This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's the second busiest day of the week in NHL action with 10 games on the slate, including 12 teams who will be playing their season openers. Note the Leafs, Caps, Kraken and Avs will be playing the second half of their back-to-backs, which means there will be a lot of backups in action tonight.
The major clashes will be Caps at Leafs for the East and Avs at Flames for the West. The Avs-Flames matchup in particular will be a good litmus test for both and an early preview of a potential Western Conference Finals matchup.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at MIN ($8,700): Shesterkin and the Rangers looked sharp in their season opener against the Lightning. The Wild's offense is expected to take a step back without Kevin Fiala, so the only player the Rangers really have to worry about is Kirill Kaprizov. Shesterkin has faced the Wild just once in his career – a loss despite allowing just two even-strength goals on 34 shots – but also tends to start the season on fire with a 6-1-1/.949/1.61 career line in October.
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. DAL ($8,400): The Preds' new second line should give Saros a bit more goal support, but the logic is that the Stars may be a little slow out of the gate having missed star sniper Jason Robertson for the entire preseason. The Mattias Ekholm-Ryan McDonagh pairing looks solid, and it should be enough to shut down a fairly thin Stars offense.
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. ARI ($8,100): Jarry is a perfect 4-0-0 with only seven goals allowed (!) in his career against the Coyotes. There's no much though required for this matchup and it's one of the surest bets of the night.
Logan Thompson, VGK vs. CHI ($7,500): Adin Hill is also a good play against the Hawks, who are lottery bound and won't have much of a chance to win this game, especially playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel from Denver. The Knights offense looked very good in their season opener against the Kings with three solid scoring lines and two power play units that can generate a lot of chances. This is an easy win for the Knights.
VALUE PLAYS
Kiefer Sherwood, NSH vs. DAL ($3,000): Sherwood notched two points in Czechia playing on the second line and no lineup changes are expected or required. They will likely draw the Stars' second pairing with Esa Lindell and Nils Lundkvist, avoiding top defenseman Miro Hesikanen.
Wyatt Johnston, DAL at NSH ($3,600): Two years ago, Johnston was a depth player in major junior. Now, he's centering the third line between Jamie Benn and Denis Gurianov. Both veteran wingers have some finishing ability even if they're more of the strength-over-skill type.
Kevin Hayes, PHI vs. NJ ($4,500): Hayes is in line to log a ton of minutes on a very young team. The Devils' goaltending is shaky and Hayes will get every opportunity to score playing alongside top winger Travis Konecny on the first line and PP1.
Noah Cates, PHI vs. NJ ($4,300): John Tortorella was effusive in his praise for Cates during the preseason, which means Cates' going to get a chance to play a lot of minutes. He's set to center the third line with two above-average finishers in Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett, and also see time on PP2. The Devils are the far better team but their goaltending is still a big question mark, giving Cates a good chance to find the score sheet.
Artturi Lehkonen, COL at CGY ($4,800): Lehkonen scored three points playing on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in Gabriel Landeskog's absence. He's been a great fit for the Avs since the trade last season, and even though the Flames are a much tougher opponent than the Blackhawks, Lehkonen's in a great spot to keep scoring points.
LINE STACKS
Penguins vs. Coyotes
Sidney Crosby (C - $8,800), Jake Guentzel (W - $8,000), Rickard Rakell (W - $4,600)
Rakell keeps the cost of this line stack low while getting some minutes on PP2. The Coyotes' defense is so thin they aren't expected to have a top pair per se, but none of their top four – Troy Stecher, Patrik Nemeth, Shayne Gostisbehere and Dysin Mayo – will be able to contain the Pens' top line.
Devils at Flyers
Jack Hughes (C – $7,500), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,700), Dawson Mercer (C - $5,200)
Note Mercer is listed as a center even though he's the right winger on this line. Again, we are taking advantage of a matchup between two teams with really shaky goaltending. Hughes has been pegged as the league's next superstar since the previous season, and it's about time he scored against the Flyers having failed to score on 13 previous occasions.
Senators at Sabres
Tim Stuetzle (C - $6,300), Brady Tkachuk (W - $8,300), Drake Batherson (W - $6,300)
This will be the Sens' top line to start the season with all three players also being featured on PP1, making it a better line stack than their second line with Josh Norris, Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat because Norris will be on PP1 while Giroux and DeBrincat will headline PP2.
Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks
Jack Eichel (C – $7,600), Phil Kessel (W - $4,800), Reilly Smith (W - $4,400)
This feels like very good value against a really bad team. Eichel looked very much like his former self as a No. 1 center, Kessel didn't look out of place and Smith is a great value play on his own. The upside to this line is that Eichel and Smith both play PP1 while Kessel is on PP2. If you stack Vegas' second line with Chandler Stephenson, Mark Stone and Brett Howden, only Stephenson and Stone play on the power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at CGY ($7,400): Makar's in a class of his own and notched two assists in the season opener. He will be a very popular pick all season and for good reason.
Adam Fox, NYR at MIN ($7,100): We shall see if the Wild's PK has improved after ranking 25th last season, but it seems unlikely since they didn't make any changes over the summer. The Rangers offense was in sync and dangerous in their season opener.
Kris Letang, PIT vs. ARI ($6,600): When healthy, Letang contributes in every category and he's coming off a season with a career-high 68 points. The Coyotes will not be a tough opponent.
Dougie Hamilton, NJ at PHI ($5,600): Once considered one of the league's best offensive defenseman, Hamilton's career has gone a little sideways due to injury. He's got a clean bill of health to start the season and last year averaged over three shots and almost 1.5 blocked shots per game, the latter a career high.
