This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 10 games firing up this Thursday night, and there's seemingly playoff implications in each one. There's a chance for the Flyers to take the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a win over the Hurricanes if the Capitals lose to the Rangers.
The Wild could hop into the second wild-card spot with as little as a loss in overtime. This is going to be standard for the next month, as the wild-card race is so tight in the Western Conference.
GOALIES
Jaroslav Halak ($8,700) will get a spot start here to keep Tuukka Rask fresh, but he's earned the time by his own right. With six straight wins and a .930 save percentage in that stretch, Halak is a chalky DFS play against the slumping Panthers, who have lost five of six while averaging 2.33 GF/GP.
Matt Murray ($8,300) and Tristan Jarry ($8,200) have been switching off starts for nearly a month, so it looks like it will be Jarry's turn. It's been shaky lately for the 24-year-old, but he'll catch a deflated Sabres team that has lost four straight while ringing up just seven goals.
We find some intriguing value when we dive into the bargain bin. Semyon Varlamov ($7,600) hasn't received much goal support, but he's been solid on the road since the start of February (.934 SV%, 2.15 GAA). Ottawa remains a bottom-5 scoring offense.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Keep on riding the Kailer Yamamoto ($4,800) train. He's racked up 23 points in as many games, and he's still flanking Hart front-runner Leon Draisaitl. The Blackhawks' crease has tightened up lately, but they've let up nine goals over the last three home contests.
Denis Gurianov ($4,300) has reached 20 goals through 61 games, including three over the last four. The Predators have gotten lit up lately, too, as they've yielded 17 goals over four contests.
Phil Di Giuseppe ($3,300) is filling in for Chris Kreider (foot) on the top line. He hasn't capitalized yet, but he's directed eight shots on net over three games. It's a prime matchup, as Ilya Samsonov has posted a 3.86 GAA since the start of February.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Boston Bruins (TOTAL: $24,500)
C - Patrice Bergeron ($7,500)
W - David Pastrnak ($9,000)
W - Brad Marchand ($8,000)
There's a decent chance Sergei Bobrovsky (lower body) won't be ready to go for this game, but the Panthers have struggled mightily on defense since February began, allowing 3.53 GF/GP. This line is the easy chalk, as Pastrnak leads the league with 47 goals while Bergeron and Marchand sit at 29 and 28, respectively.
Pittsburgh Penguins (TOTAL: $17,500)
C - Evgeni Malkin ($8,100)
W - Bryan Rust ($5,300)
W - Patrick Marleau ($4,100)
The Pens have a favorable matchup -- the Sabres have let up a combined 15 goals in four games -- so it's the age-old question of whether to stack Malkin or Crosby's line. We'll stick with the hot hand, as Rust is coming off a hat trick and Malkin pitched in four helpers in that contest.
Philadelphia Flyers (TOTAL: $16,300)
C - Kevin Hayes ($5,700)
W - Travis Konecny ($6,700)
W - Scott Laughton ($3,900)
Hayes scored his sixth goal in seven games last night, and Konecny and Laughton have been anything but passengers in that span. Konecny registered five goals and eight assists while Laughton reeled in seven points. The momentum is rolling, and the Hurricanes have shown putrid goaltending since James Reimer and Petr Mrazek got injured.
DEFENSEMEN
Even when Roman Josi ($7,100) isn't scoring, he's a supreme value due to his shot volume and willingness to block shots. But he's been scoring to the tune of two goals and three helpers in four games.
If you're going to plug in some value plays from above and are keen on the Bruins stack, Torey Krug ($5,600) is your guy. He has generated seven helpers in as many games, and three have come on the first power play, where he works with the aforementioned stack works.
John Marino ($3,700) wasted little time before getting back into the groove after a face injury, as he scored on his first shot Tuesday. He now has 26 points this year, and he'll look to leverage his power-play time against the Sabres, who have let up 10.7 G/60 on the PK over the last month.
