FanDuel NHL: Thursday Targets

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Published on October 27, 2022

SLATE PREVIEW

There are 10 games on Thursday with only two teams playing the second half of a back-to-back: Blues and Oilers.

Note the Preds and Flyers are coming off long breaks, with the Preds playing their first game since Saturday and the Flyers since Sunday. Not only will they be well-rested, they are both coming off losses and should be plenty motivated.

Games that are potentially high-scoring include Blackhawks vs. Oilers, Senators vs. Wild, Sabres vs. Canadiens, Bruins vs. Red Wings and Flyers vs. Panthers.

GOALIES

Ilya Samsonov, TOR at SJ ($8,600): Samsonov suffered his first loss of the season in his previous start but allowed only three goals in a game where the Leafs were getting buried. He's been very good otherwise, and should have no problems against the league's worst team on offense.

Carter Hart, PHI vs. FLA ($8,100): Hart is unbeaten so far this season and the Panthers have been very underwhelming. Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart have combined for just five assists so far this season, and it's a better bet to ride the outperforming team rather than banking on the underperformer to suddenly break through. According to naturalstattrick.com, Hart's been the best goalie this season with 6.72 goals saved above average at 5-on-5.

Eric Comrie, BUF vs. MON ($8,000): Comrie lost his previous start but it's been an otherwise excellent season so far. The Habs offense shouldn't pose much of a challenge; they've scored three or more goals just twice this season, and only four of their players have scored at least two goals this season.

VALUE PLAYS

Derick Brassard, OTT vs. MIN ($3,000): Brassard should be a popular value play taking over as the Sens' top center in Josh Norris' absence. He'll be flanked by high-end wingers in Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson, and the Wild are allowing the second-most goals per game at 4.67.

Owen Tippett, PHI vs. FLA ($3,700): Tippett is set to return to the lineup and he will skate on the second line with Scott Laughton and Noah Cates, but the big bonus will be his role on PP1. Since the season opener, the Panthers have allowed at least three goals in every game.

Max Domi, CHI vs. EDM ($4,000): Domi's extended his point streak to three games and remains a strong value play as the top center playing next to Patrick Kane both at even strength and on the power play.

Nicholas Robertson, TOR at SJ ($4,600): Robertson has scored three points in three games and his line with John Tavares and William Nylander was left intact after Sheldon Keefe juggled his lines. This line will draw favourable matchups against a very thin Sharks defense.

Sean Monahan, MON at BUF ($4,800): Monahan's riding a four-game point streak and gets a cushy gig playing on the top line and PP1. It's a great value play considering bottom-six checkers are offered in a similar salary range.

LINE STACKS

Stars vs. Capitals

Roope Hintz (C - $6,800), Jason Robertson (W - $7,800), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,100)

All three players are tied for the team lead with seven points apiece and it remains one of the best lines in the league. The Capitals will likely start Darcy Kuemper, who has not been particularly sharp for his new club and owns a paltry .899 save percentage through five games.

Maple Leafs at Sharks

Auston Matthews (C – $9,000), Alex Kerfoot (C - $4,400), Mitch Marner (W - $7,900)

Note that Kerfoot is listed as a center even though he will play left wing on this line, taking Michael Bunting's spot and also effectively lowers the cost of this stack by $1,300. Both Matthews and Marner have struggled, but Kerfoot's footspeed and strong two-way play could help his linemates focus on generating offense and busting their slump. The Sharks are not a formidable opponent.

DEFENSEMEN

Drew Doughty, LA vs. WPG ($6,100): Doughty has scored four points on 15 shots in his past six games, and as the Kings' power-play quarterback, presents a strong matchup play against the league's fourth-worst penalty kill.

Nils Lundkvist, DAL vs. WSH ($4,000): With Miro Heiskanen out of the lineup, Lundkvist stepped in as the quarterback for their top power-play unit and played a season-high 22 minutes. Though Lundkvist didn't score a point, this is potentially a great value play for a once highly-regarded prospect played against the 22nd-ranked penalty kill in the league.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.