This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's hockey night in the Pacific Northwest, but I'm not sure if that's a cause for celebration or consternation. On the heels of yet another loss, the reeling Canucks now host the Jets, who are playing the second of a back-to-back.
The Kraken will host the Avalanche, who have won three straight outscoring their opponents 17-5 - including a 4-2 win that prompted a state of the union presser in Vancouver.
The Canucks and Kraken, who sit second-last and last in the division, have combined for a 9-21-3 record.
GOALIES
Eric Comrie, WPG at VAN ($8,000): There's just something about Jets backups against the Canucks. When Laurent Brossoit operated in that role, he went 4-1-0 with a .959 save percentage and two shutouts. This will be Comrie's first time facing the Canucks and he comes in with an outstanding 3-1-0/.926 Sv%/1.98 GAA line and good goal support.
Darcy Kuemper, COL at SEA ($8,500): Kuemper has recently been playing much better having won five of his past six and not allowing more than three goals since Oct. 23. The Kraken offense has been fairly successful at generating chances, but they don't have a lot of finish and remain on a six-game losing streak.
VALUE PLAYS
Nils Hoglander, VAN vs. WPG ($4,600): Hoglander will play on the top line with Bo Horvat and remains one of the Canucks' most consistent players. His offense has really come alive of late with four goals and five points with 15 shots over his past four outings. The drawback is Hoglander plays on PP2, and they don't get a lot of ice time since the Canucks lean on their top unit – albeit, one that's struggling – a lot.
Yanni Gourde, SEA vs. COL ($4,000): Gourde has tallied three goals in his last five and leads all Kraken forwards in average ice time at 19:36 despite centering the "third line" with Brandon Tanev and Colin Blackwell. He doesn't play on the power play, but the Kraken's special teams have been horrendous so far.
Alex Newhook, COL at SEA ($3,800): Newhook is one of the Avs' top prospects and has notched two points in four games since being called up. He will center a very young checking line with Tyson Jost and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, which doesn't offer a lot of upside, but at least Newhook will see some time on PP2.
LINE STACKS
Jets at Canucks
Mark Scheifele (C - $6,300), Andrew Copp (W - $5,400), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,700)
The Canucks' defense is in shambles and even Thatcher Demko on his best nights can't seem to stop the bleeding. This Jets line is preferable to Kyle Connor's because they're not dragging any deadweight like Blake Wheeler, who has struggled to score all season. The Canucks have also allowed the fifth-most goals in the league and their PK is historically poor.
Avalanche at Kraken
Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,100), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $8,500), Logan O'Connor (W - $4,100)
Note that Rantanen is still listed as a winger even though he centered the top trio against the Canucks last time out. Rantanen and Landeksog are elite, so there's never a worry with them, but LOC has also been a great third wheel with four points in five games. He's an all-round forward who shoots and blocks shots and could be a strong value play on his own. And as if you needed more incentive to select this group, note the Kraken have given up the fourth-most goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at SEA ($6,700): No other defenseman boasts the same upside as Makar, who scored two points in his last game. Quinn Hughes comes close, but it's a very tough matchup for the struggling Canucks. Makar's defensive partner Devon Toews ($4,600) would be the sneaky high-upside play by benefitting from the former's talents with two goals and two helpers since returning to the lineup.
Nate Schmidt, WPG at VAN ($4,100): Schmidt is quietly enjoying a strong bounce-back season as he faces his former team. He leads all Jets defensemen with 11 points in 15 games, and trails only Josh Morrissey in ice time.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. COL ($3,900): There's still no real hierarchy on the Kraken D because their top four roughly log the same number of minutes. But when they need a little offense, it always seems to be Dunn whom is preferred over Mark Giordano. The Kraken will need to score goals if they want to beat the Avs, and Dunn would be their best blueline option to do so.
