This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Today is the day. The spooky and scary Halloween. Will there be upsets in celebration? Who knows, but I'll do my best to guide you to the best bag of candy possible. We have a small slate of four NHL games starting at 4 p.m. EDT.
SLATE PREVIEW
Here's the breakdown on teams playing the second night of a back-to-back: Canadiens, Kings and Devils. The Ducks have the league's fourth highest goals against per game and the Kings are starting to look dominant.
GOALIES
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ at NJD ($7,400): Merzlikins will get a shot to rebound after giving up four goals against the Rangers two nights ago. Even then, the netminder managed to throw together 33 saves. With the Devils playing on the second of a back-to-back, the Jackets will look to take advantage.
VALUE PLAYS
Boone Jenner, CBJ at NJD ($3,900): The Jacket Train will continue tooting here with a surprise value at center. Jenner is averaging two shots and just over 0.5 goals per contest. The top-line pivot had his three-game goal streak ended before two subsequent mediocre performances. Jenner now gets a dance in Jersey with a less-than-fully-fit Devils and also lines up with two dynamic wingers.
Mike Hoffman, MON at ANA ($4,700): Hoffman and the rest of the Canadiens have struggled to find success and consistency this season. He's also averaging under 2.0 shots a game. Hoffman will soon break out and his salary will soar by playing on the first unit. Going against the Ducks with their 3.40 GAA and their expected goals against per game (xGA) is 3.30, this is the perfect time to hop on the wagon.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Kings vs. Sabres
Anze Kopitar (C - $8,100), Viktor Arvidsson (W - $5,500), Dustin Brown (W - $4,900)
Buffalo is by far exceeding any expectations and it's only a matter of time until regression kicks in. If there's one player who can start the process, it's Anze Kopitar. His line is averaging 3.41 goals per game and are carrying the Kings' offense.
Rangers at Kraken
Ryan Strome (C - $5,700), Artemi Panarin (W - $7,900), Kaapo Kakko (W - $4,400)
With the Rangers finally healthy, their lines should start clicking soon. Seattle still has yet to settle into the NHL and are still mixing lines up to see what makes the most sense. This creates the perfect opportunity for the Blueshirts to start unleashing their firepower.
DEFENSE
Kale Clague, LA vs. BUF ($3,500): Clague snuck through most contests during his season debut against Montreal yesterday. The blueliner's salary is near the bottom and he'll continue to line up on the Kings' top power play.
Zach Werenski, CBJ at NJD ($5,000): We have yet another misvalue, but this time at defense. Werenski is one of the best D options on the slate - if not the top choice - and is nowhere near the highest-salaried. Once again, this matches the tired Devils narrative and Werenski quarterbacks Columbus's first man-advantage while averaging 2.4 shots and 0.57 blocks per game.
