This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Five of the league's best 11 teams in GF/GP are in action, offering lots of high-end options among forwards.
One of the games worth highlighting is Devils vs. Senators, two of the three worst teams in GA/GP, which means that even though neither team is very good offensively, their porous defense and goaltending could lead to a high-scoring game. The Devils are 0-1-1 against the Sens this season with an average of 6.5 goals per game.
A matchup between the Canucks and Blues is more likely to be a closer affair, with the two teams ranked 10th and 11th in GF/GP, respectively, though both teams have very strong goaltending. It should be tight game as well – both of the previous games needed extra time – with an average of five goals scored per game.
The game to avoid will be the Sharks vs. the Ducks, with the Sharks ranked in the bottom five in both GF/GP and GA/GP. They are, however, trending in different directions with the Sharks having lost three straight and the Ducks winning two straight entering the All-Star break.
GOALIES
I like Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9,300) and the way his game has trended (7-0-0 in January) but Ben Bishop ($8,800) has also been very good all season and could steal the game. The Stars are the stingiest defensive team in the league. I would avoid this matchup if only because neither seem like strong value plays.
Carey Price ($8,700) has been excellent but he has a career .892 Sv% against the Caps. Braden Holtby ($8,000) will start as he attempts to reaffirm his status as starter against a team the Caps have traditionally dominated.
Jordan Binnington ($8,600) gets a chance for revenge after Quinn Hughes Forsberg'd him at the All-Star Game. The Blues are fourth-best in GA/GP (2.28) at home and the Canucks are just 17th in GF/GP (2.84) on the road, giving the Blues the clear advantage, but fellow all-star Jacob Markstrom ($7,600) has been excellent all season could be a strong value play even as the underdog.
Frederik Andersen ($8,400) should be a popular pick based on his ability and the Leafs' ability to win simply by outscoring their opponent. A depleted defense is not doing Andersen any favors, having allowed six goals against Chicago, but he should be good enough to earn a W. Both teams score a lot and get scored on a lot, but the Leafs offense has more elite talent.
John Gibson ($7,800) against Aaron Dell ($7,200) is only for those without enough salary to accommodate a better goalie, but Dell is probably the stronger play with the Sharks at home. It's a key start for Dell, who has a chance to supplant Martin Jones for good with another strong outing.
VALUE PLAYS
Alex Ovechkin will not play due to a suspension, which means more opportunity for Jakub Vrana ($5,600), who will likely get closer to first-line minutes. He's been fantastic all season with one of the highest scoring rates in the league.
A Canucks line stack could be expensive but J.T. Miller ($5,700) is a worthwhile value play as the cheapest player on that line even though he's been arguably the team MVP this season.
Blake Coleman ($4,900) isn't getting enough attention for his 19-goal season and he's scored six goals on 27 shots in his past six games. That kind of production should continue against the lowly Sens. Nico Hischier ($5,600) has also turned a corner since the calendar flipped.
Ilya Kovalchuk ($4,400) has been fantastic for the Habs and there's little reason to see why it can't continue. He plays big minutes for them and with three goals in his past two games remains an effective goal scorer at 36 years old.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOTAL: $21,500)
C – Auston Matthews ($8,600)
W – Mitch Marner ($7,800)
W – Zach Hyman ($5,100)
Matthews is the league's most dangerous sniper at the moment and his high-volume shooting makes him an ideal daily fantasy asset. Marner has been lights out since joining this line and has scored 29 points in his past 20 games.
Vancouver Canucks (TOTAL: $14,300)
C – Bo Horvat ($5,700)
W – Tanner Pearson ($5,400)
W – Loui Eriksson ($3,200)
Horvat and Pearson have scored at a 70-point pace over the past month and the much-maligned Eriksson has also been more productive than ever with three goals in his past nine games. The Blues defense is tough but will most likely be pre-occupied with Elias Pettersson's line, and the Horvat plays such a strong two-way game they should be able to generate offensive chances even if they're more focused on defense.
DEFENSEMEN
Based on reports that Brent Burns ($6,400) is playing hurt, perhaps the Sharks will use Erik Karlsson ($6,800) a little more. Even with the Sharks' struggles, Karlsson is still on a 60-point pace and Gibson and the Ducks have not been good defensively since October.
Thomas Chabot ($5,700) should be a daily fantasy favorite because of the huge role he plays for the Sens. It's unlikely the Devils will play well enough defensively to shut them out and both of the previous games featured quite a few goals.
Tyson Barrie ($5,300) has three assists in his past two games and will continue to be relied upon in Morgan Rielly's absence for Toronto's up-tempo offensive system. The Preds PK is 29th in the league.
Quinn Hughes ($4,100) dazzled at the ASG and continues to quarterback one of the best PP's in the league. The Blues defense and PK is stout, but Hughes is an elite playmaker who can create chances out of thin air.
