This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Ducks get a chance to avenge a 6-0 loss to the Flames and both teams carry some momentum into this one. The Ducks are coming off a 5-1 win against a listless Canucks team last night and the Flames should bounce back after a loss in which they allowed eight goals.
If the Panthers are going to really be in a pickle if they don't take advantage of the Sharks. Erik Karlsson is out for the season and Evander Kane will serve the first game of his three-game suspension. The Panthers are four points behind Toronto but have two games on hand and must at least keep pace to stay in the playoff race.
The Islanders haven't scored a goal in their past two games and acquiring Andy Greene probably isn't really going to change that. The Coyotes, meanwhile, held the Caps to just one goal and have been a strong defensive group all season when they get good goaltending. Antti Raanta has a .933 Sv% in February.
A 2018 finals rematch awaits with the Capitals visiting Vegas, where the Golden Knights are currently 2-for-2 in their five-game homestand. The Caps have lost five of their past eight, and you wonder if the Caps stayed the night in Arizona or Vegas following Saturday's game. Hmm…
The Lightning got a really good piece in Blake Coleman for futures that don't hurt them now, while the Avalanche are coming off two straight losses, including the Stadium Series against lowly Los Angeles. (Those jerseys were awesome, though). The Lightning are on a roll and putting on a show reminiscent of the crazy run they had last season, except they've learned to take it easy at the beginning of the year and then ramp it up in time for the playoffs.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9,300) has played so well since the beginning of the season, he's back in the Vezina conversatio, but there should be some caution when facing Nathan MacKinnon. He may not be a popular pick at this price and represents a huge premium compared to the rest.
Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,400) didn't have to do much making 19 saves in a shutout win against the Isles, and he's been just so-so all season. There's not much confidence when he's in net these days, even if the Caps are a familiar opponent (.911 career Sv%).
Antti Raanta ($8,200) should be a good play. The Islanders added defense when they should be thinking offense, and the Coyotes have one of the stingier defenses. He should be a popular pick.
Cam Talbot ($8,100) was tagged with the loss even though David Rittich was the starter, and the Ducks shouldn't be an intimidating opponent, but too many times the Flames have just imploded this season. The Ducks scored five against Vancouver last night.
Braden Holtby ($8,100) is also a dice roll against a deep Vegas team. Holtby has been good in his last two appearances but his .896 Sv% and 3.14 GAA are both career worsts. He is just 2-2 with a .907 Sv% in his career against Vegas. When the Caps offense struggles, it's hard to trust their goaltending.
Sergei Bobrovsky ($7,600): value play? It's so difficult to tell with him but the Sharks can't even put together one good scoring line and Bob is 9-5-2 with a .936 Sv% against San Jose in his career. I would take a chance on Bob and bet Martin Jones ($7,100) is unlikely to get another shutout. It sounds better than expected starter Ryan Miller ($7,500) on the road against a team with more rest.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Gambrell ($3,100) gets the assignment with Patrick Marleau and Barclay Goodrow in Evander Kane's absence. The versatile forward has two points in two games, and at times has moved up and down the lineup depending on matchups. There's no guarantee he stays there, or if the Sharks can even muster up any offense, but he's a potential value play given his role right now.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Florida Panthers (TOTAL: $19,400)
C – Aleksander Barkov ($7,100)
W – Jonathan Huberdeau ($6,700)
W – Evgenii Dadonov ($5,600)
The Panthers' top line rocks a 54 CF% in over 500 minutes this season. They're truly elite numbers and the Sharks are without two of their top four possession players (Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson). The Wild made Martin Jones look really good, as they've done for many opposition goalies this season, and the Panthers offense remains elite with 3.41 GF/GP, fifth in the league.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($7,200) will be popular as the only elite option. What's perhaps most impressive is his performance on the road; he ranks third in both points (39) and plus-minus (plus-20), and that's with the other team dictating the matchups. He already has two apples against Vegas this season.
Victor Hedman ($5,900) is a solid all-round option as always, and Nate Schmidt ($4,300) is essentially the value version. Cale Makar ($5,600), Shea Theodore ($5,500) and Mikhail Sergachev ($4,400) have good upside as PP QB's. Noah Hanifin ($4,200) has taken on some of this role for Calgary but the results haven't been there.
A good value play is Jakob Chychrun ($3,800), who has seven points in seven games. He shoots a lot and blocks a lot, and his usage ranges from good (19-20 minutes of ice time) to extreme (24-plus minutes). His big shot on the power play has been far more effective than Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($4,800).
