This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's the second-busiest night of the week with 13 games. Only the Blues will be playing the second half of a back-to-back, and nine teams will be coming off extended breaks of at least two days.
There are three marquee matchups to keep an eye on: Panthers vs. Stars, Maple Leafs vs. Devils and Hurricanes vs. Avalanche. All six teams are in playoff position and two of them – Devils and Hurricanes – are a consensus top-five team.
GOALIES
Samuel Montembeault, MON at CBJ ($7,400): Montembeault has not lost in regulation in four consecutive starts, and against the struggling Jackets, he has a good chance to push that to five games. Despite going 0-2-0 in three career appearances against them, Montembeault has vastly improved this season with a .930 save percentage and has not allowed more than three goals in any of his appearances.
Ville Husso, DET at SJ ($8,100): The Wings have lost four straight and this looks like an intimidating matchup against the Sharks, who have won four straight, but note the Sharks are also a league-worst 1-5-3 at home. In four career appearances against the Sharks, Husso has never lost, sporting a 3-0-1 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.29 GAA.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. ANH ($8,800): Hellebuyck has arguably been the best goalie in the league and if the Jets can keep the puck in the Ducks' end – which is a high possibility considering how awful the Ducks defense has been – this should be an easy win. Hellebuyck is 9-2-1/.923/2.32 all-time against the Ducks.
Logan Thompson, VGK vs. ARI ($8,900): The Coyotes offense ranks 27th in GF/GP and Vegas should bounce back strong after a third-period collapse against the Sharks in their most recent game. The Knights are 16-7-0 all-time against the Coyotes and Thompson has a .947 save percentage and 1.42 GAA on home ice this season.
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. PHI ($9,000): The Flyers have huge problems scoring, having scored more than two goals just three times in their past nine games. This should be a piece of cake for the Bruins, who have won eight of their past 11 meetings, and Ullmark has not allowed more than two goals in his past five starts. The B's are at full strength with no injuries to any of their key players.
VALUE PLAYS
Sam Gagner, WPG vs. ANH ($4,100): Gagner has been bumped to the top line and PP1 with Mason Appleton out of the lineup due to wrist surgery. While Gagner's production has become more inconsistent in his age-33 season, he played 17:01 in Seattle on Sunday, his second-highest total of the season. The Ducks allow the most shots per game in the league.
Matej Blumel, DAL at FLA ($4,300): Blumel is getting bottom-six minutes but at even strength has lined up alongside Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment. His upside is limited against a tough opponent, but the Stars offense has improved a lot from last season and Blumel presents a very under-the-radar play.
Juuso Parssinen, NSH vs. NYI ($4,700): Parssinen has taken over as the team's top center after John Hynes moved Mikael Granlund to the wing and bumped Matt Duchene to the second line. Parssinen was a seventh-round pick but developed into a top forward for TPS in Finland, and prior to his call up scored nine points in 10 games in the AHL.
Adam Ruzicka, CGY at TB ($4,900): Another game, another multi-point effort from Ruzicka. Even with Jonathan Huberdeau back in the lineup, Ruzicka has held onto to his on the top line alongside Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli. A two-point effort in a win against the Kings now gives Ruzicka five points in five games and he's a great value play as long as he stays there.
Mason Shaw, MIN vs. PIT ($4,900): Shaw has changed his jersey number to No. 15, shedding the temporary number assigned to rookies. It's a signal that Shaw is going to stick with the big club, and after starting on the third line has moved up to play with Matt Boldy on the second line while maintaining his duties with PP2.
LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Flyers
Patrice Bergeron (C - $8,000), Brad Marchand (W - $8,800), David Pastrnak (W - $10,300)
Expensive, sure, but the "Perfection Line" has been one of the best in the league for numerous seasons. The drawback for this line stack is that the Bruins may put this game out of reach very early, leaving Jim Montgomery to spread out the ice time. The Flyers have allowed 19 goals during their four-game losing streak.
Penguins at Wild
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,800), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,200), Bryan Rust (W - $5,500)
It's a very reasonable price for one of the best top lines in the league. Crosby hasn't faced the Wild much in his career but he's scored 28 points in 20 games and should relish a chance to shoot against backup Filip Gustavsson, who's expected to start for the injured Marc-Andre Fleury. They were a combined minus-13 last game against the Leafs but the competition is easier and Crosby rarely has two bad games in a row.
Red Wings at Sharks
Dylan Larkin (C - $8,200), Lucas Raymond (W - $5,300), Tyler Bertuzzi (W - $4,300)
The Sharks are not a strong defensive team and Detroit's top line generated 12 shots in their most recent game against the Ducks. It also gives you exposure to both power play units with Raymond playing PP2 while Larkin and Bertuzzi headline PP1. The Ducks PK ranks 31st in the league.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. ARI ($6,200): It's been a quiet but consistent season for Theodore, who has four assists in his past five games and 12 points in 17 games overall this season. The Coyotes should be an easy matchup, and Theodore has scored 15 points against them in his career, third-most against any opponent.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. PHI ($5,700): The Bruins are at home so they'll get the matchups they want most of the time, and McAvoy's ice time has increased in every game since returning from injury. They've been easing him into the lineup but the reins should come off in his fourth game against an overmatched opponent without a bona fide scoring line. McAvoy has two points in three games and has returned to his usual spot on PP1.
