This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are nine games for Thursday's slate, and more than a few lopsided matchups to choose from, including Penguins vs. Senators, Panthers at Oilers and Golden Knights vs. Canadiens, a rematch of last season's playoff matchup.
The Avalanche, who are visiting the Kings, are the only team playing the second game of a back-to-back after blanking the Ducks on Wednesday, 2-0.
GOALIES
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. OTT ($8,100): The Sens have been a feisty bunch with two wins in their past three games, but they face a steep challenge against one of the best teams in the league. In the previous nine meetings, the Sens have won just three times, and the Pens can roll three scoring lines with a healthy Evgeni Malkin, which is more than what an already thin Sens defense can handle.
Braden Holtby, DAL at BUF ($7,800): Holtby will surely get the start after Jake Oettinger was pulled in a loss against the Habs and forced Holtby to come in for relief. The Stars are horrendous on the road and the Sabres are 2-2-1 in their past five, so there's definitely a chance of an upset here. However, the Stars should bounce back from a tough loss to a bottom-feeder team, so expect a much stronger effort from them. Holtby is 10-4-2 in his career against the Sabres.
Carter Hart, PHI vs. CBJ ($7,400): Admittedly, this is a gamble because the Flyers are hurtling towards the bottom with a nine-game losing streak. Things are looking slightly better since the last defeat was in a nine-round shootout, and the Jackets have struggled, too, after losing five of their past seven.
VALUE PLAYS
Morgan Frost, PHI vs. CBJ ($3,400): The hope is that the Jackets' woeful goaltending will help the Flyers get on the board. Frost has not scored a point since Jan. 6 despite his obvious talent, and he will center the third line with some time with PP2.
Jacob Peterson, DAL at BUF ($3,900): There's huge rewards potentially waiting for Peterson, who moved up from Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin's line to Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz's line, which presents a substantial boost in fantasy value. Peterson scored a goal on four shots in 19 minutes against the Habs, and his usage makes him one of the better value plays of the night.
Warren Foegele, EDM vs. FLA ($4,000): Foegele has an assist in two straight games and will skate on Connor McDavid's line in a tough matchup against the Panthers. The big question is if the Oilers can keep the puck out of their zone long enough to produce scoring chances, and if they do, it's more likely than not that McDavid's line will do most of the heavy lifting. The drawback for Foegele is he doesn't play on the power play, though Zach Hyman ($5,600) certainly does.
LINE STACKS
Golden Knights vs. Canadiens
William Karlsson (C - $4,500), Reilly Smith (W - $5,600), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $7,000)
Marchessault makes the Misfit Line a little expensive, but it's a juicy matchup that shouldn't be ignored. Even though the Habs and Knights matchups have been close – 2-2-3 in the Habs' favor – at least one team has scored five goals in five of the seven games.
Jets at Predators
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $6,300), Kyle Connor (W - $9,300), Cole Perfetti (W - $3,500)
Perfetti is a great value play at that salary and scored his first goal last game against the Caps. He's a good fit on this scoring line where Connor does most of the heavy lifting – he's got back-to-back two-point games – and his high shooting volume justifies his high price tag. Dubois was also very good, collecting a goal and an assist against the Caps.
DEFENSEMEN
Devon Toews, COL at LA ($6,600): You don't really get point-per-game defenseman at this price. Playing with Cale Makar helps, and that puts Toews over the top against all the other defensemen in this tier. The Kings have allowed six goals in consecutive games after their four-game winning streak was snapped, and they can definitely be a streaky team.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. WSH ($6,300): McAvoy's working on a three-game assist streak and will see plenty of action against the Caps. It'll be tough matchups, but McAvoy's usage makes him a pretty good value play at this price because he plays in all situations, and expected starter Ilya Samsonov has lost three straight games with 11 goals allowed.
Jake Bean, CBJ at PHI ($4,400): There's always a good chance Philly's goaltending implodes, and Bean is one of Columbus' best puck-moving defenseman who has scored three assists in two games. The Jackets should be hungry to avenge a 9-2 loss to the Panthers and the Flyers are looking to avoid losing their 10th straight.
