This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
With Thanksgiving on Thursday, the NHL has pushed all of its games to Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week. That means it's a busy day for what is usually a quiet night with 10 games on the slate.
There are four marquee games to keep an eye on: Bruins at Lighting, a clash between the current Cup favourite and the cap era's first dynasty; Oilers at Devils, where the Devils can extend their winning streak to 13 games; Avalanche at Stars, a litmus test for the Stars against the defending champs; and Jets at Hurricanes, to see where the surprising Jets stack up against one of the best teams in the league.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. ARI ($7,600): After a rough start to the season, Saros gotten back on track in November with four wins. He's been streaky this year and his overall numbers aren't that impressive, but the Coyotes are a team he's been historically been very good against with just five even-strength goals allowed in four games.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. ANH ($7,500): This one feels like a no-brainer. The Blues have won six straight while the Ducks have yet to win in regulation this season. The two teams met on Saturday, in a rare instance of a two-game series where St. Louis played the host both times, and it was an easy 6-2 win for the Blues. Binnington is on a five-game winning streak with a 2.20 GAA and .936 save percentage.
Cam Talbot, OTT vs. SJ ($7,100): Talbot allowed just one goal on 17 shots in a relief appearance in the Sens' last game and should draw the start. The Sharks offense has struggled most of the season ranking 25th in GF/GP, while the Sens have been able to provide good goal support on most nights.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY at PHI ($7,000): The upside to this matchup is the Flyers offense hasn't been very good, ranked 31st in GF/GP and 28th on the PP. Meanwhile, the Flames are starting to gel with a new-look top line that's been very good for them, and the Flyers' defense and goaltending suddenly looks very porous despite a great start to the season. Markstrom has a career 1.58 GAA in nine games against the Flyers.
VALUE PLAYS
Zack MacEwen, PHI vs. CGY ($4,200): MacEwen usually plays far lower in the lineup, but he's getting a top-six opportunity now with so many injuries to the Flyers lineup. His production has been modest, but the key is that he's getting a lot more ice time than he used to. If his line with Noah Cates and Scott Laughton can establish a good forecheck, there will be opportunities to score points. MacEwen is also getting minutes with PP2.
Mattias Janmark, EDM at NJ ($3,100): Janmark has one helper in four games this season but the upside is playing on the same line as Connor McDavid. The downside is Janmark doesn't get to play a lot and isn't expected to play on either power play unit.
Derick Brassard, OTT at SJ ($3,600): An injury to Shane Pinto moves Brassard back onto the second line between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. DeBrincat struggled early but has scored three goals in his past four games while Giroux is currently second on the team in scoring.
LINE STACKS
Golden Knights at Canucks
Jack Eichel (C - $9,400), Chandler Stephenson (C - $6,600), Mark Stone (W - $6,100)
Note Stephenson is listed as a center even though he's the left winger on this line. Eichel's on a three-game point streak, Stone has scored three goals in his past two games and all three feature on PP1. The Canucks, meanwhile, have the league's second-worst PK and the third-worst GA/GP.
Stars vs. Avalanche
Jamie Benn (W - $6,700), Jason Robertson (W - $10,100), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,800)
Note all three players are wingers, which means one will have to fill the Utility slot. Benn will center the Stars' top line in Roope Hintz's absence, and he's been excellent lately with a five-game point streak. Robertson and Pavelski are the least of your worries, and note the Avs have an injury-depleted roster and were outshot by 33 against the Hurricanes.
Blues vs. Ducks
Ryan O'Reilly (C - $5,100), Josh Leivo (W - $3,700), Brandon Saad (W - $3,700)
This is a fantastic value stack with O'Reilly finally picking up his play with six points in his past five games. Though they were held without a point against the Ducks in their last outing, the Blues also opted to spread out their ice time since it was a blowout early on. All three play on PP1 and the Ducks are the worst defensive team in the league.
Predators vs. Coyotes
Juuso Parssinen (C - $6,800), Mikael Granlund (C - $5,100), Filip Forsberg (W - $7,700)
Note Granlund is the right winger on this line and Parssinen remains a strong value play on his own at his current pace of scoring. He's scored points at both even strength and on the power play, and the Coyotes have allowed four goals in three straight games as they play their seventh straight road game.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NSH vs. ARI ($8,100): Josi is turning it around with seven points in his past five games, including a four-assist effort against the Isles. He continues to be a high-volume shooter with a shooting rate akin to some of the league's best first-line forwards.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at TB ($5,700): It's a difficult matchup but this is bargain value for McAvoy, the top defenseman on arguably the league's best team. He scored four assists against the Hawks in his last game, giving him seven points in five games. Defense has not been a strong suit for the Lightning this season.
Cam Fowler, ANH at STL ($4,300): The Ducks will likely struggle against the Blues but note Fowler has the hot hand with six points in three games. Even with the presence of John Klingberg, Fowler continues to play a big role on PP2 and the two defenders are separated by just one point in team scoring.
