This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's one of the busiest days on the calendar with only the Jets (slackers!) not in action. The 15-game slate starts with the Sabres at Bruins (1 p.m. EDT) and Lightning at Red Wings (3 p.m.) for the matinees before staggered starts at 7, 8 and 10.
One of the biggest games will be the Stars at Predators (8 p.m.) as they fight for fourth place in the Central. A victory for the Stars will put them even with the Preds at 56 points, but Nashville would have the tiebreaker based on three more regulation wins.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at ARI ($8,700): Fleury's looking to extend his winning streak to six games and has been brilliant against the Coyotes this season with a .962 Sv% and 0.67 GAA. Friday's 3-0 loss certainly gives pause, but Vegas still leads the season series 5-2 - including two shutouts, both by Fleury.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at DET ($8,600): Vasilevskiy has been perfect against the Wings this season with six goals allowed over four appearances. The only downside to picking him is there are plenty of other goalies available and the Lightning have been so dominant against the Red Wings he hasn't seen more than 28 shots per game.
Alex Nedeljkovic, CAR vs. CBJ ($8,500): The series was close early in the season, but the Blue Jackets needed a shootout to snap a nine-game losing streak while goal scoring remains an issue. The Hurricanes should provide Nedeljkovic with enough offense for an easy win as Columbus is averaging a league-low 1.93 goals per game since Apr. 1.
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. VAN ($8,100): Campbell should be back in the crease after getting a break on Thursday. And while this has the makings of a revenge game for the Canucks following a somewhat controversial fight between Wayne Simmonds and Alexander Edler, they just don't seem very focused or have enough energy to compete against the Leafs. Also, Vancouver has gone 0-4 in Toronto this season.
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. BUF ($7,800): Swayman's been brilliant since joining the Bruins and represents a strong value play at this salary. His last two starts against the Sabres both produced wins (three goals allowed on 53 shots) and the Bruins have only lost once against them this year.
VALUE PLAYS
Alex Barre-Boulet, TB at DET ($3,800): Barre-Boulet is still very inconsistent, but the former AHL standout continues to play on the top line. He offers plenty of scoring ability and is being given a chance to succeed against a team that doesn't have a lot of talent on the blueline or between the pipes.
Daniel Sprong, WSH vs. PIT ($3,700): This might be the last chance to capitalize on Sprong, who's on a three-game goal streak that's in jeopardy of ending with Ovechkin's potential return. Sprong's been very good as the primary shooter on the top line, but feel free to ignore him when he gets bumped back down the depth chart if Ovechkin plays.
Janne Kuokkanen, NJ at PHI ($3,400): Kuokkanen has shown good chemistry with Jack Hughes on the top line and has collected five assists in six games against the Flyers. Their matchups have featured quite a few goals and Kuokkanen definitely benefits from Philly's woeful goaltending.
Cole Caufield, MON vs. OTT ($3,100): The good news: Caufield's definitely not shy about shooting the puck having registered nine shots in three contests. The bad news: his ice time dropped for the third straight game and it's clear if the Habs are looking for solutions, Caufield should be more of a last resort considering his relative inexperience. That being said, he's faced tough competition since debuting and the Sens' goaltending will be the easiest he's faced so far.
Grigori Denisenko, FLA at CHI ($3,000): Denisenko has considerable upside and collected his first assist against Chicago last time out. Playing on the top line with Aleksander Barkov will certainly help, but don't expect Denisenko to play first-line minutes. He's still a rookie and the Panthers have juggled their lines lately, so the drawback is that he may not get all the opportunities his talent warrants.
LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Sabres
David Krejci (C - $5,500), Taylor Hall (W - $6,500), Craig Smith (W - $4,700)
Hall's revenge tour against the Sabres continues, against whom he's scored four points in five games. Krejci and Smith have combined for 15 points in seven, a much better output than the Perfection Line.
Flyers vs. Devils
Sean Couturier (C - $7,100), Jakub Voracek (W - $6,200), Claude Giroux (W - $6,900)
Philly's veteran top line has totaled 21 points against the Devils this year, even though Couturier has missed two games. The Devils may have won two straight against the Flyers and eliminated them from playoff contention, but Philly has also scored 10 goals in their past three meetings.
Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,800), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $5,300), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $5,700)
The trio have combined for 16 points against Columbus, with Aho and Teravainen averaging over a point per game. The Jackets may be tough defensively and their goaltending can definitely steal games, but they allow a lot of shots and the 'Canes have generally been good at both generating shots and finishing their scoring chances. Of note, the Blue Jackets' 3.71 GA/GP in April is second-worst in the league.
Maple Leafs vs. Canucks
Auston Matthews (C - $8,700), Mitch Marner (W - $7,600), Nick Foligno (W - $4,100)
Look for Foligno to draw back into the lineup after getting rested on Thursday. The Canucks' defense is thin and weak and haven't been able to stop Matthews or Marner all season. They'll also likely be tired as they approach the end of their road trip playing their fourth time in six days.
Panthers at Blackhawks
Sam Bennett (C - $4,000), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $7,500), Owen Tippett (W - $3,000)
Tough to say if Joel Quenneville will stick to his lines, but Bennett has been excellent since arriving from Calgary. Tippett is on a three-game stretch where he's scored two points with 17 (!) shots on goal as his role expands moving up to the second unit.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. SJ ($5,700): Makar provided a goal and an assist on seven shots on Friday. And with a (mostly) healthy lineup, the Sharks just have no answer to the Avs' offense. Makar's upside is tremendous and may outperform everyone at a higher salary based on the matchup.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. BUF ($4,900): McAvoy has four apples in his past five and four in seven games against the Sabres. With Mike Reilly potentially sitting out, perhaps McAvoy will get a bit more time on the power play, although the Bruins' PP hasn't fared well of late and has only converted 15 percent of their chances against the Sabres this season.
Justin Schultz, WSH vs. PIT ($4,100): With John Carlson perhaps unavailable, look for Schultz - who collected two helpers in his last meeting with the Pens - to take over QB duties on PP1. And while Dmitry Orlov ($4,200) is generally the safer choice because he usually plays more minutes and shoots more, Schultz's role on the top PP – especially if Alex Ovechkin returns – is definitely worth the marginal difference in salary.
