This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a busy Tuesday with 24 teams in action, including two teams playing the second half of a back-to-back: Capitals and Kings. Everyone else has had at least one day's rest.
Marquee matchups include Capitals vs. Golden Knights, a rematch of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final; Bruins at Penguins, with Brad Marchand expected to play (he played Thursday but sat out Friday because he doesn't play back-to-backs for precautionary reasons, and now has had four days' rest) and Charlie McAvoy potentially making his season debut; Flyers at Rangers, in a matchup between two coaches who know how to fire up their teams; and Senators at Lightning, a litmus test for one of the youngest teams in the league against one of its most experienced and decorated.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at CHI ($8,300): The Blackhawks offense has one of the biggest surprises this season, ranked eighth in GF/GP and fifth on the power play. That efficiency may take a hit, however, with Seth Jones out of the lineup. Sorokin has also allowed just two goals in his past two games.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. PHI ($8,000): A little surprised Shesterkin is available at such a low salary; he's a premier goalie facing a team that doesn't have any elite scorers. Historically, Shesterkin has been better at home (38-17-5/.930/2.23) than on the road (29-12-4/.924/2.46), and I trust the Rangers' offense to provide better goal support than the Flyers.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. SEA ($7,700): Markstrom doesn't even have to be sharp to win this game; all he has to do is just watch Martin Jones implode at the other end. The Kraken have improved their lineup but still don't have the top-end talent like the Flames, especially on defense.
VALUE PLAYS
Cody Glass, NSH at EDM ($3,800): In an effort to find some offense, John Hynes has elevated Glass to the second line, giving the once highly-touted young playmaker a chance to show his wares. He'll be flanked by Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter. It's a great value play if the Oilers start Jack Campbell; if they start Stuart Skinner, it's less so because Skinner's been the better goalie.
Milan Lucic, CGY vs. SEA ($4,100): Lucic struggles to score 10 goals a year but this is no joke; Darryl Sutter's re-shuffled lines sees Lucic on the second line with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli. Not sure if the Flames plan on using Lucic as a decoy, or if he's even going to play beyond his customary 10 minutes per game, but they are very good linemates and they're playing against a team with awful goaltending.
Fabian Zetterlund, NJ at VAN ($4,100): Zetterlund was a healthy scratch earlier in the season but has since been promoted to the top line with Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar since getting back into the lineup. The Swedish sniper was one of their top scorers in the AHL last season and in his past three games has generated 14 shots, scoring once.
Frederick Gaudreau, MIN vs. MON ($4,600): Gaudreau continues to skate in the coveted spot between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarrello, and it's a potentially high-scoring matchup against the Habs. The big drawback is Gaudreau does not play PP1 – Joel Eriksson Ek does – but Kaprizov is also one of the best even-strength scorers in the league.
Kirby Dach, MON at MIN ($4,700): Martin St. Louis' newest lines has Dach playing the right wing on the top line, which means more minutes and more points playing with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. The two teams still struggle on defense from time to time, and even though their last matchup only witnessed four goals, it was a game that saw surprisingly good performances from their respective goalies.
Shane Pinto, OTT at TB ($5,000): Pinto is finally that coveted top-six opportunity – they should've never considered Derick Brassard in the first place – and centering Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. A year after suffering a season-ending injury five games into what should've been his rookie season, Pinto is reminding everyone why he was such a high pick with six goals in his past seven games. He'll also play PP2 against a thin defense and a middling PK.
LINE STACKS
Golden Knights at Capitals
William Karlsson (C - $5,100), Reilly Smith (W - $4,900), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,600)
The "Misfits Line" is back and they're proving everyone wrong once again. Though they were held scoreless in their last game, they combined for 13 shots on goal. Along with William Carrier, they are also the only holdovers left from the 2018 team that made the final, and the trio have combined for 16 points in 22 games against the Caps since the Knights' inaugural season. This is will be an overlooked stack with so many teams and elite players in action, but the misfits have been just as effective as any first line.
Stars vs. Kings
Roope Hintz (C - $6,700), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,000), Jason Robertson (W - $7,800)
The Kings are playing the second half of a back-to-back and will be starting Cal Petersen, who has a 4.10 GAA this season. Scoring goals should be no problem for the Stars; what will kill this line stack is if they can't get out of their own zone and Scott Wedgewood keeps allowing goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. NJ ($6,900): The Canucks are (finally) on an upswing and expected to have Hughes back in the lineup. He has yet to be taken off injured reserve but Guillaume Brisebois was demoted, which indicates Hughes will join the team. The Devils' goaltending has been hit-or-miss this season, and the Canucks offense is very good when Hughes is in the lineup. The drawback is the Devils have been dominating puck possession and the Canucks are porous on defense, which means fewer opportunities on offense.
Erik Gustafsson, WSH vs. VGK ($3,700): John Carlson missed Monday's game and he's questionable for tonight, and it was Gustafsson, not Dmitry Orlov, who quarterbacked PP1 in his absence. Gustafsson didn't register any shots on goal but did draw an assist on Alex Ovechkin's power-play goal.
