This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a six-game slate for Tuesday with the Lightning, Ducks and Islanders playing the second game of their back-to-back.
The marquee matchup will be the Avalanche at Penguins, a rare meeting between fellow Nova Scotians Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby. Note with the extended break thanks to the All-Star Game, the Avs are expected to have Valeri Nichushkin and Bowen Byram back in the lineup. It's expected to be a close matchup with FanDuel Sportsbook's money line set at -111 for the Avs and -110 for the Pens as of Monday night.
GOALIES
Stuart Skinner, EDM at DET ($7,600): Jack Campbell is also a viable play in this matchup with his six-game winning streak but odds are it'll be Skinner who gets the start. Skinner has not played since Jan. 25 so there might be some rust, but with the kind of goal support he gets and the Wings offense struggling, the Oilers should come out on top. The Oilers have the league's best offense with 3.74 goals per game and expected starter Ville Husso is coming off the worst month of the season with a .884 save percentage and 3.34 GAA in January.
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. VEG ($8,600): Saros will be going for his fourth straight win while Vegas tries to avoid their fifth straight loss and their eighth in nine games. Saros has been excellent in calendar 2023, tied for third in wins (7) and 10th in save percentage (.929) among goalies with at least five games played.
VALUE PLAYS
Filip Zadina, DET vs. EDM ($3,000): Zadina struggled for most of the season and was called up from the minors to replace Adam Erne on Sunday. Zadina scored a goal in two games during his rehab assignment and may draw into the lineup. If he does, it'll likely be a bottom-six role, but look for him to get some looks on the power play.
Noah Gregor, SJ at TB ($3,100): Gregor snapped a seven-game goal drought right before the all-star break and he will play on the top line with Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier. It's the best place for Gregor, who's playing higher in the lineup than he normally would. Despite his limited playing time this season, Gregor has only gone two games in which he failed to register a shot on goal.
Josh Bailey, NYI vs. SEA ($3,800): Bailey notched an assist playing on the top line with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal on Monday, his first point in six games. Bailey has moved up and down the lineup and even sat out as a healthy scratch this season, but he's making good with his new opportunity. The Kraken are a much stronger team this season but their goaltending remains very suspect.
LINE STACKS
Oilers at Red Wings
Connor McDavid (C - $10,600), Dylan Holloway (W - $4,000), Zach Hyman (W - $9,500)
McDavid's line will always be a popular stack but the cost is slightly lessened with the inclusion of Holloway. Though he's a complementary player on this line, Holloway's ice time has been ticking upwards and so has his ability to get shots on goal. Hyman was one of the league's best players last month, ending on a seven-game point streak that included scoring goals in five straight games.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson, SJ at TB ($8,100): The Lightning are actually one of the worst teams on the second night of back-to-backs, going 3-5-0 and allowing four goals per game, the third-highest total in the league. Backup Brian Elliott is expected to start, which means goals will be much easier to come by.
Bowen Byram, COL at PIT ($5,000): Byram is expected to return to the lineup and though he's playing on the third pair with Brad Hunt. Byram was curiously not practicing with either power play unit with Samuel Girard and Devon Toews playing with the second unit. However, Byram possesses immense offensive upside and prior to his injury was averaging 20 minutes per game and consistent getting shots on net. He's a sneaky under-the-radar play for some offense from the blueline.
