course of his career he's always performed well against the Avs. Nic Dowd is not an ideal linemate, but if Vanek doesn't get moved he'll draw back into the lineup and give the twins a lethal right-hand shot to dish off to. Expected Avs starting goalie Semyon Varlamov has allowed 12 goals in his past three games, including four against the Canucks on Feb. 20.
Andre Burakovsky, WAS at CLS ($3,500) – His growth over the past few seasons has been stunted by injuries, but at his best he's a clear-cut top-six forward. He's been scoring like one over the past two games with two goals and an assist, and the only reason he's not on the top two lines is because Tom Wilson and Brett Connolly are better fits. However, he's a fixture on the second power play unit, which admittedly doesn't see a lot of ice time, but the assignment is a testament to the Caps' trust in the 23-year-old's ability to create offense. He has scored seven points in 12 career games against the Jackets and half of his goals this season have come in February.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TB vs. TOR ($6,600) – He's the front-runner for the Norris Trophy after narrowly missing out the past couple of seasons, and despite strong play from Frederik Andersen the Leafs aren't always very stout on defense. Hedman has averaged over three shots per game in his past 10 games, and his ability to stuff the score sheet in other categories makes him the best overall defenseman on the slate.
Dmitry Orlov, WAS at CLS ($3,700) – He's been one of the Caps' most dependable defensemen this season, and despite scoring just 23 points in 62 games this season he's managed to contribute in all areas with 102 hits, 100 shots and 93 blocked shots. His ceiling isn't high, thanks to injuries that sapped his previously lethal wrist shot, but his floor is solid, making him a low-risk play against a Jackets team that's won just four of their past 10.
