This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a busy Tuesday with 10 games on the slate. The Penguins, Knights, Stars and Devils are all playing the second half of a back-to-back, while the Rangers and Lightning are playing the first half of their back-to-back.
The marquee matchup will be Rangers vs. Avalanche, which could serve as a preview of this year's Stanley Cup Finals. Despite the offensive firepower on both teams, the Rangers have the best goalie in the league in Igor Shesterkin and the Avs have one of the deepest defenses in the league, highlighted by Cale Makar.
The Blackhawks vs. Panthers, Kraken vs. Sabres, Blue Jackets vs. Coyotes and Canadiens vs. Wild are games to target for high-scoring games. They could potentially feature more goals because either their defense or goaltending have been poor. The Wild rank in the top 10 in GF/GP and bottom 10 in GA/GP, making them an ideal target in daily fantasy. Joining them are the Sabres (4.40 GF/GP) with their top-10 offense, and the Kraken (3.86 GA/GP) and Jackets (3.86 GA/GP) with their bottom-10 defense.
GOALIES
Eric Comrie, BUF at SEA ($8,500): Comrie is expected to get the start and the Sabres have been perfect in their road trip so far. They're coming off a 5-1 win against the Canucks and the Kraken shouldn't be any tougher. The Kraken's goaltending will succumb to a very balanced and fast Sabres offense, and even without top shutdown defender Mattias Samuelsson in the lineup, the Kraken have no elite forwards who can generate offense on their own.
Adin Hill, VEG at SJ ($8,200): The Knights are playing the second half of a back-to-back after defeating the Leafs on Monday, but history favors them in this matchup. The Knights are 11-3-1 all-time against the rival Sharks – Hill's former team for added juice – and this matchup is sure to be just as lopsided. The Sharks have won two of their past three but have also yet to win at home, going 0-2-0 at the SAP Center. They're also averaging fewer than two goals per game and top sniper Timo Meier has zero goals in eight games.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. CHI ($7,800): Sure, the Blackhawks have won three straight and Bobrovsky is back to his usual underperforming self, but even with a depleted blue line the Panthers should have no problems taking this game. Bob was a perfect 2-0-0 against them last season, including one shutout.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at LA ($7,700): It's a relatively cheap price to pay for arguably the league's best goalie. The Lightning don't look as dominant as they once did but the Kings have been surprisingly poor with only one regulation win after many expected them to take another leap. Vasilevskiy is 7-2-0 all-time against the Kings.
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. ARI ($7,300): The Jackets power play has been anemic but their offense sans Patrik Laine is still much better than the Coyotes' 28th-ranked offense. The Jackets have been very good lately, winning three of their past four games and finding ways to provide good goal support with 17 goals scored during that span.
VALUE PLAYS
Dominik Kubalik, DET vs. NJ ($5,000): A little expensive to be a value pick, but note Kubalik has been on fire with three goals and eight points in his past four games taking Tyler Bertuzzi's spot on the top line. The Devils are playing the second half of a back-to-back and expected to start Vitek Vanecek, who allowed five goals in his only start this season.
Sean Monahan, MON vs. MIN ($4,800): Monahan is on a three-game point streak and playing well on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Injuries have robbed him of his quickness and consistency, but Monahan was once a 30-goal threat. He's the third wheel on this line but won't be dragging them down because Monahan can score, too. Monahan also features on PP1 and the Wild have a huge problem keeping the puck out of their net.
Danton Heinen, PIT at CGY ($4,600): Heinen didn't factor into the score sheet in Monday's loss to the Oilers, but he's expected to keep skating on the Pens' top line in Jake Guentzel's absence. At the very least, Heinen will get a few shots on net.
Max Domi, CHI vs. FLA ($4,000): Domi has scored a goal in two straight games and remains Patrick Kane's center at even strength and on the PP. While the Blackhawks are outclassed in almost every facet in this matchup, the Panthers defense is thin and barring a strong performance from Bobrovsky – which is somewhat unlikely – they're going to allow a few goals.
LINE STACKS
Sabres at Kraken
Tage Thompson (C - $5,700), Alex Tuch (W - $6,600), Jeff Skinner (W - $5,000)
This is one of the best value stacks because everyone continues to underestimate how good the Sabres really are. Thompson still looks every bit like the center he was last season and Tuch now has 45 points in 55 games playing for his childhood team. Skinner drags them down because he's no longer a goal-scoring threat, but he's still shifty and creative enough to create scoring chances. The Kraken do not have any marquee defensemen and their goalies remain sieves.
Golden Knights at Sharks
William Karlsson (C - $5,100), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,800), Reilly Smith (W - $4,900)
The original "Misfits Line" is back together and there's a reason why Vegas kept them around even though many players have come and gone. The Knights didn't have to work very hard against the Leafs last night so fatigue shouldn't be a problem; otherwise, note that Karlsson (24 points), Marchessault (26) and Smith (24) have all scored more points against the Sharks in their careers than any other team.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at SEA ($7,100): Dahlin has a chance to score a goal in his sixth straight game to make history, and it's a good matchup against the shaky Kraken. He's been arguably the best defenseman in fantasy this season.
Bowen Byram, COL at NYR ($5,400): With Devon Toews out of the lineup, expect Byram to log at least 20 minutes for the fourth straight game. He's on a three-game point streak and, when he gets this much ice time, is as good a bet to score a point among defensemen not named Makar, Fox or Dahlin.
Calen Addison, MIN at MON ($4,700): Addison's minutes have dipped recently as the Wild try to solve major problems in their own end, and offense has always been his calling card, not defense. However, Addison remains their top PP QB and a matchup against the Habs shouldn't be hard to score goals. Addison's a good value play.
