This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a 12-game slate for Thursday with only the Predators and Leafs pulling double duty, playing the second half of a back-to-back after facing each other in a close battle Wednesday night. For the Bruins, Blackhawks and Knights, it'll be their first action after an extended break. The Knights, in particular, are coming off a rare four-day break.
The Bruins vs. Kraken and Rangers vs. Stars will be the marquee games with all four teams ranked in the top 10 in the league by points percentage. It'll be a battle between two top-five offenses in the former and the latter should be a low-scoring battle with two elite goalies in expected starters Igor Shesterkin and Jake Oettinger.
GOALIES
Cam Talbot, OTT at ARI ($7,200): Talbot hasn't been particularly sharp with at least three goals allowed in seven of his past eight games, but this is potentially really good value. The Sens beat the Coyotes, 6-2, in an earlier meeting this season, and Talbot's career numbers against the Coyotes is pretty impressive: 15-6-1 with a .931 save percentage and 2.17 GAA.
Frederik Andersen, CAR at CBJ ($8,100): Andersen was activated from injured reserve Wednesday but it's unknown as of Wednesday night whom the Canes intend to start against the Jackets. Prior to his injury, Andersen was struggling a little bit so prepared for some rust, but this matchup tilts heavily in favor of the Canes. They'll likely dominate puck possession and put a lot of shots on net, meaning Andersen (or whoever starts) will see few shots and get good goal support.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at CHI ($8,300): We may see Pavel Francouz get the start since Georgiev has started 12 straight games and might need a break, but it should be a good matchup for the Avs, anyway. The Avs are slumping but they should continue to have the advantage in nearly every facet of the game. The Hawks have won their past two games but have also only won three straight games one other time this season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. VAN ($8,600): Brian Elliott should also be good in this matchup should he get the start. The Lightning should have no problems against a Canucks team that has lost five of their past six and cannot defend. Over the past decade, the Canucks have beaten the Lightning just four times in 15 tries, and both Vasilevskiy (7-2-0/.929/2.03) and Elliott (8-7-2/.925/1.83) have excellent career records against them.
VALUE PLAYS
Paul Stastny, CAR at CBJ ($3,700): Stastny played just 10 minutes against the Devils but some of that was due to game flow with a combined seven power plays between the two teams. Though he doesn't play on the power play, Stastny continues to line up as their No. 2 center at even strength. He's scored four points in his past four games with seven shots on net.
Pierre Engvall, TOR at DET ($4,200): With Auston Matthews sitting out Wednesday's match against the Preds, Engvall was moved into the top six on a line with William Nylander, who had arguably his best game of the season, and Michael Bunting. Engvall didn't register a point, but playing with better linemates should give him more opportunities to score. All bets are off if Matthews returns as it will bump Engvall back down to the bottom six.
Juuso Parssinen, NSH at MON ($4,300): With an assist against the Leafs on Wednesday, Parssinen extended his point streak to four games. Though he doesn't get top-six minutes, the Preds have used him quite often on the top line and on PP1.
LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Canucks
Brayden Point (C - $8,200), Nikita Kucherov (W - $10,000), Brandon Hagel (W - $6,600)
The steal on this line is Hagel, who has three goals and three assists in his past seven games and has remained a fixture on this line and on PP2. The Canucks shouldn't pose much of a challenge defensively and they give up a lot of scoring chances off the rush.
Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,300), Seth Jarvis (W - $5,100), Max Pacioretty (W - $9,100)
It's a tad steep for Pacioretty, but hard to argue against three goals in three games on 13 shots, even if he got lucky on one of them. Aho is coming off a multi-point game and the Canes are averaging 35.7 shots per game, second in the league, while the Jackets are allowing 34.4 shots per game, second-most in the league. The Canes' top line should get plenty of scoring chances.
Golden Knights vs. Panthers
Jack Eichel (C - $9,200), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $7,200), Reilly Smith (W - $7,000)
The Knights are spreading out their talent recently but that's good for this line stack with Eichel and Reilly playing PP1 and Smith playing PP2. Though Eichel and Smith failed to score a point in their most recent game, there's a high floor for this stack because they all tend to shoot the puck a lot. The Panthers have allowed at least three goals in five of their past six games.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at CHI ($7,600): Makar should be a popular pick against the lowly Hawks and he will be looking to extend his point streak to four games. With the Avs slumping and goals a little hard to come by, the Avs have been leaning on Makar a lot, playing him 30 minutes a game in each of his past three games.
Jakob Chychrun, ARI vs. OTT ($7,500): Chychrun scored two assists and five shots in his most recent game and continues to score close to a point-per-game pace since returning from injury. This matchup is potentially very good because Chychrun has been excellent at home this season, scoring 12 points in 10 games at Mullet Arena, and on home ice, the Coyotes get to dictate the matchups. That should help Chychrun get more chances in the offensive zone.
