This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The quartet from last week fared well overall, but they were nothing short of stat monsters against Toronto. Jordan Eberle and Erik Karlsson both posted four-point nights against the Maple Leafs, and Cam Talbot registered a 34-save win while allowing just two shots to get past him.
J.T. Miller scored against the Devils, but otherwise could finally be showing signs of slowing down. He still has 13 goals through his past 23 games, though.
Patrick Eaves is a screaming value for the duration of his stay on the No. 1 line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Eaves has four goals and three assists through his past four games with 14 shots on net, so at his $3,200 cap hit, there is no reason to load him up.
With the low-hanging fruit out of the way, here are the other value leans for this week.
C: Jordan Staal, Carolina Hurricanes, $3,900
The veteran has turned in an amazing stretch over the past month-plus with 16 points, five goals and 23 shots on net through his past 14 games. And while he plays a shutdown role primarily, Staal has found his groove offensively with Chicago castoff Joakim Nordstrom and Detroit afterthought Andrej Nestrasil.
Extra power-play time has benefited Staal, too, as he's averaged 2:20 of ice time with the man advantage during this span, returning two goals and two helpers. At the sub-$4,000 salary, he makes an excellent value play.
Carolina has upcoming home games against the Penguins, Islanders and Jets before a road tilt against Ottawa. None of those tests should prove to be too difficult to fade Staal, given his current form and cost.
W: Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets, $4,500
The rookie exploded out of the gate this season with nine points and 48 shots through his first 12 games, but then went into an extended funk. He's come out of it recently, though -- Ehlers has seven goals and 12 points through his past 14 games and has landed on the No. 1 line.
The sample size is small, but Ehlers has clicked alongside Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler. With Little, Ehlers has averaged 3.43 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, and the rookie has an even better 3.52 mark while sharing the ice with Wheeler.
Edmonton is on deck, kick-starting a four-game road trip with stops in Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida. There aren't any A-plus matchups after the Oilers, but an upcoming home-and-home series with the Stars could also prove to be favorable. Additionally, should Ehlers stay hot, his cap hit makes him a nice against-the-grain option regardless of the opponent.
D: Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers, $5,300
This is an interesting case because Gostisbehere has been a fantasy darling all season, and especially for daily purposes when he was cheaply priced earlier this season. Even though the Florida native is up to 13 points and 26 shots on net during his 10-game point streak, he still remains underpriced.
His ice time is of particular interest, though. He slipped back down to just 18:20 during a 5-1 thumping of the Sabres on Thursday, but had averaged 23:37 per game over his previous three outings -- all close games -- and has topped the 20-minute mark six times during his scoring streak.
Among rearguards with at least 400 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time this season, Gostisbehere ranks second only to Erik Karlsson in points per 60 minutes. So any uptick in ice time stands to improve his offensive upside, not to mention his shot volume and opportunities to block shots.
G: Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning, $7,700
The Bolts have four upcoming home games, and Bishop has been a stalwart at Amalie Arena the past three seasons to the tune of a 60-18-8 record and a .925 save percentage. After losing consecutive road games to the Senators and Canadiens, look for Tampa Bay to bounce back in its own barn.
For the season, the Lightning are 17-8-2 at home with a plus-17 goal differential. And the offense has improved with a healthy roster -- since the calendar flipped to 2016, they rank third in the league in high-danger scoring chances with a plus-36 mark.
Nashville, St. Louis, San Jose and Winnipeg all head south, and while none are cakewalk matchups, only San Jose has shown to be a strong road team, whereas the Predators and Jets have struggled. Expect Bishop to carry low ownership over the next week, and at the reasonable cap hit, his home dominance makes him a great play.
