This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a busy Tuesday with 14 games on the slate, but every single team should be rested since none of them played Monday. The Panthers (-490) are the biggest favorites hosting the Ducks, with the Maple Leafs (-465 vs. the Sabres) and the Flames (-465 vs. the Kraken) following close behind.
Despite having 28 teams in action, only four of them -- Flyers, Rangers, Kings and Kraken-- will be playing the first game of their back-to-backs.
GOALIES
Tristan Jarry, PIT at NYI ($7,700): Jarry has lost five straight games and has not won since March 27, which is a little worrying. But he's also been excellent against the rival Isles this season – a 25-save shutout win – and throughout his career, sporting a 9-1-0 record with a .932 Sv% and 1.90 GAA. Sidney Crosby has also been very good against the Isles in his career, which bodes well for Jarry's goal support. If there's a chance Jarry snaps his cold spell, the Isles are an ideal opponent.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. VGK ($7,400): The Canucks have won three straight, including a 5-1 win against Vegas with Demko in net last Wednesday on the road. Though Demko has been a workhorse this season and fatigue is starting to show, he's coming off two days' rest and his goal support has been very good with 14 goals during their winning streak.
Anton Forsberg, OTT at DET ($7,100): Forsberg allowed eight goals in his past two games so there's a little cause for concern, but otherwise he's been much better than expected all season with a .917 Sv%. Forsberg allowed just two goals on 32 shots earlier against the Wings this season and boasts a winning 12-9-3 record with a .924 Sv% against Eastern Conference teams.
VALUE PLAYS
Bobby Brink, PHI at WSH ($3,000): Brink is one of the few recent college signees that will be available for FanDuel's slate, and the leading scorer for the national champion Denver Pioneers is slated to skate on the second line opposite Travis Konecny with Scott Laughton at center. Considering the Caps' goaltending just hasn't been very good this season and Brink's talent, he's arguably the best value play of the night.
Sasha Chmelevski, SJ at NSH ($3,300): Chmelevski was one of their top players in the AHL and still looking for his first NHL goal after 14 games. He came close in his last game after hitting the post and remains a very intriguing value option playing on a line with Logan Couture and top goal scorer Tomas Hertl. The Preds are expected to start David Rittich if Juuse Saros is unavailable due to illness. Also note Chmelevski is listed as a center even though he's playing the right wing.
LINE STACKS
Capitals vs. Flyers
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $7,400), Alex Ovechkin (W - $9,600), Conor Sheary (W - $4,300)
Sheary, on a two-game point streak, and Kuznetsov, on a four-game point streak, helps keep the cost of this line stack manageable, and it's a matchup where Ovechkin should be able to really pad his stats against the Flyers' terrible defense. Interestingly enough, Ovechkin has been shut out in all three games against the Flyers this season, but it's highly unlikely the Flyers can maintain that perfect streak. In 66 career games against the Flyers, Ovechkin has scored 42 goals, the fourth-highest total against any team in his career.
Senators at Red Wings
Josh Norris (C - $7,100), Brady Tkachuk (W - $7,000), Mathieu Joseph (W - $3,700)
The Wings have allowed at least three goals in six of their past seven games, and both Norris and Tkachuk scored multiple points in their last game against the Jets. Joseph was left off the score sheet but his role on the top line seems to be safe after playing top-minutes for the fifth straight game. Offense isn't really his biggest strength and he's failed to register a shot on goal two of his past four games, but in a potentially high-scoring game with the Sens' top two players, Joseph has a chance to get on the score sheet.
Blackhawks vs. Kings
Jonathan Toews (C - $4,600), Philipp Kurashev (W - $3,500), Patrick Kane (W - $8,500)
All three players scored a point in their last game and it's a very cheap, under-the-radar stack against a team that's been really struggling and still depending on two rookies and an undersized veteran coming off injury on their right-side defense. Kurashev scored just his sixth goal of the season playing with Kane and Toews, though he needed some puck luck to do so.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT at NYI ($6,600): Letang has a chance to extend his point streak to three games against a team he's played well against in his entire career, scoring 40 points in 61 games. Among defensemen below $7,000, Letang has a lot of upside thanks to a favorable matchup compared to some of his peers, including Charlie McAvoy vs. the Blues or Adam Fox vs. the Canes.
Shea Theodore, VGK at VAN ($5,500): Theodore has scored a point in five of his past six games and will face one of the league's worst penalty kills. The Canucks rank a pitiful 30th in the league, and despite winning their previous matchup, still trails the all-time series 6-14-0. If Mark Stone returns to the lineup, it should be an even bigger boon for the Vegas power play.
