This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
Ben Bishop, DAL vs. TOR ($7,500): The NHL's hottest goaltender to start the season will face the ultimate test against the Leafs, who have two of the league's top five goal scorers. The Stars have impressed early on, downing the Jets in a 5-1 shellacking, so the Leafs shouldn't be favored by much and Bishop is a good gamble at this price.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at CLS ($6,900): He's the most obvious choice if you want to avoid the Seguin/Matthews/Tavares extravaganza and the Jackets haven't looked very sharp so far. Sergei Bobrovsky tends to be a slow starter with mediocre Octobers and the Avs are showing last year was no fluke. MacKinnon's line is still basically their entire offense and in nine career games against the Jackets he's scored eight points.
Elias Pettersson, VAN at CAR ($5,600): The Canucks wunderkind has taken the league by storm. He sniped his first career goal on his first shot in his first game, received praise from opposing goalies, and is now tied for ninth in points. He's become Travis Green's top offensive option with Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser off to slow starts, and pulled ahead in the Calder race early in the season. Even Ripley can't stop this Alien.
WING
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. TOR ($7,200): He scored five points in his first two games and the unbeaten Stars are playing like they have something to prove. The addition of Miro Heiskanen has really helped their transition and the Leafs can be very turnover-prone and lousy on defense; they allowed six goals against the Blackhawks on Sunday. Morgan Rielly will have a tough time containing Benn, who is a point-per-game player on home ice in his career.
Mitch Marner, TOR at DAL ($6,200): A quiet season opener led to a four-point explosion in the next two games for Marner, who is still the slickest playmaker on a team with two elite finishers. The shifty playmaker draws a ton of penalties, which leads to more power plays for him and a lethal top unit. The Stars have allowed just one goal this season and it's unlikely they'll be able to sustain this for very long.
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. SJ ($4,600): After a 5-2 loss to the Avs on Saturday, Dave Hakstol re-united his old top line and dropped Konecny to the second line. However, the bump down the depth chart could be a blessing in disguise with Konecny now playing with good friend and forgotten young star Nolan Patrick. They're good fits – Konecny has the speed, Patrick has the vision, and both of them can finish.
DEFENSE
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. CGY ($5,900): I'd stay away from the Sharks until they figure out how to get the most out of Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, so that leaves Subban as the best in the top tier. He's the team leader in ice time and points, ranks fourth in shots, and gets a favorable matchup against the Flames, who allowed nine goals against the Canucks in a home-and-home series.
Dougie Hamilton, CAR vs. VAN ($5,200): Hamilton has just one assist so far but he's registered a league-high 11 shots on goal among defensemen, so the offense will come sooner or later. He has a favorable matchup against Vancouver, who allowed opposing defensemen to score five points in their last game and once again could not count on their goaltender to be reliable. Hamilton has 11 points in 17 career games against the Canucks.
