FanDuel NHL: Monday Targets

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Published on February 1, 2021

SLATE PREVIEW

All 10 teams in action are rested, a rarity this season with so many back-to-backs. The games begin at 7 p.m. EST with Predators at Lightning, Penguins at Rangers and Bruins at Capitals, with the winner of that game taking the lead in the East Division.

However, the real intrigue lies in the two North Division matchups, with the Canucks at Canadiens at 7 p.m. and Flames at Jets at 8 p.m. The teams sit third, second, sixth and fourth in the division standings, respectively. The Habs (-168) are heavily favored, but this is a different Canucks team than the one they faced last time; since their last meeting, the Canucks have won four straight, sweeping the Senators and defeating the Jets. The upset potential is there.

All fancy stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick.

GOALIES

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. NSH ($8,500): Tampa is heavily favored but I like the certainty of having Vasilevskiy in net. It just seems like the upset potential is the lowest in this matchup. Vasilevskiy ranks second in the league in GSAA (4.85), three spots ahead of Juuse Saros (3.75).

Jacob Markstrom, CGY at WPG ($7,900): It's a toss-up because both teams have very good goaltenders, though I'll give Markstrom the edge for his lower salary. The Jets looked listless against the Canucks on Saturday, and their defense isn't deep enough to afford to take nights off. The Flames played well in their previous game, shutting out the Habs in a 2-0 win.

Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. PIT ($7,300): I like this as a value play because the Pens literally don't have a defense; five of their regulars, including Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin, were injured late last week and expected to miss some time. The Pens' goaltending has not been very good, either, so there's a lot of factors working in Shesterkins' favor even before the puck is dropped.

VALUE PLAYS

Nils Hoglander, VAN at MON ($3,900): Hoglander's a borderline value play with the increase in salary, but he's really been one of the Canucks' best forwards all season. He plays on the second line and PP2, and has generated more chances than any other Canucks forward except for linemate Bo Horvat.

Dillon Dube, CGY at WPG ($3,600): Dube has just two points this season so offense may be hard to come by, but even after his injury, head coach Geoff Ward put Dube back on the top line right away. That's partly due to the Flames' lack of quality depth on the wings, but also a testament to their confidence in Dube. The Jets defense is rather lackluster, allowing 32.3 shots per game, seventh-most in the league.

Karson Kuhlman, BOS at WSH ($3,000): Kuhlman played 12 minutes and registered three shots in his season debut, and will skate on the second line with David Krejci. The Bruins have injuries to key wingers, and that's allowed Kuhlman to move up the lineup.

LINE STACKS

Lightning vs. Predators

Brayden Point (C - $7,600), Steven Stamkos (W - $8,300), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,500)

It's not a big issue yet, but scoring depth could be a problem for the Lightning. Only five forwards have scored more than one goal, and this line has accounted for eight of their 19 goals. The Preds have allowed 18 goals against teams with a record over .500 in their past six games.

Canucks at Canadiens

Elias Pettersson (C - $6,700), J.T. Miller (W - $6,900), Brock Boeser (W - $6,800)

This line came alive against the Sens and they were dominant against the Jets. Boeser scored two goals and he's currently the league leader with eight goals. All three also play on the top power-play unit, which has been very dangerous with Quinn Hughes as the quarterback.

Jets vs. Flames

Mark Scheifele (C - $7,600), Andrew Copp (W - $4,700), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,600)

Head coach Paul Maurice mixed up his lines in an effort to find a spark after losing 4-1 to the Canucks as the favorite. Copp has been very good this season and he's shooting the puck a lot, leading the team with 29 shots, which will help a natural playmaker in Scheifele. Ehlers, who leads the team with 11 points, has been dangerous all season and arguably the Jets' MVP so far.

DEFENSEMEN

Quinn Hughes, VAN at MON ($5,800): He is second in the league in assists with 10, and even though the Canucks PP ranks 22nd overall, it is trending up. The Canucks' top line combined for eight goals and 15 points last week.

Charlie McAvoy, BOS at WSH ($4,800): McAvoy is working on a four-game point streak and he's played big minutes on the power play with Matt Grzelcyk's sitting out games due to injury. The Capitals PK ranks 22nd in the league, so there's plenty of opportunity there.

Adam Fox, NYR vs. PIT ($4,300): He's now the undisputed top PP QB with Tony DeAngelo getting waived. Fox's offense may not be as dynamic, but he's definitely steadier and provides both shots and blocked shots in the event he doesn't score a point. The Rangers have a plus-8 differential in penalties drawn vs. penalties taken.

Pierre-Olivier Joseph, PIT at NYR ($3,600): Joseph assisted on three goals in 25 minutes of play Saturday against the Rangers after Letang left the game. Mike Sullivan will have no choice but to play his rookie defenseman big minutes again with injuries to so many defensemen. Joseph is a strong value play.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.