This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a light four-game schedule, but the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe returns with the Flyers-Bruins at its delayed start time (7:30 p.m. EST) makes it eligible for FanDuel's all-day slate. That leaves three games, including:
Canadiens at Senators (7:00 p.m.): The Habs will like start Jake Allen after starting Carey Price last night against the Maple Leafs. The two previous meetings between Montreal and Ottawa only featured eight total goals, so tonight may be another low-scoring affair. The Habs' offense has reverted back to the mean and the Sens, well, at least they're losing by fewer goals than before.
Devils at Capitals (7:00 p.m.): Both teams are on the second of a back-to-back even though they played different opponents yesterday. And both are coming off losses, as the Devils fell to the Sabres and the Caps to the Rangers. Look for Aaron Dell and Ilya Samsonov to start.
Jets at Canucks (10:00 p.m.): Laurent Brossoit has recorded two shutouts against the Canucks - including the one on Friday - but look for the Jets to start Connor Hellebuyck with his 1.56 GAA and .949 Sv% against them in his career. Vancouver doesn't often get shut out, but it happened four times last season - all on the road.
(All fancy stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick.)
GOALIES
Jake Allen, MON at OTT ($8,600): I mean, it was Auston Matthews, after all. The Habs don't look quite as good as they did to start the season, but the Sens are the league's worst team while Allen has been solid including a 34-save win against Ottawa on Feb. 6. Also, Montreal has gone 6-0-2 on the road so far.
Ilya Samsonov, WSH vs. NJ ($7,800): Samsonov was called up to the taxi squad Saturday and he's expected to start today following his conditioning stint. He allowed six goals on 46 shots with AHL Hershey - which admittedly isn't positive - but the Devils aren't very good at scoring either. Of note, the Devils have only beaten the Caps three times in regulation since 2015.
Braden Holtby, VAN vs. WPG ($6,900): Look for Holtby to start as the Canucks rotate goalies again. He looked excellent in his last start with one goal allowed on 36 shots after a tough start to the year. The Jets have had the Canucks' number recently, but Friday was a tight 1-0 game until the last 1:17. Maybe the bounces might go Vancouver's way this time, so Holtby qualifies as a value play.
VALUE PLAYS
Charlie Coyle, BOS vs. PHI ($4,200): No David Krejci means Coyle gets bumped up to the second line with Nick Ritchie and Craig Smith on the wings. This will be a very physical line that can punish opponents down low, which might come in handy during outdoor games because sometimes poor ice conditions don't serve skilled players very well. The Flyers also rank 21st in GA/GP no thanks to poor 5-on-5 play and mediocre goaltending.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel, PHI at BOS ($3,200): The feisty winger moved up with Kevin Hayes on the second line with plenty of Flyers still on COVID protocol, but that also provides him plenty of opportunities to extend his point streak to three games. It may be a tough assignment to score against the Bruins, but they're also shorthanded. Aube-Kubel's simple, gritty style might translate better to a potentially poor outdoor ice surface that may hinder more skilled stickhandlers.
LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Flyers
Jack Studnicka (C - $3,200), Jake DeBrusk (W - $4,600), Anders Bjork (W - $3,200)
This represents a sneaky, value-based line stack. There's no doubt this trio was put together to generate offense, and both DeBrusk and Bjork play on PP2. Studnicka didn't look ready at the beginning of the season, but he's getting a second chance with Krejci unavailable. I expect Bruce Cassidy to lean a lot on his top two lines, so Studnicka's line will likely appear on the fly or in the offensive zone.
Capitals vs. Devils
Nicklas Backstrom (C - $6,700), Tom Wilson (W - $4,700), Jakub Vrana (W - $4,500)
Alex Ovechkin's line was caved in by the Rangers yesterday and only generated four chances and 17 against at 5-on-5, but Backstrom's line was productive with eight for and two against. The unusual matinee starts can lead to some pretty weird results, but Backstrom has been one of the league's most consistent players. They're a safer bet to show up than Ovechkin's line, and they won't have to face MacKenzie Blackwood.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. WPG ($5,800): The Canucks were shut out by a brilliant Brossoit, but it's unlikely to happen again even with Hellebuyck in net. They were never blanked at home last season and would've had at least one goal against Brossoit had Elias Pettersson not hit a post. Only John Carlson and Jeff Petry enter with higher salaries, but it's debatable if either of them offer the same upside.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. PHI ($5,400): McAvoy has become a must-play for high-floor defensemen because he simply does it all. As long as Matt Grzelcyk is injured, McAvoy will handle PP1.
Nate Schmidt, VAN vs. WPG ($4,600): The Canucks generated a lot of shots from their defensemen last game, including Schmidt who managed at least one glorious scoring chance. He's only recorded four points this season but has notched a goal on eight shots over the past four contests.
Ty Smith, NJ at WSH ($4,200): Sometimes you really wonder if the Caps just sleepwalk through every matinee game. Smith is averaging over 22 minutes since returning from COVID protocol and it's a stacked first PP unit with Nico Hischier returning. The Caps are expected to start Ilya Samsonov, who was shaky at the beginning of the season and didn't look particularly sharp in two AHL games.
