This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The 2019-20 season will kick off with the Battle of Ontario with the Leafs facing the lottery-bound Senators. The Buds will be a popular pick, but there's plenty of other action on the slate. The Blues will begin their Cup defense against the Capitals, pitting the two most recent champions against each other. The Pacific Division will be busy with the Oilers hosting the Canucks and the Sharks and Knights adding another chapter to their budding rivalry.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen ($8,700) is the most expensive goalie given how heavily favored the Leafs are. The Sens were ranked 17th in goals scored last season and particularly effective against Andersen, who sported an ugly 4.11 GAA and .881 save percentage in two appearances against them, but their top three goal scorers from the previous season have since been traded.
Braden Holtby ($8,200) and Jordan Binnington ($8,400) are evenly matched and it's reflected in the price difference, but the Blues defense is a little deeper after acquiring Justin Faulk and the Caps will be without top center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who is serving a suspension.
The best play may be Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,500), who is also facing a shorthanded team with the Sharks' Evander Kane serving a three-game suspension, and the Knights have had the upper hand with victories in the playoffs and their final preseason tune-up. Jacob Markstrom ($7,800) is a risky play against Connor McDavid, but an improved Canucks squad should be able to eke out a win.
VALUE PLAYS
With Kuznetsov suspended, that means Lars Eller ($4,100) will play an increased role. His wingers are expected to be T.J. Oshie and Jakub Vrana, who broke out last season with 24 goals and expected to improve . Eller had one of the team's best possession metrics last season at 51.09 CF% (stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick), implying that he has a little more offense to give if put in the right situation.
For the Sharks, Kane's suspension means rookies Danil Yurtaikin ($3,000) and Lean Bergmann ($3,000) get extended looks in the top six. The two wingers combined for just two goals in eight games during the preseason, but both had excellent possession metrics with Bergman at 62.65 CF% and Yurtaykin at 55.85 CF%. Yurtaykin is expected to play on the top line with Logan Couture, while Bergman will settle on Tomas Hertl's left flank on the second line. Both played in top leagues in Europe last season and both scored double-digit goals.
Alex Tuch's injury has forced Gerard Gallant to balance out his lines, moving Paul Stastny ($5,200) down to the third line to provide a veteran presence and moving top prospect Cody Glass ($3,600) into the middle with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Glass is a bona fide playmaker who has tremendous upside and led AHL Chicago in playoff scoring with 15 points in 22 games last season.
Connor McDavid will see plenty of different faces on the wing this year with the Oilers' lack of depth, but getting first crack is Swedish import Joakim Nygard ($3,200). Nygard's best weapon is his speed, which should help when playing with McDavid, and he also has some nice finishing skills around the net, scoring double-digit goals for Farjestad in each of the past four seasons.
LINE STACKS
Toronto Maple Leafs
C – Auston Matthews ($8,300)
W – Andreas Johnsson ($5,100)
W – William Nylander ($5,600)
A lengthy contract holdout hurt Nylander last season, but that won't be the case this time, and Johnsson is an underrated offensive player who scored 20 goals in his rookie season. Matthews scored four goals the last time he faced the Sens in the season opener, and it's the cheaper one of the Leafs' two top-notch scoring lines.
Vegas Golden Knights
C – Cody Glass ($3,600)
W – Max Pacioretty ($6,800)
W – Mark Stone ($7,400)
Glass isn't priced like a regular second-line center, so that's what makes this trio such an interesting line stack. Pacioretty is a high-volume shooter and Stone is incredibly efficient with a career shooting percentage of 15.8 percent. The key for Glass is to get the puck to his wingers, and he's done that throughout his junior career with 198 helpers in 236 games.
Vancouver Canucks
C – Elias Pettersson ($6,700)
W – Brock Boeser ($6,900)
W – Micheal Ferland ($4,500)
Pettersson and Boeser were one of the best duos last season; Boeser scored at least 20 goals for the second straight season and Pettersson led the team in scoring as a rookie. After a rotating cast of left wingers, Ferland is expected to be a mainstay on the Canucks' top line, adding some size and finish around the net to a line that already features excellent playmaking and shooting ability.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns ($7,300) and Erik Karlsson ($7,100) will be the most obvious stack, though it comes at a pretty high cost. In a matchup that favors the Knights, getting added value out of Burns and Karlsson may be challenging.
Thomas Chabot ($5,400) scored 39 points in his first 42 games last season before the All-Star break, good for seventh in the league among defensemen. Four of the six defensemen ahead of him play tonight, but none come as cheap as Chabot, who is the Sens' undisputed No. 1 rearguard.
A vaunted Knights offense will need a quarterback on the power play, and those duties should fall to Shea Theodore ($5,100). Only Brad Hunt and Colin Miller averaged more time with the man advantage than Theodore, but both have moved on.
