This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a six-game slate for Monday with four games starting at 7 p.m. EST and the remaining two starting at 8 p.m. Note that FanDuel still has Sabres at Bruins listed, but that game has been postponed. The Hurricanes and Blue Jackets (7 p.m.) will be the only game featuring teams playing the second half of a back-to-back.
The North Division is in action and both the Maple Leafs and Oilers have very favorable matchups against the Canucks and Senators, respectively, and both games will start at 7 p.m. It would be wise to line stack against those two teams. The Coyotes and Blues (8 p.m.) are both coming off a COVID-related pause, having last played Feb. 4. This will be the fourth of seven consecutive games against the Blues for the Coyotes, two of which have been decided by one goal with the Coyotes winning the two most recent games.
(All fancy stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick)
GOALIES
Curtis McElhinney, TB at NSH ($8,300): This might be the first time all season a backup has a lower salary than the starter, but Tampa Bay should still have a clear edge in this matchup. Head coach Jon Cooper confirmed McElhinney will start one of the back-to-back games against Nashville, though he didn't specify which one. Over the past four seasons, McElhinney has gone 2-0-2 in his first start. Andrei Vasilevskiy is obviously also a strong play, and Tampa won both of its previous meetings earlier this season.
Alex Nedeljkovic, CAR at CBJ ($8,300): I don't like the salary but I like the matchup. The Jackets are expected to either start Joonas Korpisalo even though he played on Sunday, or Cam Johnson, their fourth-string goalie who has never played in the NHL. The Canes might've gotten lucky in their 6-5 win, but they also won the possession battle by a fair margin and allowed the Jackets to make it close with a few late-game penalties.
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. VAN ($8,100): This is a strong value play because the Canucks just aren't in Toronto's class. Andersen hasn't been particularly sharp, but the Canucks defense has been woeful and as long as the Leafs can keep the Canucks off the power play, Andersen should be able to post some good numbers.
Mikko Koskinen, EDM at OTT ($7,900): Likewise with Andersen, I simply like the matchup. Koskinen's performances have been very worrying lately, but the Sens should not pose a problem. The Oilers provide very good goal support (9th in GF/GP) while the Sens are last in GA/GP.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. ARI ($7,600): I can't believe the Blues have so much trouble beating the Coyotes, so like any stubborn (or insane) person I'm giving the Blues the edge again. With extra rest between days, the Blues should be able to tighten up defensively. The Blues are 4-0 with five goals allowed when they have at least two days' rest between games.
VALUE PLAYS
Jordan Staal, CAR at CBJ ($3,900): Staal scored three points Sunday and now has nine points on the season despite missing time due to COVID. He's having a bit of a resurgent season after scoring just 19 goals in his two previous seasons.
Jack Roslovic, CBJ vs. CAR ($3,700): The early indications of Roslovic playing center have been positive and he now has six points in his past four games. He played 19 minutes on Sunday, just the second time in his career he's played that much in a single game. Roslovic is being featured primarily in an offensive role and now has the inside track to be the team's top center.
Oskar Sundqvist, STL vs. ARI ($3,400): He's taken Robert Thomas' place in the lineup and skated 19 minutes Saturday against the Coyotes, registering a shot and blocking three others. His offensive upside isn't very high, but head coach Craig Berube doesn't want to break up his top-six, so he's moved up a dependable checking player instead. The good part about Sundqvist is that the coaches trust him so much he gets to play on PP2.
Michael Dal Colle, NYI at NYR ($3,000): Dal Colle collected two assists Saturday against the Pens, skating in Anthony Beauvillier's usual spot on the second line. The fifth overall pick from the 2014 draft, we've been waiting for years for Dal Colle to arrive, and this might be his chance. The Islanders offense struggle as a unit and that's the big drawback in what is otherwise a strong value play.
LINE STACKS
Hurricanes at Blue Jackets
Vincent Trocheck (C - $4,800), Nino Niederreiter (W - $4,400), Teuvo Teräväinen (W - $5,600)
It's kind of baffling how few points they've scored even though individually and as a line they've been dominating their opposition. All three players feature on the power play, which also makes it a better value play than Sebastian Aho's line because Brock McGinn doesn't play special teams.
Oilers at Senators
Connor McDavid (C - $8,900), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $7,400), Jesse Puljujärvi (W - $4,300)
Puljujärvi's the key to unlocking value in this line, and he's been playing well with three goals in his past two games. He's also starting to get some ice time with PP1, and honestly it's a no-brainer if head coach Dave Tippett's other choices are an aging and unreliable James Neal or the stone-handed Alex Chiasson.
Maple Leafs vs. Canucks
Auston Matthews (C - $8,800), Mitch Marner (W - $8,100), Zach Hyman (W - $4,800
The Canucks have no answer for this line. They have generated 26 CF in just two games playing fewer minutes than usual because the games have been blowouts.
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie, EDM at OTT ($5,400): Barrie has tons of fantasy value when he starts producing on offense, and an assist against Calgary on Saturday now gives Barrie eight points in his past five games. There's lots of good defenseman in the pool but Barrie is finally worth picking now.
Dougie Hamilton, CAR at CBJ ($5,400): Hamilton fluttered a puck past Korpisalo after it was deflected off a stick and David Savard's glove, but it established a point streak and now gives him eight points on the season. All of the Canes' defensemen have good possession numbers and Hamilton leads all of them in points, as usual.
Seth Jones, CBJ vs. CAR ($4,500): No Zach Werenski means Jones will have to play a lot of minutes. His underlying numbers have not been good this season, but it's more about quantity with Jones, who played 25 minutes on Sunday and currently has a three-game point streak with a goal and three assists.
Jakob Chychrun, ARI at STL ($4,200): Chychrun tends to be a good value play because he plays a lot of minutes and shoots the puck a lot. He's been outstanding recently, though, with two goals last game and has failed to register at least two shots on goal just once this season.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at OTT ($3,500): Bouchard has seven shots in two games, living up to the billing as an offensive defenseman. When he gets the opportunity, he will shoot the puck, and he's getting quality ice time on the power play in Ethan Bear's stead. Bouchard is a good play against the Sens because they're so bad defensively and on the PK.
