This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Golden Knights will return to the ice after a 10-day pause and face the Kings (10:00 p.m. EST). And though Vegas should be favored on paper, they've actually lost four of their past five meetings. It'll be interesting to see how teams respond following lengthy breaks due to COVID protocol. Will they be fresh or rusty?
Only the Predators-Panthers (7:00 p.m.) will be the second game of a back-to-back after an exciting game that required extra time to finish. The best game of the night belongs to Bruins at Flyers (7:00 p.m.), with the Flyers hoping to seek revenge after blowing a 3-1 lead and losing in overtime following David Pastrnak's hat trick and Patrice Bergeron's winner. Whichever side wins here will take the division lead.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. DET ($8,600): After a 5-1 win on Wednesday, Vasilevskiy improved to 9-0-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .939 Sv% all-time against the Wings. The Lightning scored three goals before Detroit even registered their first shot and ended up making a goalie change just minutes into the first period. That probably won't happen again, but the Lightning are heavily favored and for good reason.
Chris Driedger, FLA vs. NSH ($7,500): Driedger's been one of the best backups this season with a .937 Sv%. By the numbers, the Panthers should've won last night, leading the CF% battle until the third period and finishing the game with a higher xGF, 1.94 vs. 1.37. Florida has also provided excellent goal support all season.
Cal Petersen, LA at VGK ($6,800): The Kings have yet to announce their starter but I like the Kings' upset potential if they start Petersen, who made 40 saves in his last start and improved his save percentage to .930. He's outplayed Jonathan Quick and seems like the logical choice, but head coach Todd McLellan has gone with a rotation. If Quick starts, go with expected Vegas starter Robin Lehner ($8,400), who should have the edge even with the long layoff.
VALUE PLAYS
Joel Farabee, PHI vs. BOS ($4,900): When it rains, it pours for Farabee. He scored one goal in eight games following his four-point season debut, and over his past two has scored four goals on five shots. Farabee's a weaker value play at this salary, but his line with James van Riemsdyk has been playing very well of late.
Tyler Johnson, TB vs. DET ($3,800): The Wings' just don't have much of a chance and their defense looked outmatched by the league's fifth-best offense in GF/GP. Johnson's had a quiet season so far, but head coach Jon Cooper has not made any changes to his top-six and the second line is picking it up. And Johnson is on a three-game point streak.
Ryan Donato, SJ at ANH ($3,800): Donato has a nice assignment playing on the second line and has performed well with four points over his past three games. The Ducks have been caved in by their opponents for most of the season and rank 28th with a minus-9 goal differential. The downside to Donato is the fact the Ducks have kept their GA/GP to a league second-best 2.33, mostly thanks to solid goaltending.
Danton Heinen, ANH vs. SJ ($3,600): The bet is that the Ducks' league-worst offense (1.73 GF/GP) won't be the worst (it will be Detroit) on the ice tonight because the Sharks don't defend very well. Heinen has been a big part of Anaheim's offense over the past week by scoring three goals in five games and ranks first among the team's forwards (min. 10 GP) in 5v5 at CF/60 and xGF/60 and second in CF%.
LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Flyers
Patrice Bergeron (C – $8,200), Brad Marchand (W - $8,000), David Pastrnak (W - $8,300)
The Bruins really didn't need any other lines in their overtime win Wednesday. With four other games on the docket, there are better value stacks. But in terms of performance, few have been better than Pastrnak and Co.
Lightning vs. Red Wings
Brayden Point (C - $7,500), Steven Stamkos (W - $7,900), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,300)
The trio have combined for 12 of Tampa's 19 goals, including five of their six on the power play. The Lightning will probably get offense from all four lines, but this one's the surest bet and Palat's salary means the rest of your entry can feature more quality.
Golden Knights vs. Kings
Chandler Stephenson (C - $3,600), Max Pacioretty (W - $8,100), Mark Stone (W - $7,700)
Stephenson can be excluded because I don't think Pacioretty or Stone ever let him touch the puck, but it's a very good line playing against a team that bleeds scoring chances. If Quick starts, this could be a productive line stack.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. LA ($6,400): Theodore's been as advertised this season, often playing like a fourth forward for Vegas and registered eight shots in 25 minutes against the Blues. He should be fresh after a lengthy break and based on this matchup should be as productive as either Victor Hedman ($7,100) or Roman Josi ($6,600).
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. NSH ($5,600): Ekblad has been fantastic with six points in seven games and playing a lot of minutes. The Predators are also allowing 3.40 GA/GP, 25th in the league.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at PHI ($5,200): McAvoy's on a six-game point streak and his offensive production has been a nice boost. He's taking on all the minutes left behind by Zdeno Chara, and features heavily on the PK (blocked shots) and PP (points).
Keith Yandle, FLA vs. NSH ($4,400): Yandle's a power-play specialist, so it's a good thing the Preds' PK has been poor. He's a value play alternative to Ekblad, who offers a higher floor and definitely more consistency. Yandle has also notched four points in his past three games.
