This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a pretty full slate with 10 games — here's the rundown on some key matchups:
Bruins at Islanders (7 p.m. EST): In this season's baseball-style schedule, the Bruins-Isles matchup is an outlier because none of their games have been played consecutively. The Isles were victorious in both of their meetings on Jan. 18 and Feb. 13, and it seems like the Bruins are due to take win a game. Both teams are playing well – the Bruins winning seven of their past 10 and the Isles winning six.
Penguins at Capitals (7 p.m.): The Pens have won four of their past five meetings this season and trending in the right direction after a rough start. A big reason for that has been goaltending; Tristan Jarry has won three straight games with a .944 Sv%.
Stars at Panthers (7 p.m.): It took 43 saves from Anton Khudobin, but the Stars snapped their six-game skid and have now split the season series even though they've been outplayed both games. Look for Sergei Bobrovsky and Jake Oettinger to start in the second half of a back-to-back.
Blackhawks at Blue Jackets (7 p.m.): This series has been wild; four of their five games have been decided by one goal with constant momentum shifts and lead changes. The past three games have featured 26 goals, but the O/U has been set at 5.5.
Canadiens at Jets (8 p.m.): It's all about storylines; Dominique Ducharme makes his debut as the Habs' new head coach and Carey Price has to prove that he can be an elite No. 1 or otherwise cede more starts to Jake Allen. It is the first meeting between the two teams this season.
Oilers at Canucks (10 p.m.): The Oilers stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Canucks in overtime last game, and head coach Travis Green is expected to make changes to his lineup. Connor McDavid has continued to feast on the Canucks, scoring 32 points in 24 games, more than any other team in the league.
GOALIES
Tristan Jarry, PIT at WSH ($7,900): Jarry's been a big reason for the Pens' turnaround while the Caps are going a rough patch, losing two of their past three – including one against the Pens – and narrowly defeating the Devils by one goal. Jarry's a good value play when he's been playing as well as he has.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. DAL ($7,800): The series is split but the Panthers have outshot the Stars 95 (!) to 51. With Khudobin expected to take a break, it'll be difficult for Oettinger to match what Khudobin's done the past two games. Bob hasn't been particularly sharp this season but has managed to keep opponents to three goals or less in five of his eight appearances.
Linus Ullmark, BUF vs. NJ ($7,300): He was brilliant in his last start with 41 saves and it feels like the Sabres are turning a corner, winning the xGF% battle in three of their past four games. They've won both against the Devils already, and Ullmark ranks seventh in 5v5 GSAA among goalies who have played at least 10 games, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Pekka Rinne, NSH at DET ($7,000): He recorded a 24-save shutout last game and the Wings are last in GF/GP in the league. The Wings offense just doesn't pose much of a threat even though the Preds are shorthanded, and have in fact been a good possession team this season despite their record.
VALUE PLAYS
Josh Norris, OTT vs. CGY ($4,400): Norris has scored four points in his past five games and faring quite well as the top center on a very young team. He's a good value play because he gets a lot of opportunities, and the Flames may be forced to debut Artyom Zagidulin, who has only 30 AHL games of experience in North America, after starting David Rittich last night.
Pius Suter, CHI at CBJ ($4,200): Suter has scored two goals and an assist against the Jackets this season and this should be another close game. This could be another high-scoring game between two porous and inconsistent defenses even though the O/U is 5.5.
Tim Stützle, OTT vs. CGY ($4,000): Stützle's offense has kicked into higher gear lately with three points on 14 shots in his past three games. The German wunderkind's value gets a huge boost from playing on the top power play.
Nils Hoglander, VAN vs. EDM ($3,600): Hoglander was moved up to the top line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser at Wednesday's practice, and he could be a very good fit with his ability to win puck battles. If he leaves the shooting to his linemates, Hoglander's in line to potentially collect some easy apples.
Joel Kiviranta, DAL at FLA ($3,500): The Stars are a frustrating fantasy play because no one other than Joe Pavelski scores consistently, but Kiviranta is a good value play because he plays on Pavelski's line and on the top power play unit.
LINE STACKS
Hurricanes at Lightning
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,500), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,400), Brock McGinn (W - $4,100)
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour started to change up his lines last game but this line led all of them in even-strength ice time. Curtis McElhinney is expected to start, and he was not good against the Canes last season, allowing seven goals in two games with a .897 Sv%. It seems unlikely the Lightning will take three straight from the Canes and this is the line Brind'Amour clearly trusts the most on offense.
Panthers vs. Stars
Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,200), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $4,500), Anthony Duclair (W - $4,600)
If the Panthers come out with the same effort as the last two games, they will have no problem defeating the Stars. This line has been dominant all season and led the Panthers with 16 chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Blue Jackets vs. Blackhawks
Jack Roslovic (C - $5,200), Patrik Laine (W - $7,600), Cam Atkinson (W - $6,700)
Fingers crossed this game is high-scoring again, and if it is, bet on this line to be a big part of it. They combined for seven points last game against the Hawks and the Jackets' normally anemic power play struck three times in four chances thanks to Laine.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NSH at DET ($6,500): It's hard not to pick on Detroit. Among the five defensemen in the $6,000-salary range, Josi definitely has the easiest matchup.
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. EDM ($5,500): He continues to lead all defensemen in points (21), power-play points (11) and ranks second in shots (58), trailing only Josi. Travis Hamonic may return, and when paired with Hughes, they've combined for 51.52 5v5 CF%, according to Natural Stat Trick, which trails only Alexander Edler and Nate Schmidt as Vancouver's best pairing.
Seth Jones, CBJ vs. CHI ($5,200): Both of his assists came on the power play against the Hawks last game, not to mention he played a career-high 31:58. With no one else on the blue line head coach John Tortorella trusts, look for Jones to do everything, and his offense gets a boost with the power play being able to score again, thanks to Laine.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. NJ ($4,300): Dahlin's fantasy value is starting to increase with a three-game assist streak. All of them have come via the power play, and he's really turned it around with nine shots in his past three games after going minus-5 with just three shots in his previous three games.
