This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
While Thursday is usually busy in the NHL, there are only four games. Montreal travels to Carolina, Vancouver hosts Philadelphia, Vegas is on the road in LA in a battle of two tired teams and Edmonton finds its way to San Jose to take on a tired Sharks team. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. PHI ($8,000): Demko is 5-0-1 in his last six starts, giving him a 17-7-1 mark, with a 2.46 GAA and .917 save percentage. Demko has to be in the mix for Vezina consideration as he has been a top-three goaltender for most of the season. Demko lost earlier in the season to the Flyers, but he could not be blamed as he made 40 saves. Philadelphia is 24th in the NHL, averaging 2.97 goals per game.
Stuart Skinner, EDM at SJ ($8,600): Skinner has an ideal spot Thursday as he takes on the lowly Sharks. Skinner has turned his season around after starting the year 4-7-1 with a 3.66 GAA and .913 save percentage. Since then, Skinner is 8-2-0 with a 2.31 GAA and .913 save percentage. Skinner will take on the Sharks, who are last in the NHL in scoring (2.15 goals per game) and shots on goal (25.7 shots per contest).
VALUE PLAYS
William Eklund, SJ vs. EDM ($4,200): Eklund has three goals and eight points in 11 December games this season. Eklund was drafted seventh overall in 2021 and is getting his first prolonged test in the NHL. He has seven goals and 16 points in 34 games and is starting to show why he was drafted so high. Eklund sees first line time in even-strength situations, as well as playing on the first power-play unit.
Tyson Foerster, PHI at VAN ($4,100): Foerster has played well since Thanksgiving, scoring four times as well as garnering five assists in 12 games. Foerster plays on the top line alongside Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, as well as seeing first power-play time. Foerster has three goals and an assist with the man-advantage this season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Sharks
Connor McDavid (C-$10,200), Zach Hyman (W-$9,500), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W-$6,900)
The best line in the NHL is led by McDavid. He has points in 14 of his last 15 games, scoring eight goals and adding 23 assists. McDavid has 12 goals and 44 points in only 29 games this season, well below the pace he has set over the last three seasons. Nevertheless, McDavid is still the best player in the NHL and should be back at the top of the scoring race shortly. Hyman has 11 goals in his last 13 games, and has 19 goals and 31 points in 30 contests. Nugent-Hopkins has 31 points in 31 games, including three goals and 13 points in nine December contests. The trio also play on the first power-play unit. They are expensive but could explode versus San Jose, the weakest team in the NHL.
Hurricanes vs. Canadiens
Sebastian Aho (C - $8,000), Andrei Svechnikov (W-$5,000), Seth Jarvis (W - $5,700)
Aho had a huge game Wednesday versus Nashville, picking up a goal and three assists. Svechnikov and Jarvis were also big contributors with a goal and an assist apiece. The outburst gives Aho 14 goals and 21 assists in 32 games this season, including six goals and seven assists in his last eight games. Jarvis has 12 goals – seven on the power play – and 14 assists in 35 games this season, while Svechnikov has four points in his last two games, giving him three goals and 16 points in 20 games as he has shaken off the rust after missing the first eight games of the season recovering from knee surgery performed on March 11. The threesome are well-priced and could come up big again Thursday versus the Canadiens.
DEFENSEMEN
Filip Hronek, VAN vs. PHI ($5,800): Hronek is about to shatter his career high 39 points, set last season. Hronek has two goals and 29 points in just 35 games as he has been seeing plenty of action alongside star defenseman Quinn Hughes. Hronek provides plenty of scoring and is a lot less expensive than Hughes which comes in handy if you are using the expensive McDavid line Thursday.
David Savard, MON at CAR ($4,500): Savard missed 22 games with a broken hand before returning to action Dec. 10. He has been hot in his last two contests with a goal and an assist in each game. Savard has three goals and seven points in 11 games this season.
