Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning have a solid matchup in DraftKings’ Thursday slate of NHL games against a Canucks team that ranks 31st in the league with 2.55 goals per game.
Thursday has 11 games scheduled, including four at 7 p.m. ET, one at 7:30 p.m. ET, one at 8 p.m. ET, one at 9 p.m. ET, three at 10 p.m. ET and one at 10:30 p.m. ET. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
Tampa Bay (at Vancouver), Minnesota (vs. Chicago), Columbus (vs. NY Rangers), Los Angeles (vs. Philadelphia) and Edmonton (vs. Florida) are the biggest favorites on the Moneyline. The over/under for Panthers-Oilers, Sabres-Sharks and Lightning-Canucks is 6.5 goals. The Flyers-Kings matchup is expected to yield 5.5 goals, while the majority of the contests anticipate 6.0 goals.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL at VAN): Vasilevskiy has been a mixed bag since returning from the Olympic break, posting a 4-5-0 record while allowing 26 goals on 235 shots in nine appearances. However, he has a solid matchup against a Canucks team that ranks 31st in the league with 2.55 goals per game. He also has a 10-3-0 record with a 2.18 GAA and a .924 save percentage against Vancouver in his career.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at OTT ($7,200): Sorokin has won three of his last three outings while surrendering only eight goals on 108 shots. He has been better on the road than at home this campaign, going 18-7-1 with five shutouts, a 2.27 GAA and a .918 save percentage away from UBS Arena. Sorokin has also won his last three appearances against the Senators while making 102 saves on 110 shots.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nick Suzuki, MTL at DET ($6,900): Suzuki has lit the lamp in three straight games while adding 10 shots on net and three assists during his four-game point streak. He also has one goal and five helpers in his last five appearances against the Red Wings.
Frank Nazar, CHI at MIN ($4,400): Nazar has compiled four goals on 14 shots and six assists in his past seven contests. He has one goal and two helpers on the power play during that stretch. Nazar also notched one goal and two points in Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild.
Bobby McMann, SEA at NSH ($4,300): McMann is all over the scoresheet since being acquired from Toronto, collecting four goals on 10 shots and two assists during a three-game point streak. He also has two goals, seven shots and one assist in two previous appearances against the Predators this campaign.
Vladimir Tarasenko, MIN vs. CHI ($4,200): Tarasenko has netted three goals while chipping in three assists and 11 shots in his last five games. He found the back of the net against the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Lightning at Canucks
Nikita Kucherov (W – $9.500), Brandon Hagel (W – $7,500), Anthony Cirelli (C – $4,500)
Kucherov has generated five goals on 22 shots and 10 assists in the last six games. He has four multipoint performances during that span and four power-play points (one goal, three assists). Hagel has three goals, 12 shots and five assists in six games heading into Thursday night’s action. He is boom-or-bust recently, earning three multipoint outings and three pointless efforts. Cirelli has accounted for seven assists, eight points and eight shots on target in his last six matches.
Tampa Bay’s top line combined for five goals and 12 points in Tuesday’s 6-2 win over Seattle. The trio has considerable offensive upside against a Vancouver squad that has allowed the most goals per game (3.67) in the league this season. The Canucks also sit last in the league in penalty-kill proficiency.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. FLA ($7,500): Bouchard has been held off the scoresheet on only one occasion across his past 12 appearances. He has amassed four goals, 14 assists, 33 shots and 12 blocks during that stretch. He has five multipoint performances and 10 power-play points (one goal, nine assists). Bouchard picked up three helpers in a 6-3 win over Florida on Nov. 22.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at SJS ($7,300): Dahlin has gone three straight games without a point after racking up two goals and 10 assists in his previous six outings. However, he is a good bet to get back on track Thursday. In his last three matches versus San Jose, he has supplied one goal, five assists and 10 shots on net.
The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Corey Abbott plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: armchair_gm, DraftKings: thenext1, Yahoo: Why.
