This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's the second-busiest night of the week with 12 games on tap, and only the Avalanche are playing the second game of a back-to-back. All the other teams should be well-rested having last played Tuesday, and seven teams did not have to travel at all: Toronto, Nashville, Calgary, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Vancouver.
The marquee matchup should be Golden Knights at Flames, which is just their 14th meeting in history with the Knights holding a 9-4-0 edge. The matchup with the biggest playoff implications will be Oilers at Predators, a matchup that has historically favored the Preds but the Oilers have won six of their past seven meetings since snapping a 13-game losing streak.
GOALIES
Ville Husso, STL at BUF ($8,100): A reminder that the Sabres have beaten the Blues just five times since 1999 (!), and the Blues offense is so deep the Sabres won't be able to contain them. Husso's been excellent and about as sure a bet as any of the goalies with a higher salary.
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. OTT ($7,700): Both Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman should be good options in this matchup, though Ullmark has been the better goalie lately. The Sens lineup boasts some talent and the Bruins lack goal-scoring touch without David Pastrnak, but it's a matchup the Bruins should easily win. The B's can sweep the season series with their fourth win.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. ARI ($7,300): Demko narrowly lost against the Knights but he was a big reason why they won by making 41 saves. The Coyotes will surely lack the same kind of scoring punch, and Demko should have an easier time earning the win. At worst, Demko will rack up the saves like he has all season.
VALUE PLAYS
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. DET ($4,300): Jarvis has scored five points in his past five games and continues to skate on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. It's a very good matchup for the Canes against the league's worst defensive team, allowing a league-high 3.82 GA/GP. At this salary, Jarvis should be one of the best bargains of the night, though note that he is listed as a center even though he plays the right wing, and does not feature on the top power play unit.
Alex Chiasson, VAN vs. ARI ($4,800): Chiasson is on a four-game heater playing on the second line with top scorer J.T. Miller and doing tons of damage in front of the net on the power play. He's scored three goals and seven points during that span, and now gets to face the league's worst PK. Injuries to key Canucks players has seen Chiasson's average ice time increase to 15 minutes per game after spending most of the season in bottom-six role.
LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Ducks
Steven Stamkos (W - $7,700), Nick Paul (W - $3,700), Ross Colton (C - $4,000)
Colton is listed as a center on FanDuel even though it's Stamkos who centers this line, and it's a very favorable matchup against the Ducks, who have allowed at least three games in each of their past five games. Their individual production has been modest, but together their possession numbers have been pretty good, and there's additional upside to Stamkos because he plays on the top power play unit and still plays the occasional shift with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.
Canucks vs. Coyotes
Bo Horvat (C - $7,700), Elias Pettersson (C - $6,800), Conor Garland (W - $5,000)
Note Pettersson is listed as a center on this line even though he's playing left wing, and it's also fine to just stack him with Horvat. Garland is on a four-game point streak, but Horvat's been the main driver with five goals in five games, including three on the power play, and over the past two months Pettersson has scored 35 points in 27 games. The Coyotes have lost six of their past eight and in every single loss surrendered at least five goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. NJ ($7,100): Roman Josi comes at a huge premium but faces a much tougher matchup against the Oilers, which makes Makar the best option against a team that has used seven different goalies this season. Despite missing key players, the Avalanche continue to roll and though Makar's production has become much more muted lately, he routinely puts a lot of shots on goal.
Bowen Byram, COL vs. NJ ($4,500): Byram is the poor man's version of Makar, an elite roving defenseman who has plenty of offensive upside. Byram's role is obviously a lot smaller, but it's a stat-padding game for the Avs, who are expected to win by multiple goals. If it's a blowout, Byram might even see more ice time than usual.
Owen Power, BUF vs. STL ($4,200): Power is now available on FanDuel slates after making his NHL debut on Tuesday, skating close to 20 minutes and showing a lot of veteran poise. The 2021 first overall pick faces a tough contest against a deep Blues team, but with so many defensemen available, Power's pedigree could make him a popular value pick on the blue line. He played in all situations and finished four in ice time among Sabres defenseman in his debut.
