This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The U.S. will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which means there will be 11 games on tap. That's way more than usual with two games (Panthers at Sabres and Flyers at Bruins) starting much earlier than usual at 1 p.m. ET. Even the Western Conference-based games will feature earlier starts, including Red Wings at Avalanche at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local time) and Devils at Sharks at 4 p.m. ET (also 1 p.m. local time).
The plethora of games means FanDuel will also run five different slates, with only the All Day slate featuring all 11 games. The Main Slate will feature five games, which includes all the games slated to start between 7 and 8 p.m. ET. Note that with Monday's busy action, that means nine teams will be playing the first game of a back-to-back.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at CBJ ($8,300): Shesterkin has had a string of good games and despite limited appearances has been very good against the Jackets in his career with a 2-1-0/.948/1.73 stat line. The Rangers have been on a roll with five wins in their past seven and it's a potential revenge game after they lost 5-1 on Oct. 23.
Vitek Vanecek, NJ vs. SJ ($7,800): Vanecek should get the start but Mackenzie Blackwood is an equally good play. Together, the two netminders have won five straight games with both goalies getting plenty of goal support. The Devils narrowly beat the Sharks earlier in the season, 2-1, but the gulf between the two teams is obviously much wider than that.
Casey DeSmith, PIT vs. ANH ($7,400): Surely, DeSmith can do this. His play has been up-and-down but generally underwhelming all season. He was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots against the Canucks, ceded a start to Dustin Tokarski and then stopped 34 shots against the Canes. The Ducks should be the least challenging opponent with an anemic offense and a defense that ranks among the worst in the cap era.
VALUE PLAYS
Robby Fabbri, DET at COL ($4,800): Load management is in effect for Fabbri but he's expected to play Monday. His return has been an immediate success with three goals in five games, and he's displaced Tyler Bertuzzi as the left winger on their top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, their two most dangerous offensive players.
Juuso Parssinen, NSH vs. CGY ($4,600): Parssinen is on a six-game point streak and continues to be a good value play even though his salary keeps climbing up. He will no longer be a secret soon and it looks like he's got a pretty firm hold on his role on the top line and PP1.
Vitali Kravtsov, NYR at CBJ ($3,600): Kravtsov has not scored a point in four games but he's playing on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. Expect the Rangers to control the puck for most of the game, and playing with two of their top players should at least provide Kravtsov with a few opportunities to score points. The Jackets goaltending has the fourth-worst save percentage this season, according to hockey-reference.com.
LINE STACKS
Blues vs. Senators
Robert Thomas (C - $6,000), Jordan Kyrou (W - $8,000), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $6,800)
This salary is a steal for Thomas, their top center at both even strength and o the power play. Kyrou feels a little expensive but he's been shooting the puck a little more often and Buchnevich is an underrated point-per-game talent. The Sens just allowed seven goals against a depleted Avs lineup.
Devils at Sharks
Jack Hughes (C - $10,000), Tomas Tatar (W - $5,400), Erik Haula (C - $4,300)
Asides from Hughes' obvious offensive upside, note Tatar is on a three-game point streak and both of them play PP1. Haula's a complementary player but he's been producing points lately, including a goal in his most recent game, and also anchors PP2 as the center. The Sharks have allowed 20 goals in their past four losses.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson, SJ vs. NJ ($7,700): Karlsson has scored 34 points at home versus 22 points on the road. The Sharks know how to use him with their home-ice advantage, and on a night with so many elite defensemen playing, Karlsson is like a value play at this salary.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at BUF ($6,500): Ekblad's scoring again with three points in his past two games. It's a good sign since his shooting percentage is at a three-season low, meaning that we could be seeing his production revert back to its mean. At worst, Ekblad provides a steady diet of shots even if he has to share power play duties with Brandon Montour.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. TB ($6,000): The Kraken are curiously not so good at home (10-8-2), but they should have a raucous home crowd behind them after concluding a perfect road trip where they went a historic 7-0-0. Dunn has emerged as their top defender on a blue line bereft of an all-star, but Dunn's taking advantage of the ice time and currently on a six-game point streak.
