This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
After a quiet Monday there are eight games on the slate for Tuesday. There are no shortage of options though last-minute changes still could happen after the Ottawa-Seattle game on Thursday was postponed. A dense slate means finding the value play could be the difference between winning and losing, but so could betting big on the wrong line stack.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at CBJ ($8,300): Vasilevskiy was not sharp in his last start, though to be fair it was his first game in three weeks and it felt like the Lightning badly needed him to be available since Maxime Lagace and Hugo Alnefelt had fared so poorly. The Jackets' defense and goaltending have not fared well recently, allowing at least four goals in four of their past five games, so if Vasilevskiy continues to struggle, at least the Lightning can provide some goal support to win.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at ARI ($8,100): Hellebuyck should have no problems defeating the Coyotes this time around. Last time they met, Hellebuyck saw just 15 shots, but the Jets couldn't solve Karel Vejmelka and ended up losing 1-0 despite firing 46 shots. It's highly unlikely the Coyotes pull off another performance like that. That was also just the fourth time the Coyotes have managed to beat the Jets in 11 tries since 2017.
Darcy Kuemper, COL at CHI ($7,900): Kuemper will be a popular pick but there's no telling how good his peripheral stats will be. The Avs should win with ease and Kuemper has won five straight, but he's still prone to the occasional bad game and his road stats (5-3-0, .897 Sv%, 3.15 GAA) doesn't breed a lot of confidence, either.
Juuse Saros, NSH at VGK ($7,500): Saros is one of the league's hottest goalies right now, winning six of his past seven and the Knights will be without key players including Max Pacioretty and possibly Mark Stone. That takes a lot of bite out of the Knights' offense, and their goaltending – even if Robin Lehner is healthy – has not been a strong suit this season.
VALUE PLAYS
Ross Colton, TB at CBJ ($5,600): Colton will remain in the top-six as Mathieu Joseph drops down the lineup, and instead Colton will play on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat. The return of Brayden Point now gives the Lightning two scoring lines they can rely on, and Colton represents the most upside relative to his salary.
Alexander Barabanov, SJ at DET ($5,000): Barabanov has skated on the top line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier, and has fared pretty well with three points in his past three games. The Wings are better at home but they have not been particularly good at limiting scoring chances, and expected Alex Nedeljkovic has not been sharp with nine goals allowed in his past two starts.
Alex Newhook, COL at CHI ($3,900): The Hawks are not deep down the middle and provides a good opportunity for Newhook to take advantage. The talented rookie will skate on the third line behind Nazem Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon, but if the game is a blowout, look for Newhook to skate more minutes.
Jansen Harkins, WPG at ARI ($3,500): With Blake Wheeler and Evgeny Svechnikov possibly unavailable, Harkins skated on the second line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor. Harkins will do most of the dirty work on this line, but if he can win some puck battles, Dubois and Connor are good enough to generate scoring chances that could help Harkins get on the score sheet. There isn't an easier opponent than the Coyotes in the league.
Maxim Mamin, FLA vs. CGY ($3,500): Sam Reinhart was placed in COVID protocol which means Mamin moves up the lineup and may play with Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. Mamin struck the lottery, though he hasn't been particularly effective since he's been given a similar opportunity before. The Flames can be a stingy team, but goal scoring has not been a problem for the Panthers and hopefully Mamin can take advantage.
LINE STACKS
Devils at Bruins
Jack Hughes (C - $8,000), Jesper Bratt (W - $6,000), Yegor Sharangovich (W - $4,300)
Hughes has been one of the league's hottest players with his overtime heroics, and Bratt's quietly having a breakout season with 29 points in 32 games, six shy of a new career high and one shy of tying last season's total in 13 fewer games. Sharangovich has been a bit more disappointing given the strong impression he made last season, but the three combine a lot of speed, and with Nico Hischier in the lineup, hopefully it can shield them from Patrice Bergeron. The B's have been pretty stingy on defense but the streaky Devils look like they could score on anybody at the moment.
DEFENSEMEN
Devon Toews, COL at CHI ($6,300): Toews is an easy way to get exposure to Cale Makar, and this is a very good matchup for the Avs' offense. The Blackhawks don't defend very well and expected starter Marc-Andre Fleury allowed four goals on 36 shots in his last start against the Avs.
Damon Severson, NJ at BOS ($4,700): Dougie Hamilton left their previous game and did not return, and if he is unavailable, look for Severson to get an increased role on the power play. He shares second unit duties with Ty Smith, but Severson has the edge because he plays far more minutes.
Bowen Byram, COL at CHI ($4,600): This is potentially a very good value play for an offensive defenseman facing a team that gives a lot of scoring chances. Byram scored two points the last time he played the Hawks.
