This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Games for the week of Nov. 15-21 have all been packed into Tuesday, Thursday and the weekend slate, which means there's only two games for Monday. They're good matchups and both home teams are the favorites. The Red Wings (+108) are surprisingly good and have a chance to upset the Blue Jackets, while the Islanders (+116) face a tougher test against the Lightning, the team that has knocked them out of the playoffs in three of their last four playoff runs.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. NYI ($8,600): Understandably, Vasilevskiy comes at a premium, but the Isles have had a hard time scoring with four goals in their past three games, perhaps running low on energy as they near the end of their 13-game road trip. Vasilevskiy has a career .930 Sv% against the Isles.
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. DET ($7,500): I think the Jackets defend better and home ice should make a difference because they're 5-3-0 at home while the Wings are 3-4-0 on the road. Merzlikins was tagged with five goals against the Rangers, including three in only 63 seconds, but he should bounce back against a team he's been historically very good against with a 2-2-1 record with a .945 Sv% and 1.60 GAA.
VALUE PLAYS
Mathieu Joseph, TB vs. NYI ($3,600): Joseph's scored two assists in his past three games and continues to play on the second line with Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos, but the downside is Joseph doesn't get any playing time on the power play. Stamkos has historically been very good against Isles, scoring 39 points in 37 games in his career.
Michael Rasmussen, DET at CBJ ($3,800): The Jackets are thin down the middle and Rasmussen, the Wings' 6-foot-6 third-line center, will have a clear advantage. There's a lot to be desired, offensively, and he generally doesn't play on the power play, but he's also scored six points in 12 games in his career against the Jackets. It's the opponent he's faced most often and has had the most success.
LINE STACKS
Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings
Cole Sillinger (C - $4,500), Yegor Chinakhov (W – $3,400), Jakub Voracek (W - $4,400)
Voracek's working on a five-game point streak and Sillinger and Chinakhov are establishing some chemistry early in their careers as the franchise cornerstones. Sillinger has scored five points in his past four games and offers more offensive upside than any other Jackets center, and will feature on the power play prominently while Chinakhov plays on the second unit as they face the league's 25th-ranked power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Filip Hronek, DET at CBJ ($4,200): Seider may play more minutes and be the more dependable option, but Hronek's offense is still unmatched on Detroit's blueline. The veteran power-play quarterback has five assists in his past six games.
Ryan Pulock, NYI at TB ($4,000): Discounting their playoff matchups – which includes an 8-0 win last season – their matchups have surprisingly been high-scoring. Since the 2017-18 season, seven of their past nine meetings have featured at least six goals. There have been tight contests, too, but Pulock should benefit from either scenario; he will get a chance to earn an assist in a high-scoring game or block a lot of shots in low-scoring game where the Lightning control possession a lot.
Jake Bean, CBJ vs. DET ($3,800): On a thin night, there aren't too many marquee defensemen, and Bean is one of the better value plays due to his offensive upside. He scored an assist against the Rangers on Saturday, giving him three points in four games, and behind Zach Werenski generates the second-most shots on net among Jackets defensemen.
