This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Central and the West have been surprisingly tight and we could see new division leaders by the end of the night. Here are the key matchups for a seven-game slate:
Hurricanes at Panthers (7 p.m. EST): Both teams are faltering after tremendous starts; the Canes had lost three straight before beating the Panthers in overtime, and the Panthers have lost three of their past five. Scoring has been a strength for both teams but defense and goaltending much less so. Both of their past meetings ended in 4-3 scores, and this matchup should feature quite a few goals.
Wild at Golden Knights (10 p.m.): The Wild are now the league's hottest team, having won six straight and sit just one point behind the Knights. This is the marquee matchup of the night and a big test to see if the Wild are for real; they've gone a big run because they have two scoring lines playing well above expectations, and doing so in spite of having the league's worst power play. Both teams are 7-3-0 in their past 10 games.
Maple Leafs at Oilers (10 p.m.): The Oilers were outplayed and outclassed in the last matchup sans Auston Matthews, so it's a potential revenge game and I wouldn't bet on the Leafs being able to keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the board again. We've kind of forgotten Mitch Marner is an elite player in his own right, and he should once again be the focal point.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, COL at SJ ($8,600): Grubauer played Saturday but he'll probably continue to be the workhorse, and faces a Sharks team that he's already beaten twice. The Sharks can score but the Avs have one of the deeper defenses and best starters in the league, and they won't be nearly as easy to beat as the Blues.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. VAN ($8,200): The Canucks always have a hard time in Winnipeg, where they've lost nine of their past 10 matchups. Everything points towards another Canucks loss; the Jets won both of their matchups in February, own the second-best home record in the North and have won four straight games.
Jordan Binnington, STL at ANH ($7,500): Binnington's temper tantrum was far more embarrassing than his latest performance, which lasted just 19 shots after allowing four goals, but speaking objectively, Binnington's been good this season. The Ducks' 29th-ranked power play and league-worst 1.95 GF/GP shouldn't pose much of a challenge to the Blues, who kept them to just two goals in two games earlier this season.
VALUE PLAYS
Max Jones, ANH vs. STL ($3,800): Jones scored on the power play in consecutive games before Vegas snapped his streak, and over the past two games has fired 10 shots on net. Playing with Ryan Getzlaf still has benefits, especially with the man advantage. Picking Jones is just in case the Blues fall flat again.
Zach Sanford, STL at ANH ($3,700): Sanford scored two points in a wild 7-6 game playing on the top line, and until Vladimir Tarasenko comes back, it looks like he will stay in that spot. In just under 10 minutes of 5-on-5 play, the Blues' top line generated 15 scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
LINE STACKS
Flames at Senators
Mikael Backlund (C - $4,400), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $6,000), Andrew Mangiapane ($4,600)
This line showed very well in their last game and Backlund snapped a long drought with a three-point night. It's a good value play for a "second" line that's actually outperforming their first line, and the Sens allow a lot of goals.
Wild at Golden Knights
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $4,700), Kevin Fiala (W - $6,200), Jordan Greenway (W - $4,000)
They've been a very effective line for the Wild, and probably a better play than Victor Rask's line because at least this line does a better job of defending. Greenway's got the hot hand with three points and seven shots in his past two games.
Ducks vs. Blues
Sam Steel (C - $3,500), Trevor Zegras (W - $3,200), Jakob Silfverberg ($5,100)
Again, just in case the Blues think defense and goaltending are optional, this line brings plenty of upside and value. All three play on the top power play unit with Kevin Shattenkirk.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN at WPG ($5,500): There's plenty of good defensemen available tonight but if you're looking for just points, Hughes remains the best option. He has zero points in his past two games but remains a big focal point of the Canucks offense and the QB of a power play that has the potential to be one of the league's best.
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. CGY ($5,200): Chabot has scored multiple points in three of his past five games, two of them against the Flames, who are expected to start David Rittich again. The Sens offense has come alive recently, having scored at least three goals in five straight games.
Dougie Hamilton, CAR at FLA ($5,200): Hamilton's been productive against the Panthers this season, scoring two assists and eight shots in two games. Both teams are very good in transition, and a back-and-forth game favors Hamilton's skillset. Florida's penalty kill ranks a modest 19th in the league.
Matt Dumba, MIN at VGK ($4,800): Dumba scored half of his season's points in the past five games, and against the Kings scored his first goal in six games. He does a little bit of everything for the Wild but it's good to see him score because no one on their blue line jumps up into the play quite like him.
