A couple people have been asking me what are the main things I look for when building an NHL DFS lineup.

Earlier in the season we touched on some of the key metrics. Shots on goal. Minutes played. Time on the power play.

These are important aspects to look at when picking your players.

But before we decide on the players or line stacks we want, we need to first narrow it down to a team to choose from.

Recent play history is probably the biggest factor when zeroing in on a team. If a team is on a winning streak or scoring goals in bunches, it’s a good bet to continue to ride them until they’ve cooled off.

You want to find opportunities for goals to be scored. Some of the best aspects you can look at aren’t found on a stat sheet. Teams playing against a backup goalie or a team on the second end of a back-to-back are good targets.

If you’re having trouble distinguishing between two teams that you feel have equal opportunities for goals, leaning towards the team playing at home is a smart way to go.

Once you’ve narrowed down to a specific team, you can begin to plan for the individual players and line combinations. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it! Using as many as 3 or 4 different teams in your lineup can prove to be very lucrative. But be wary of going over 4 teams in your LU. Diversifying too many leaves you relying on way too many different teams and not many chances for double points. You would need each of your players to be the top performer in their respective games. That’s not happening very often.

Tonight we have 8 games on the slate with some very tough matchups and a couple the look ready to burst with goal scoring.

Let’s get into the action!

7 p.m. New York Rangers at New York Islanders

This should be a great game. Not just because of the New York rivalry and the Eastern Conference implications.

But because these are two teams playing with completely different styles that have somehow ended up in the same position at this point in the season.

The teams have almost identical records. The Rangers are sitting at 23-14-5 while the Islanders are 23-15-5.

Brock Nelson was a person of interest for the Islanders in their 5-2 win over Columbus on Tuesday. He’s currently seeing third line minutes for the Isles, but he is definitely not third line talent.

Nelson knows how to score goals, so it doesn’t surprise me to see his name pop up on the score sheet with big games from time to time. He scores dirty ones, but they don’t ever ask how, they ask how many. He’s currently leading the Islanders with 17 goals.

As we’ve covered earlier this year, you never know where the goals will come from with NYI. They are so deep and talented up front that it could be anybody on a given night.

Fortunately for us, this doesn’t figure to be a high-scoring game, so taking Islanders outside of a GPP probably isn’t recommended.

If you do decide to take a shot with some in a GPP, I’d roll with Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen. They are 1st and 3rd on the team in scoring, respectively, and they see even strength minutes together on the second line, as well as PP1 minutes in a game that might see many power plays.

For the Rangers, same thing. I’d look elsewhere for more reliable scoring, but targeting power play minutes might prove to be the smart option.

Rick Nash is back with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello on the first line, and they also are the frontline of the PP1 unit, so they are as safe a play as can be for the Rangers tonight.

One thing I will say about the Rangers is that Keith Yandle has shown signed of life lately with 3 points in his last 3 games. So the defenseman could be a solid stand-alone play tonight.

7 p.m. Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals

The Capitals have a +49 goal differential this year as they continue to run away with the East. That is by far the highest goal differential in the league.

Led by Alex Ovechkin fresh off of his 500th career goal on Tuesday, the Caps are as hot as ever going 8-1-1 in their last 10 and winning 4 straight.

Ovechkin is still a goal-scoring machine, and his line mates are adept at getting him the puck. Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and TJ Oshie see even strength and PP1 minutes together. This is a great matchup for them at home to show off their puck movement. Taking Ovechkin with either of these two (or both) is a solid play in all formats tonight.

By the way, Vancouver is playing to a -15 goal differential so far this season. That’s a 64 goal difference at this point in the season.

Look for the Caps to put up a big number in this one. Second line players Evgeni Kuznetsov and Justin Williams should also get consideration.

7:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks at Montreal Canadiens

Chicago is playing their best hockey of the season and has won 8 straight. Montreal is still slumping going 3-7 in their last 10.

Artem Anisimov surprised fantasy players on Tuesday as a late scratch due to illness. He’s slated to get back into the lineup tonight and he is a safe play along with linemates Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin in all formats.

Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith is also a safe play in all formats. He sees all the minutes on the Chicago back end. He hasn’t played below 20 minutes in a game yet this season, and on most nights he’s pushing 30.

The Habs still haven’t gotten it together without their number 1 goalie Carey Price, but if there’s one bright spot it’s that the top line of Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher is back together and playing well. Pacioretty had 4 points in his last 4 games and Gallagher has 3 points over the same span.

With this line back to clicking, they’re worth consideration in GPP’s, along with defenseman PK Subban who loves having the puck on his stick.

8 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes at St. Louis Blues

The Blues keep finding ways to win even though they’ve been nagged by injuries all season long.

Vladimir Tarasenko is close to match-up proof as his combination of size, speed, and hands have made him into one of the most electric forwards in the league. His 24 goals are good for 4th in the league and only 2 behind league-leader Ovechkin.

What’s impressive about Tarasenko is his ability to make plays under intense pressure and close coverage. His hands allow him to make plays walking out of the corners and off the boards the same as he can with open ice and space.

Lately, he has been playing with Jori Lehtera and Robby Fabbri on the top line. I expect this line to get many looks at the net tonight against a Carolina team that has given up the third-most goals in the East at 120. They’re a go in all formats.

