This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 12 games in the NHL on the final Thursday before the Christmas break takes effect Sunday. Toronto plays in Buffalo, St. Louis travels to Florida, Columbus hosts Washington, Nashville takes on Philadelphia, Carolina plays in Pittsburgh, Vegas travels to Tampa Bay, Edmonton visits New Jersey, Vancouver is in Dallas, Minnesota entertains Montreal, Ottawa plays in Colorado, Anaheim hosts Calgary and Arizona finds its way to San Jose. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NSH at PHI ($7,100): Saros will try to get back on track versus the Flyers after his six-game winning streak was halted Tuesday against the Canucks. Saros is 14-11-0 with a 2.85 GAA and .908 save percentage this season. He was outstanding during his hot streak, giving up only nine goals on 194 shots. Saros gave up only two goals on 39 shots in his only game versus Philadelphia this season, winning 3-2. The Flyers putting up a lot of shots on goal, averaging 32.6, seventh in the NHL. They are having trouble converting the shots as they sit 24th in the league with 90 goals in 31 contests.
Charlie Lindgren, WAS at CLS ($7,900): Lindgren is 6-3-2 with a 2.45 GAA and .925 save percentage with a pair of shutouts this season. Lindgren has been a backup goaltender during his eight seasons in the NHL, but he has been seeing ample time between the pipes of late, as this will be his fifth start in Washington's last seven games. The Blue Jackets were popping goals left, right and center Tuesday as they defeated Buffalo 9-4, moving them to a tie for sixth in NHL scoring with 105 goals.
VALUE PLAYS
Nico Hischier, NJ vs. EDM ($6,000): Hischier had only two goals in seven games before an upper-body injury forced him to miss 11 games. But the 24-year-old has come back with a vengeance as he has five goals and 13 points in 12 games since his return. The Oilers defense has become leaky again as they have given up 15 goals in their last three games. Hischier is seeing first-line time with Jesper Bratt and Ondrej Palat, as well as first power-play time.
Casey Mittelstadt, BUF vs. TOR ($5,300): Mittelstadt has five points in his last three games, giving him eight goals and 19 assists in 33 contests. Mittelstadt is averaging 2:34 TOI with the man-advantage, the most in his NHL career, but has only three helpers to show for it.
Tyson Foerster, PHI vs. NSH ($4,000): Foerster has five goals and 12 points in 30 games this season, but he is now seeing first-line time with Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier, as well as first power-play time. The talented Foerster has two assists in his last six games, but had a four-game point streak prior to that.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Devils vs. Oilers
Jack Hughes (C-$10,200), Tyler Toffoli (W-$6,700), Erik Haula (W-$5,800)
The Devils are catching the Oilers at a good time as Edmonton has looked rather shoddy defensively of late, allowing five goals per game in their last three outings. Hughes is off to the best start in his young career, scoring 14 times while adding 24 assists in only 25 games. The 22-year-old was selected first overall in 2019 and had a breakout campaign last season with 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games. Toffoli has slumped in December with only a goal and an assist in nine games, but he still has 13 goals and 23 points in 30 games, including four goals and four assists on the power play. Haula rounds out this line in even-strength situations and has eight goals and 15 points in 25 outings.
Panthers vs. Blues
Aleksander Barkov (C - $8,600), Sam Reinhart (W - $9,300), Evan Rodrigues (W - $5,800)
The Panthers take on a struggling St. Louis team, who fired their coach Craig Berube last week. Barkov is off to his typical good start with 11 goals, 19 assists, plus-17 and eight power-play points in just 28 games. Reinhart is having the best season in his career as he has 18 goals and 39 points in 31 games. Reinhart had 82 points just two sesaons ago but he is on pace to crack the 100-point barrier with 103 points. Rodrigues completes the line as he has six goals and 21 points in 31 games. His career high is 43 points and Rodrigues is poised to break it. All three see power-play time with Barkov and Reinhart on the top unit while Rodrigues is on the second line.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. STL ($4,700): Ekblad missed the first 16 games recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and has been in a slump with only four assists in 14 games. But he seems to be coming out of it as he had four shots on goal Monday in Calgary and saw his second-most power play TOI with 3:02. Ekblad had 14 goals and 38 points in 71 games last season, including eight goals and 11 assist on the power play.
Pavel Mintyukov, ANA vs. CGY ($4,300): Mintyukov has been very good in his first NHL season, scoring twice while adding 15 assists in 31 games. The talented Russian was selected 10th overall in 2022, and at the age of 20 looks to be a vital part of the Ducks blue line corps for many seasons to come. He has six assists on the power play.
Brock Faber, MIN vs. MON ($4,600): Faber has assists in each of his last two games, giving the rookie blueliner a goal and 14 points in 30 games. He is averaging over 30 minutes a game over his last four contests as the Wild have shown incredible faith in the defenseman. While he is averaging only 49 seconds of power-play time this season, he has averaging 2:57 over the last four games.
