Hunter Skoczylas gives his top studs and value plays for Tuesday’s eight-game fantasy hockey slate on DraftKings.

The NHL is back with an eight-game slate on Tuesday night, with four teams playing the second leg of a back-to-back –– the Maple Leafs, Predators, Lightning and Wild. Join the fantasy hockey action on DraftKings!

Let’s dive into my favorite NHL DFS targets and values for tonight’s slate.

Make your DraftKings NHL DFS picks here: NHL $400K Spin-O-Rama [$100K to 1st]

Forwards

Stud

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Nashville Predators, $8,500 – If you’re going to pay up for one of the stud forwards, Matthews is probably the best play on the entire slate. His price tag will make lineups a bit difficult, but he is too hard to pass up tonight against the Predators, who are starting Justus Annunen ($7,400), who has yet to make an appearance this season and is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.17 GAA and .888 SV% across 23 appearances. Matthews has posted at least 16.9 DraftKings FPTS and reached 2x value in all three games this season. He also loves playing against Nashville at home, having totaled 15 shots on goal and five goals across his last three meetings at Scotiabank Arena.

Value

Zack Bolduc, Montreal Canadiens vs. Seattle Kraken, $4,000 – His ownership will likely be high, but the 22-year-old winger acquired from St. Louis has been a force for Montreal to start the new season. He has been aggressive in all three of the Canadiens’ games this season, netting at least three shots on goal and one goal in each of them. Bolduc plays in a middle-six role, but still ranks top-5 among Habs’ forwards in ice time per game and has posted at least 13 DraftKings FPTS in all three games.

Other Targets, Values – Seth Jarvis ($6,800), Beckett Sennecke ($2,900)

Defensemen

Stud

Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Nashville Predators, $5,100 – If I’m playing Matthews, I’m playing Rielly, too. The defenseman has started the new season on a good note, tying William Nylander ($7,100) for most points on the team (4). He opened the season with 26.6 DraftKings FPTS, logging a stat in essentially every category, and should be able to join in on the fun again tonight. Rielly has totaled 11 shots on goal, three blocked shots, one goal and three assists this season. Much like Matthews, he has found success against the Predators in the past, and ranks fifth on the team in 5v5 points per 60.

Value

Shayne Gostisbehere, Carolina Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks, $4,300 – San Jose has been able to score goals, netting just one fewer than Carolina thus far, but it is also allowing 5.50 goals per game this season. The Hurricanes lead the league in goals per game and should be able to take advantage of the Sharks’ weaknesses, and Gostisbehere is a cheap value play that could easily return 2-3x value. He has posted 12.8 and 9.1 DraftKings FPTS in his past two games, respectively, and ranks fifth in 5v5 assists per 60 in the NHL among defensemen. The veteran posted 38 assists in 2024, with 23 of them coming via the powerplay, and San Jose’s bottom-three penalty kill is a great opportunity for Carolina to figure out its powerplay, which has struggled to start the season.

Other Targets, Values – Brandon Montour ($5,800), Thomas Harley ($5,600)

Goaltenders

Stud

Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights at Calgary Flames, ($8,200) – Hill’s first start of the season against the Kings was ugly, as he posted -0.8 DraftKings FPTS and lost 6-5 in a shootout. He bounced back in his second start against the Kraken, stopping 20-of-22 shots, but the Golden Knights scored just one goal and lost in overtime. Tonight, the club should get back on track and secure a win, which will boost Hill’s return in the process. Calgary ranks 31st in 5v5 goal percentage and 27th in 5v5 high-danger chances so far this season. They have also scored just six goals across three games, and Hill has posted a 2.52 GAA and 9.18 SV% across seven career games against them.

Other Targets, Values – Sam Montembeault ($7,800)