This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Who thought the Red Wings would lose to the Coyotes last night? I know I didn't! We have a few more plus matchups today, namely Washington at Seattle and Arizona at Los Angeles. I'll do my best to guide you through this wishy-washy slate with six games starting at 6 p.m. EST.
SLATE PREVIEW
Here's the breakdown on teams playing the second night of a back-to-back: Flames, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Islanders, Blackhawks, Capitals, Coyotes and Kings. Seattle enters with the league's highest goals against and Washington with the sixth-highest goals for in the league.
GOALIES
Jonathan Quick, LA vs ARI ($8,600): Even with the Kings playing on consecutive days, I still believe in them against the lowly Coyotes. Quick has been phenomenal when this season with a 5-5 record, having won four of his last five with 20+ points in every matchup. Arizona's somehow performing better, but still continue to struggle scoring and LA are decent on D.
VALUE PLAYS
Ryan Strome, NYR vs BUF ($5,400): Playing with one of the better wingers in the league in Artemi Panarin, Strome is on a five-game point streak with a 1-5-6 line and is still below $6K? That's great value! He's been on fire since Panarin returning to the lineup. And not only is Strome setting up the star, but is also taking his fair share of shots.
Adrian Kempe, LA vs ARI ($4,500): After teammate Viktor Arvidsson returned to the lineup, Kempe was demoted to the second line. However, it did not last for long. With Dustin Brown struggling, Kempe has taken back his left-wing spot on Kopitar's unit. Against the Coyotes traveling on the second-half of a back-to-back, this seems like a no-brainer.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Islanders vs Maple Leafs
Mathew Barzal (C - $6,400), Zach Parise (W - $3,700), Kieffer Bellows (W - $3,000)
Do you want a line stack that has immense upside, but a very low floor? Let me present you the New York Islanders 9.0. The Island Boys continue to get hit with injuries and COVID-19 protocol concerns. Now they've called up Bellows to a top line that boasts significant offense. The X-factor here is Parise who many - myself included - believe still has what it takes to produce at high levels. This stack will also save significant salary to pay up elsewhere.
Capitals at Kraken
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $8,100), Alex Ovechkin (W - $9,100), Conor Sheary (W - $3,900)
Believe it or not, we're going right back to the Caps this week and saving salary on this stack compared to last week. We also list a very similar matchup, but a much more consistently poor team. Seattle has not seen the same luck Vegas did when they joined the league. I wouldn't be surprised if Washington put up four or five goals.
DEFENSE
Vince Dunn, SEA vs WAS ($3,900): Dunn hasn't been what many expected when he joined the new franchise. However, he'll get the perfect opportunity to showcase his defensive abilities against the high-flying Caps. With the great floor from shot-blocking and shots in general and power-play role, this adds up as a perfect spot for a reasonable salary.
Jacob Trouba, NYR vs BUF ($4,700): Trouba has been hot and produced an excellent floor with a goal and three assists added to 19 shots and 11 blocked shots across his last five appearances. He's also only managed under 10 fantasy points once during that span. For under $5K, Trouba's a great add.
