This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. FLA ($8,400): It seems like a pretty good idea to bet against the winless Cats, especially with the two other matchups expected to be much closer affairs. Holtby nearly lost his starting job last season and he's off to another mediocre start this season, but his career numbers against the Panthers (10-2-1, .920 SV%) are very solid and the Caps have been providing a lot of goal support.
CENTER
Eric Staal, MIN at DAL ($5,600):Ben Bishop is still a shaky goalie and the Wild shouldn't have trouble scoring. Staal has four points in six games, a slight regression that surprises nobody, but he continues to be a very effective player for them. He shoots the puck a lot and ranks third on the team with four blocked shots. He has scored 12 goals and 19 points in 23 career games against Dallas.
Ryan Johansen, NSH at CGY ($5,000): The big playmaker has a goal and four assists in his past three games and six points in six games this season. Johansen's career high is 71 points, a total he could surpass this season, and he's one of those players who relishes matchups against good players. He scored four points in three games last year against Sean Monahan and the Flames.
WING
Alex Ovechkin, WAS vs. FLA ($7,900): Ovechkin's career numbers against Florida: 36 goals, 40 assists, plus-15 and 306 shots in 60 games. That's over five shots per game and Ovechkin has been on a roll lately with back-to-back multi-point efforts. James Reimer allowed just one goal on 42 shots in his lone start against the Caps last year, but it'll be hard to replicate that performance facing the No. 2 power play in the league.
Matt Tkachuk, CGY vs. NSH ($5,300): He scored two points against Boston to give him nine points, an excellent start to a potential breakout season. Pekka Rinne has been below average against the Flames in his career with a .904 save percentage, and Tkachuk is a living nightmare in the crease. Tkachuk is also averaging nearly three shots on net per game which helps raise the floor of his fantasy value.
Colton Sceviour, FLA at WAS ($2,700): Bob Boughner demoted Mike Hoffman to the fourth line to "balance" out the scoring, but we all know that's a euphemism for something else. Sceviour moves to the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau, providing an instant boost to his fantasy value. Sceviour was a 30-goal scorer in the AHL so he's got the ability to finish, but there's no question he's a boom-or-bust option in the bargain bin.
DEFENSE
John Klingberg, DAL vs. MIN ($5,700): He had a five-game point streak snapped in a shutout loss but he's still on pace to finish with 82 points. It's early, but Klingberg is playing like he can be a Norris winner and he's got the right offense to help boost his numbers. Devan Dubnyk has not been good against Dallas in his career and the Wild are seventh in penalties taken.
Keith Yandle, FLA at WAS ($5,400): Yandle is on a three-game point streak and again solidifying himself as one of the league's most dependable vets. He's been shooting the puck a lot more, which is nice to see, and leads all Panthers defensemen in almost every category. Yandle is a low-floor defenseman with 13 points in 22 career games against the Caps.