After the top line, the talent dips a bit because of injuries. Alex Steen is still a viable option because of a number of shots on goal he takes. He’s centering the second line of Scottie Upshall and Troy Brouwer. This line actually put together a very solid all-around game during Tuesday’s 4-2 win over New Jersey, and could garner some GPP consideration.

Blues goalie Brian Elliot should also be considered as he figures to get the start and is a capable goaltender at backup goalie prices.

8 p.m. Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has cooled off considerably, giving up 3 goals in each of his last two games, both losses, to Buffalo and San Jose.

He will probably get the start again tonight, and if he does, it’s not a terrible idea to slot him in for his cheap price. He gets a decent matchup at home against a Nashville team that’s still struggling to score goals consistently.

We don’t talk much about the Jets forwards, but a couple of them have put together solid seasons up to this point. Blake Wheeler leads the team with 41 points in 45 games. Those are impressive numbers for a team sitting in last in the Central Division.

But let’s be fair. This is not the last place team. Their point total would have them out of the basement in any other division, but the Central might be the strongest division in the NHL this year.

Wheeler is playing with Bryan Little and Drew Stafford on the top line. It’s a dangerous line and worth consideration, especially in GPPs.

Nashville has lost 4 in a row. Ryan Johansen has played well since arriving via trade, but the Predators are still struggling to get their chemistry together.

I think they will figure it out, and Johansen, Filip Forsberg and James Neal will be strong fantasy options as the season continues, but it’s hard for me to rely on them tonight in a tough divisional matchup.

9 p.m. New Jersey Devils at Colorado Avalanche

Mike Cammalleri is still out and I just do not trust the rest of the Devils goal scoring enough to roster anybody from their team. I think the Devils are as easy a fade as I’ve seen recently.

The Avalanche, on the other hand, have some dangerous pieces and should be looked at heavily.

They have been juggling the lines a lot recently, but there are many good plays on deck tonight, even though the Devils are a defensive-minded team.

I like top line players Matt Duchene and Nathan Mackinnon. They seem to feed off of each other and create plays down low. Duchene is definitely a streaky player, but he’s playing with confidence lately. He has 6 points in the last 5 games, and should have his fair share of scoring chances tonight. These two are a go in all formats, along with defenseman Tyson Barrie.

The sneaky play in this game is the Avs third line of Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau. This line hasn’t been shuffled for a couple of games and they’ve built a pretty good rapport together. They can create scoring chances on both zone entries and behind the offensive net on cycles. Patrick Roy loves them together because they eat minutes in their opponent’s zone, but are also a threat to score while they’re there. Keep an eye on them and consider them a GPP play tonight.

Speaking of legendary goalies, Calvin Pickard gets the start tonight for the Avs.

OK so maybe he’s not as legendary as his coach, but he does start against an anemic offense. I’m OK with starting any goalie against the Devils until their offense wakes up. I’ll take Pickard at home tonight without hesitation.

9 p.m. Detroit Red Wings at Arizona Coyotes

How many times do I need to say it? Do yourself a favor and watch this Coyotes team. They play a fast-paced game and have a knack for finding the back of the net, especially in clutch situations.

On Tuesday it was Max Domi. The rookie recorded a hat trick in Arizona’s come-from-behind 4-3 OT win over Edmonton.

He’s not going to score a hatty every game, in fact, these three goals came in a splurge after a bit of a slump. But he shoots the puck a lot and finds himself in the goal scoring areas. I think the goals will be coming a bit more consistently in the second half.

Domi is playing not the top line with Mikkel Boedker and Antoine Vermette. This is a solid line to target because of their recent hot streak, and because of the perfect mix of skill the line possesses. Boedker is the free-wheeling winger who finds the open ice and always enters the zone with confidence. Vermette can win board battles and get the puck to his wingers, and Domi is always in a position to score goals. Look for this line to stay hot with some production, not the way from Boedker and Vermette.

On the back end, Oliver Ekman-Larson needs to be rostered in all formats. He’s too hot right now to keep on the bench. He’s got 6 points in his last 3 games, and it was his point blast on Tuesday that won the game for the Yotes in OT. This is a fantasy stud at the moment, and the best part? He played 32 minutes in Tuesday’s game. That’s a lot of opportunities to make things happen.

Yes, the Wings are a good team. But I’m loving the way that Arizona is playing right now. They’re 7-1-2 in their last 10 and have won 4 straight. Keep them rolling until they show us a reason not to.

10:30 p.m. Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks

The Sharks have scored 16 goals in their last 3 games. The Oilers just blew a deflating 3-1 lead in Arizona on Tuesday.

What does this tell me? Edmonton is not comfortable playing with a lead, especially against a team that can score goals. Right now the Sharks are scoring goals as well as anyone in the league.

San Jose all night.

Brent Burns is a safe play in all formats tonight, and his price recently came down on FanDuel. Also getting looks in all rosters should be Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. They’re hot right and see SJ1 and PP1 minutes together. Get them locked in.

Also receiving consideration in SJ should be Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward. They’re a cheaper stack on the second line, and Marleau is also on the top PP unit. They also produce, as Marleau has 14 goals on the year and Ward has added 13.

The team is hot so Edmonton’s checking line should be up against Pavelski and Thornton’s line. This could be a great night to roster Marleau and Ward seeing less coverage, as they won’t cost much giving you a chance to spend up at other positions. And they also have a high ceiling. In GPPs these two could be an end of night lifeline as there’s nothing better than watching your score shoot up the leaderboard during the last game of the night.