This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Flyers will try to turn their season around in New Jersey after Alain Vigneault called out his own team following a 7-1 thrashing against their in-state rivals. The Devils have also struggled and Taylor Hall sounded dejected after they blew a 5-3 lead against the Lightning. Defense has not been a strong suit for either team in perhaps the most high-scoring game of the night.
Speaking of the Lightning, they'll face a very stout Islanders squad who are second-best in the league with just 27 goals allowed, so coming back from a multi-goal deficit will be difficult. The Islanders have won seven straight after starting 1-3-0 and their goaltending rotation has worked splendidly.
The Sabres and Capitals will be the game of the night . The Caps get the benefit of the doubt with their recent Cup win, so it'll be more of a litmus test for the Sabres, who will try to keep up their strong play into the second month of the season. The Sabres and Caps led the league with 23 points and 21 points, respectively, last November.
The Hurricanes should have no problems with the Red Wings, and same for the Blues against the Blue Jackets. The Wings can score but they can barely defend, while the Jackets are just too inconsistent and short on talent to be considered in the same tier as the defending Cup champs.
The Stars are turning it around with four wins in their past five games, while the Avalanche have lost two straight, both to teams they should've defeated. A win for the Stars against a tough Central Division opponent will put them within striking distance of a wild card spot after a very, very rough start (1-7-1).
The Sharks have allowed 14 goals in their past three games and now face a high-scoring Jets squad. One team has thin defense and another has poor goaltending, so we're running away and looking for cover.
The Canucks just capped off a historically good offensive month and their talent and depth should help them defeat the Ducks. Dallas Eakins' squad has been surprisingly competitive, but the Canucks look like they've finally taken the step from playoff hopeful to playoff contender.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,600) carries more risk than usual with the Lightning looking like a shell of their former selves and the premium is difficult to justify. They're without Victor Hedman and continue to be just average in their own zone. Semyon Varlamov ($7,700) should be a popular underdog pick.
Anton Khudobin ($7,500) and Philipp Grubauer ($8,000) are both risky plays because the game could go either way. The Stars obviously have some momentum coming in, but beating Grubauer has been difficult; he's allowed two goals or less in three of his nine appearances. Connor Hellebuyck ($7,400) is a way better goalie than Martin Jones ($7,300) but the Jets defense has more holes than a Boeing 737.
Carter Hutton ($8,300) and Braden Holtby ($7,900) will be a tough call, but the slight edge goes to the Caps based on FanDuel Sportsbook (-175). John Gibson ($7,900) is 8-2-1 with a 1.91 GAA in his career against the Canucks, but he hasn't faced this year's Canucks, so Jacob Markstrom ($8,000) has the definite edge with more potential goal support and the better overall team.
That leaves Jordan Binnington ($8,100) and Petr Mrazek ($7,500). The Hurricanes are no fluke and deep enough on offense and defense to easily overcome the Wings. With Mrazek there's never any guarantee that it'll be pretty, but he's allowed just one goal in his past two starts and stopped 40 of 44 shots against Detroit last season. Binnington and the Blues should be a tough matchup for Joonas Korpisalo ($7,800), who has allowed 10 goals in 82 minutes of play over his past two games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jack Hughes ($5,300) has averaged over 19 minutes in his past two games, which included a three-point effort against the Coyotes. His stock is quickly rising after an uneven start to the season. His elite talent has always been apparent, and now that he's getting top-line minutes he's a value play.
Brendan Perlini ($3,100) is set to make his Red Wings debut on the third line with Taro Hirose. He played just one game for the Blackhawks before being dealt and has shown in the past that he has some finishing ability. His career 13.3 shooting percentage is above average and he's set to play on the second power-play unit.
The Stars were high on Denis Gurianov ($3,400) before the season, but he struggled early on and seems to have found his footing. He's played 15 minutes in each of his past two games after scoring two goals against the Ducks, and he plays on the second line with Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz.
Joonas Donskoi ($4,000) and Nazem Kadri ($5,200) are both good picks because they play alongside MacKinnon. The trio combined for four points in their first appearance on the same line, and despite the Stars' recent winning ways they still have trouble defending.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Dallas Stars (TOTAL: $20,700)
C – Tyler Seguin ($7,600)
W – Jamie Benn ($6,900)
W – Alexander Radulov ($6,200)
Radulov had a hat trick and 10 shots, Seguin pitched in with three points and Benn added an assist in their win against Minnesota. With four helpers in his past six games Benn is scoring more points but still stuck at one goal this season. However, as long as he plays with Seguin and Radulov he should be able to at least keep up his current pace.
New Jersey Devils (TOTAL: $18,600)
C – Jack Hughes ($5,300)
W – Kyle Palmieri ($5,800)
W – Taylor Hall ($7,500)
They're one of the cheaper top lines you can get, and it's got great value mostly because of Hughes. Palmieri had a hat trick in his last game and Hall is on a three-game assist streak.
New York Islanders (TOTAL: $18,600)
C – Matt Barzal ($6,600)
W – Anders Lee ($6,500)
W – Josh Bailey ($5,500)
Bailey and Lee both have three points apiece in their past three games, but the real gem is Barzal, who is quietly becoming one of the league's best players again with nine points in 11 games and averaging 18 minutes of even-strength ice time per game, second only to McDraisaitl. Not only is the Lightning PK atrocious, they'll be missing Hedman as well.
Philadelphia Flyers (TOTAL: $20,200)
C – Claude Giroux ($7,600)
W – Jakub Voracek ($6,700)
W – James van Riemsdyk ($5,900)
AV put the team on notice after a 7-1 thrashing, but during yesterday's skate opted to keep his top-six intact. In over 50 minutes of play, the trio are close to 60 CF% and outscoring their opponents 6-2. The Devils have allowed 12 goals in their past two games and second-worst in GA/PG (4.10).
Vancouver Canucks (TOTAL: $20,600)
C – Elias Pettersson ($7,100)
W – J.T. Miller ($6,200)
W – Brock Boeser ($7,300)
Some are starting to call this the Lotto Line, after Lotto 6/49, one of Canada's biggest national lotteries. And, true, they've been absolutely money: four points for Miller, a hat trick and seven points for Boeser, and eight points for Pettersson in their last three games, during which the Canucks scored 17 goals.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($7,300) will be a popular choice, and a good one, too, as the league's best defenseman by far this season. Best to just avoid Brent Burns ($7,100) and Erik Karlsson ($6,800) for the time being. Something's really fishy with that team.
Dougie Hamilton ($6,500) is on a five-game heater and his usage shows Carolina's commitment to finding value. Used as a top-four defenseman and logging plenty of minutes, he's tied for third among defensemen with 13 points.
P.K. Subban ($5,100) and Cale Makar ($4,900) don't always play on the top power-play units but the amount of talent on there is very high. Makar is cheaper and has the slight edge because he's been the preferred option over Samuel Girard recently, and John Hynes remains reluctant to put Subban back on the top unit, even though their power play ranks 26th.
Mikhail Sergachev ($4,600) is manning the top Lightning PP unit so he's a better value play than Kevin Shattenkirk ($5,300). One of the few things that have gone right for Jon Cooper's squad is their effectiveness on the man advantage, which currently ranks 7th.
Once again, a greats price for Quinn Hughes ($4,300), who had three assists in a rout of the Kings. His ice time has steadily increased and his power-play prowess is elite, making him once again a good value play. He should be a popular pick as long as he remains around this price level.
