This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Happy New Year, hockey fans! We only had one hockey game yesterday, and we'll only have one tomorrow. But we have 13 matchups Tuesday, and they'll be starting early with two games at 1:00 p.m. ET and another at 3:00. I'll be covering the whole slate, so read on to help decipher the jam-packed day on the frozen sheet.
GOALIES
The early slate's chalk looks like Jaroslav Halak ($8,300), as he's been excellent over his last eight starts, posting a .932 save percentage and 5-2-1 record. This matchup is suddenly no slouch, though, as New Jersey's offense has been uncharacteristically powerful lately, lighting the lamp 15 times over the last three games.
That brings me to a low-owned option in MacKenzie Blackwood ($7,100). The 23-year-old is 4-2-1 in his last seven starts, generating a .922 save percentage in that stretch, and the B's rank 30th in high-danger/scoring chances over the last two weeks (47.66 CF/60).
Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,100) is a bit cheaper, but he's struggling. He's allowed at least five goals in two of his last three starts, but luckily for Flower, the Ducks rank 26th with 1.74 GF/60 at even strength over the last two weeks, per Natural Stat Trick.
With an All-Star bid in tow, Jordan Binnington ($9,000) is the most-expensive goaltender. The 26-year-old is on a six-game win streak where he has notched a .921 save percentage, but he's featured two starts below an .865 save percentage into that stretch. The Coyotes have picked up the pace offensively in December but have been stymied to the tune of five goals over the last three games. Binnington is pricy, but it wouldn't be surprising if Jake Allen ($8,000) plays, and he's a stellar option at that tag as well.
Andrei Vasilevskiy's ($8,700) struggles this year are well-documented, but he's been stellar over his past eight nods, registering a .920 save percentage and 6-1-1 record. Even on the road, it's a prime matchup against the Sabres, who have averaged just 1.7 goals per game over their past seven.
Carter Hart ($7,800) was lit up for six goals in his last start, but he preceded that outing with three straight wins where he notched a combined .968 save percentage. The Kings provide a perfect opportunity to bounce back from the aforementioned dud as well, as they've tickled the twine just 10 times over the past five contests. Hart's a top value play.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Matthew Tkachuk ($6,700) finally earned a coveted spot on the Pacific Division All-Star squad, and he's been inking the scoresheet lately with three tucks and five helpers over the past five games. The Blackhawks have had defensive issues in December as well, yielding 3.08 even-strength goals per 60 minutes in December (28th), so Tkachuk is a premier one-off.
Richard Panik ($3,300) has been promoted to the second line alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. Before the promotion, he tallied three points over five games, and he has a 53.2 Corsi For percentage this season. Cody Glass ($3,300) is another cheap option who is logging major power-play time, which he'll look to leverage against Anaheim's 21st-ranked penalty kill (78.7 percent). Both will be available for the matinee.
Andreas Athanasiou ($4,600) has spent two games on the top line and capitalized on his opportunities with a helper in each outing. The Sharks goaltending issues haven't disappeared, either, as they've recorded 2.99 GA/60 at even strength in December -- sixth-worst in the league.
Kailer Yamamoto ($3,000) will make his season debut at the top level, and he's set up to flank Leon Draisaitl on the second line. The 2017 first-round pick has loads of offensive potential, and going up against the Rangers is a prime opportunity to unleash. The Blueshirts have yielded 3.26 GA/60 over the last three weeks, and their penalty kill continues to be suspect.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Vegas Golden Knights (TOTAL: $17,800) 
C - Chandler Stephenson ($3,700)
W - Max Pacioretty ($7,300)
W - Mark Stone ($6,800)
Stone and Pacioretty are surging with a combined 10 goals and 19 helpers over the past 10 games, and Stephenson is pulling his weight with six points as well. The trio also accumulated a whopping plus-26 rating and 87 shots in that span. This unit highlights the matinee slate, as the Ducks' crease looks ill-prepared, allowing three or more goals in six of its last seven outings.
Florida Panthers (TOTAL: $20,700) 
C - Aleksander Barkov ($7,500)
W - Evgenii Dadonov ($5,700)
W - Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,500)
Huberdeau's ceiling has been astonishing lately, as he's registered three four-point games over his last six outings, while Barkov and Dadonov have combined for four multi-point games in that span. No wonder the Panthers are in the thick of the playoff race. Elvis Merzlikins will take over for the Blue Jackets with Joonas Korpisalo (knee) out, and he hasn't found his game in the NHL with an ugly 3.41 GAA.
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOTAL: $17,400) 
C - John Tavares ($7,800)
C - Alex Kerfoot ($3,600)
W - William Nylander ($6,000)
The Maple Leafs potted at least four goals in seven straight games, so getting a piece of this pie feels necessary, especially since the Wild have yielded 20 scores over the past five contests. Meanwhile, this trio has conveniently combined for seven goals and 13 apples over their last five outings, but keep in mind that two players are listed as centers for DFS purposes.
St. Louis Blues (TOTAL: $14,400) 
C - Brayden Schenn ($5,400)
W - Jaden Schwartz ($5,800)
W - Jordan Kyrou ($3,200)
The Coyotes miss Darcy Kuemper dearly. Antti Raanta has recorded a 3.66 GAA over the past four starts. The Blues' top line comes in at a major value, as Kyrou is coming off the two-point game of his career, and Schwartz and Schenn are riding six- and five-game point streaks, respectively.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Pietrangelo ($6,300) is on a tear with three goals, four apples and a plus-9 rating over the past four games, and he's logging massive minutes on the top pairing along with the top power play. We already went over how poorly the Coyotes' goaltending has performed lately, and the veteran blueliner comes in at a modest price.
Cale Makar's ($5,500) price has dropped following his lengthy recovery from a concussion, but he's already notched a point over two games since returning. This is still a defenseman with 29 points -- 12 on the man advantage -- over 31 games. The floodgates are open in Winnipeg as well, as it has allowed four or more goals in five of the last six clashes.
The Oilers' penalty kill has taken a hit over the last three weeks, allowing 14.43 GA/60 -- the third-most in the league during that stretch. Adam Fox ($4,100), Anthony DeAngelo ($4,500) and Jacob Trouba ($5,100) are all logging substantial power-play minutes with the Blueshirts.
Shea Theodore ($5,100) is open for the matinee, and he's unearthed his offensive potential recently with 11 points over the last eight games. His power-play usage comes in handy against Anaheim's aforementioned putrid penalty kill.
When Torey Krug missed five games earlier this year, Matt Grzelcyk ($3,900) stepped up to the tune of two goals and two helpers. Against New Jersey's 30th-ranked goaltending (3.47 GAA), he's in an excellent situation to capitalize with Krug out of the lineup again.
