This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a lighter slate than usual with five games, starting with a Lightning-Jackets matinee at 2 p.m. EST. All eyes will be on Pierre-Luc Dubois again after he only played 3:55 last time out while admitting later he needed to do better.
The Canucks are hoping to win their battle against the Habs at 4 p.m. after losing the first encounter in a 6-5 shootout and the second one in a 7-3 blowout. They'll be shorthanded again after dressing three rookie defensemen last game with a combined seven NHL appearances, only to lose one of them (Jalen Chatfield) to injury.
The Bruins are looking to sweep the Flyers (4 p.m.), while the Kings-Blues (8 p.m.) and Senators-Jets (10 p.m.) will finish off the night. The Blues come in as the favorite, but they're a dicey play because they've been so inconsistent. And although the Kings have already lost three games, all were by a one-goal margin. The Jets are looking for a clean sweep of the Sens, who have allowed at least three goals in all four of their games.
All fancy stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. OTT ($8,400): Hellebuyck seems like the surest bet because the Jackets kept it close against Tampa even without Dubois, and it's a coin flip between the Bruins and Flyers. I'm a little less confident if Laurent Brossoit starts – remember the Jets play the Oilers on Sunday – but Hellebuyck looked solid by making 38 saves against the Sens.
Carey Price, MON at VAN ($8,300): The Habs feasted on a shorthanded Canucks' offense Thursday and it'll probably be the same story again. The Canucks' sloppy play and poor defensive-zone coverage has been an issue all season. They were embarrassed and don't seem to have many answers against the Habs, so they'll be hoping for plenty of power-play opportunities.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. LA ($7,300): The Blues – the Cup-winning version – should have no problems against the Kings. Binnington is 2-1-0 with a .926 save percentage against them over his career. And with all respect to Andreas Athanasiou's blazing hot start, LA don't have an elite scorer.
VALUE PLAYS
Max Domi, CBJ vs. TB ($4,400): It's starting to trend in the right direction for Domi after a slow start. He registered just two shots in his first three games, but now has two assists and four shots across his last two. Domi's play can be unpredictable, but expect him to earn more minutes if Dubois gets benched or healthy scratched).
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, MON at VAN ($3,900): Kotkaniemi is firmly behind Phillip Danault and Nick Suzuki on the depth chart, but KK has got in on the action against the Canucks with three points in two games. Vancouver's personnel hasn't been able to handle the Habs' depth up front, and it'll be a similar story tonight. Linemate Tyler Toffoli has also been ripping the Canucks to shreds with five goals.
Jordan Kyrou, STL vs. LA ($3,600): Kyrou has looked excellent since getting moved the second line with Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn and now has three points in his past two games. This spot is usually occupied by Vladimir Tarasenko, but Kyrou is a pretty good shooter and that's what his role will be and is averaging over two shots so far.
Jack Studnicka, BOS vs. PHI ($3,600): Studnicka didn't fare well on the top line, but seems to have found a home with David Krejci and Nick Ritchie. He scored his first goal of the season and finished with three shots across 13 minutes of play. The Flyers are missing their top two-way center (Sean Couturier) and Carter Hart has not been sharp on the road going back to last season.
Gabriel Vilardi, LA at STL ($3,400): Vilardi scored his first PPG of the season against the Avs on the second unit and has looked promising. He's getting sheltered in a third-line role, but that's ideal and he's pitched in with five shots and three blocked shots. The good thing about Vilardi is that his role and ice time have been consistent, which can often change from game to game for young players.
LINE STACKS
Canadiens at Canucks
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (C - $3,900), Tyler Toffoli (W - $4,900), Corey Perry (W - $3,200)
Joel Armia (concussion) will likely sit out, so Perry will make his season debut. And because the Canucks haven't played very well in front of their goalies, maybe a puck or two will bounce off Perry into the net. This is the line that has demolished the Canucks so far (79.3 CF%), with Toffoli coming a crossbar away from scoring back-to-back hat tricks against his former team. As mentioned earlier, the Canucks will be shorthanded again on defense.
Jets vs. Senators
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,400), Blake Wheeler (W - $6,700), Kyle Connor (W - $7,500)
It's not cheap, but it's hard not to stack against Matt Murray with his .880 save percentage and 3.80 GAA. The Jets have leaned on this line with Patrik Laine out of the lineup, and will continue to do so. All three members also skate on the top power-play unit.
DEFENSEMEN
Jeff Petry, MON at VAN ($5,500): It feels like we're targeting the Canucks, but Petry has looked great against them with two assists and six shots in two games and would've scored a goal had he converted on a rare breakaway.
Ivan Provorov, PHI at BOS ($5,300): Provorov has averaged more minutes this week than all the other defensemen in this salary range except for Drew Doughty (29:05 to Provorov's 27:35), and I like the value proposition. Provorov plays on both the first pairing and top power play. He's also Philly's blueline leader in shots and blocked shots.
Matt Grzelcyk, BOS vs. PHI ($4,300): Grzelcyk quarterbacks the top PP unit and Philly's penalty kill ranks 25th. He's only produced two assists this season and no one's mistaking him for Torey Krug, but offers upside as long as he remains in this spot.
Olli Juolevi, VAN vs. MON ($3,500): Juolevi stands out among the other third-pairing defensemen in this salary range because he's getting a lot of ice time on a depleted Canucks' D. He finished Thursday's contest with 22 minutes and three blocked shots, thanks to an extensive run on the penalty kill. There's some bad blood brewing in this series, so expect a few power plays and hope Juolevi can provide enough value through blocked shots alone.
