This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Hockey is strange – even though the visiting Predators are favored, the Rangers have two more wins. Both teams have struggled this season and both have lost three of their past five. The return of Mika Zibanejad, with two straight two-goal games, has certainly helped.
Just when you think the Panthers are turning it around, they lose three straight. They've squandered a huge opportunity to get back into the playoff race with just three wins in seven games during their nine-game homestand. A win against the Senators could help them leap into third place, but they won't go away and they've logged impressive wins against the Bruins and Oilers.
The Blue Jackets have won just once in seven games, with two of their most recent losses coming in overtime. You get the sense that John Tortorella is reaching his breaking point, especially with such lackluster goaltending. There's no question the Capitals have the upper hand in this divisional matchup.
The Avalanche and Blues should be the most intriguing tilt of the night with two Central Division giants. The Avs are healthy up front but have placed Cale Makar on IR, while the Blues are coming off two straight wins and have continued to roll along even without Vladimir Tarasenko. The Avs have held their opponents to two goals or less in their past five wins.
The Stars and Oilers will wrap things up and this will be a tough test for defensive guru Rick Bowness. They've won four of their past five and held their opponents to two goals or less, but continue to go through extreme highs and lows. The Oilers are similar with their lack of consistency, but recently it's been a series of upsetting losses to lesser teams, including Ottawa, Buffalo and Minnesota.
GOALIES
You think Sergei Bobrovsky ($8,000) would be a good choice, but like that last slice of tasty pizza you scarf down when your stomach's ready to burst, it could be a really good decision or a really bad decision. Braden Holtby ($8,600) is the safer and better pick.
I think we're definitely at the point where we should start questioning if Pekka Rinne ($7,600) is a legit starter; nearly three months into the season and he's been arguably one of the worst in the league (2.99 GAA, .893 Sv%). Even though the Preds provide plenty of goal support (3.26 GF/GP, 7th), Henrik Lundqvist ($7,200) definitely has a chance (6-3-1, .919 Sv% at home).
I'd rather not try and decide between Philipp Grubauer ($7,800) and Jordan Binnington ($8,700), and the gulf in price ($900) definitely doesn't reflect how close these two teams are, but Binnington's numbers are just slightly better and the Blues are on home ice. The same idea goes for Ben Bishop ($9,000), who is expected to face the Oilers. Bishop is 9-3-2 at home with a .944 Sv% and 1.74 GAA, though he was pulled three minutes into the second period when he last faced the Oilers in Edmonton a month ago.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Anthony Duclair ($5,100) has reached another level with a hat trick against his former team and former coach, who once famously said Duclair doesn't know how to play. He now has 18 goals in 33 games, including eight in the past four games.
Valeri Nichushkin ($3,800) is on a four-game point streak and, like Andre Burakovsky ($4,700), has found new life with his new team. He now has 10 points in 28 games, matching last year's total when he had just 10 assists in 57 games. The drawback is that his shot volume isn't very high.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Florida Panthers (TOTAL: $15,600)
C – Aleksander Barkov ($7,600)
W – Brett Connolly ($4,400)
W – Frank Vatrano ($3,600)
Connolly is key to this line, leading the team with 14 goals while riding a sky-high 23.7 S%. He's eight goals away from tying a career high, and he has a good chance to get there with the all-world Barkov centering this line. The Senators are 19th-worst with 3.09 GF/GP.
New York Rangers (TOTAL: $19,000)
C – Ryan Strome ($5,400)
W – Artemi Panarin ($8,600)
W – Kaapo Kakko ($5,000)
Kakko has not scored a goal since Nov. 12, but Panarin's doing his share and more with six goals in four games. Strome has become a trusted playmaker this season with 22 assists, including five in his past six games.
Washington Capitals (TOTAL: $20,700)
C – Evgeny Kuznesov ($7,600)
W – Jakub Vrana ($6,100)
W – T.J. Oshie ($7,000)
It's a little frustrating to see Vrana get 13 minutes because he's having a breakout season and his budding bromance with Oshie has produced six points in two games. Alex Ovechkin has had limited success against Columbus (for his standards) with 27 points and a minus-13 rating in 35 games, and if Seth Jones is hard matched against Ovechkin, it opens up a lot of opportunities for this second line.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($7,400) remains a solid pick, as always. Roman Josi ($6,300) has two assists in seven games but he still has a high floor with his ability to get shots on net. He should have a slightly easier time than Alex Pietrangelo ($6,200), who faces a tougher opponent.
Thomas Chabot ($5,900) logs a ton of minutes and although his production is on and off, is currently on a four-game assist streak. Oscar Klefbom ($5,700) also does a lot of everything for the Oilers. They're solid picks in the second tier, with Jacob Trouba ($5,300) and Seth Jones ($5,000) rounding out the group.
With Cale Makar out, Samuel Girard ($4,400) will handle the power play, and in that regard Keith Yandle ($5,500) remains one of the league's elite. Tony DeAngelo ($4,200) is a step down but it's not huge, though Adam Fox ($3,700) is always lurking around to steal some ice time.
