This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 11 games for Thursday with only the Avalanche playing back-to-back after facing the Leafs on Wednesday. The Panthers will be the most well-rested team playing their first game in five days, and they'll be hosting the Canadiens, who are playing their third game in four nights. That has an easy win for the Panthers written all over it, and they need to capitalize to stay in the wild card race.
Other key matchups include Round 2 between the Devils and Lightning; Bruins at Jets, as the Jets try to stop their freefall; the first game of a two-game series between the Rangers and Penguins; and Stars at Oilers between two teams that could meet in the Western Conference Final.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. CHI ($8,600): The Preds are on a bit of a roll and Saros will be going for his third straight win. He allowed just one goal on 29 shots against the Wings in his previous start. While the Hawks are coming off a 6-3 win against the league-leading Bruins, they are already 0-2 against the Preds this season and have won consecutive games in just four separate instances this season.
Joonas Korpisalo, LA vs. CBJ ($8,500): Korpisalo's been excellent for the Kings and may draw the start against his former team, even though based on their current rotation it's Pheonix Copley's turn to start. Either goalie should be a good choice against a team that has lost seven of their past 10.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. MON ($7,600): Bobrovsky wasn't sharp in his last start against the Jets but the Panthers will be facing a tired Hab squad who are playing their third game in four nights and allowed three goals or more in eight straight games.
Thatcher Demko, VAN at ARI ($7,300): The Coyotes are very good at home but the Canucks have been an unstoppable force with a five-game winning streak, four of them with Demko in net. Demko has not allowed more than two goals in five straight games.
VALUE PLAYS
Philip Tomasino, NSH vs. CHI ($4,200): Tomasino's currently skating on the top line with Matt Duchene and Cody Glass, and he's got the hot hand with three points in his past two games. Though the Preds may juggle their lines at times, Tomasino's entrenched in a top-six role and provides some added value playing on PP2.
Pavel Dorofeyev, VGK vs. CGY ($3,800): Dorofeyev is on a two-game goal streak and has been very productive despite limited ice time. He's averaging third-line minutes because he doesn't play special teams, but note he's playing on a line with Reilly Smith and William Karlsson, two veteran players who can force turnovers with their speed and forechecking ability and provide Dorofeyev with scoring opportunities.
LINE STACKS
Canucks at Coyotes
Elias Pettersson (C - $9,700), Andrei Kuzmenko (W - $6,300), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $4,800)
The Canucks' top line continues to be one of the best value stacks with Pettersson scoring at an elite, top-10 pace, Kuzmenko providing the scoring touch at both even strength and the power play, while Beauvillier's production rate has skyrocketed since joining the Canucks. The Coyotes are strong at home but not necessarily because of their defense. Despite going 18-11-3 at home, the Coyotes are allowing 3.25 goals per game, 11th-highest in the league, and rank 23rd on the penalty kill. All three members of the Canucks' top line play on the top power play unit.
Panthers vs. Canadiens
Sam Bennett (C - $5,900), Carter Verhaeghe (W – $7,700), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $9,700)
The good thing about this line stack is that has a very high ceiling because all three players shoot the puck quite a bit. Tkachuk's coming off consecutive three-point games and he's the main driver of this line, and offensively has more potential than Aleksander Barkov's line.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at OTT ($7,800): Makar can extend his point streak to seven games and seems to have fully recovered from his concussion. He played 30 minutes against the Leafs on Wednesday but fatigue shouldn't be a factor since he regularly logs a ton of minutes. The Avs may pump the brakes a little bit and give Makar a rest if they blow out the Sens, and that's the main drawback in this matchup.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at EDM ($6,500): Heiskanen's scored 14 points during his eight-game point streak and gets another favourable matchup against a team that has improved on defense with Mattias Ekholm but still regularly allows a fair amount of goals. The Stars got some much-needed rest after facing the Canucks on Tuesday.
