This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Panthers are massive -330 favorites against the Coyotes, which might be the most lopsided odds this season. The Lightning are second at -220 against the Sabres and the Blues are third at -188 against the Kings.
The Leafs (-104) vs. Hurricanes (-112) seems to indicate the matchup would be close, but there's a gulf between the two teams now with Frederik Andersen emerging as an early Vezina candidate and the Canes getting goals from nearly all of their forwards, especially their superstars.
GOALIES
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. DAL ($7,300): Merzlikins has been excellent to start the season and the Stars rank 29th in goals per game. This should be a tough defensive matchup that the Jackets should be able to win being on home ice. Merzlikins' 1.63 GAA ranks fourth among the league's starters.
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. TOR ($7,800): Andersen was a little shaky in the season opener but has been fantastic since, allowing four goals in three games with a .956 Sv%. The Leafs are talented but they're a broken machine right now and their top players are all mired in cold slumps. The game may be close, but the Canes have a more balanced lineup and should have the advantage.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. LA ($7,900): The Blues are at their best when they're rolling four lines, and their depth will likely be too much to handle for the Kings. Their last matchup resulted in a 7-3 victory for the Blues, and the Kings will likely be without top defender Drew Doughty.
Vitek Vanecek, WSH at OTT ($8,000): Vanecek lasted just one period in his last start but still holds a statistical edge over Ilya Samsonov. Both goalies should be good options against the Sens, who are averaging only two goals per game, have lost three of their past four and blew a 2-0 lead against the Rangers on Saturday.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. ARI ($8,300): Probably the easiest matchup of the night and not even the most expensive goalie on the night. The Coyotes have lost five straight and they've been held to two goals or fewer in four of their five games. The Panthers provide the sixth-best goal support in the league.
VALUE PLAYS
Anton Lundell, FLA vs. ARI ($4,800): Lundell takes more draws in the defensive zone than any other Panthers center but it doesn't seem like they'll be spending time in their own zone anyway. Despite his defensive responsibilities, Lundell has scored five points in three games, and the Coyotes should prove to be an easy matchup to pad his stats. Lundell's their No. 3 center but he also gets quality ice time on special teams and will also have Sam Reinhart on his wing.
Klim Kostin, STL vs. LA ($4,200): If Brandon Saad is unavailable, look for Kostin to skate on the top line with David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly. The 22-year-old has scored three points in three games and hopefully he'll get more than the 11 minutes he's averaging right now. He notched his first assist of the season against the Kings on Saturday.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, CAR vs. TOR ($4,000): Kotkaniemi has scored a point in consecutive games and has thus far managed to stay on the top line with Sebastian Aho. As long as he plays there, he will have a lot of fantasy value. The Leafs defense has been awful to start the season and they've allowed 12 goals in their past two games.
Cole Sillinger, CBJ vs. DAL ($3,700): After scoring his first NHL goal against the Isles, Sillinger had a quiet night with just one shot in 15 minutes against Carolina. Up and down play will plague any rookie, but Sillinger's upside is good if he continues to get meaningful minutes. The Stars will not be easy to score on but it's always in the low-scoring games like these that the depth players make a difference.
LINE STACKS
Lightning at Sabres
Brayden Point (C - $7,700), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,900), Steven Stamkos (W - $8,400)
With Nikita Kucherov out, the Lightning have opted to simply stack their top line. Stamkos is really the only player who's been scoring, but the Sabres matchup is very enticing. The Sabres have kept their opponents to two goals or less in regulation in four of their five games, but traditionally the Lightning have no problems scoring against them. The Lightning have only lost four of their meetings since 2014, and in seven of their past nine meetings have scored at least five goals.
Capitals at Senators
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $7,600), Alex Ovechkin (W - $9,100), Tom Wilson (W - $5,700)
The Sens' goalies have done an admirable job but how long can they keep this up? One of the league's best offenses will likely be going up against backup Anton Forsberg after Matt Murray was injured yet again. They've scored at least three goals in all but one game, and Kuznetsov has been a pleasant surprise ranking eighth in the league in scoring.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. ARI ($6,900): I like Ekblad slightly more than Victor Hedman ($7,000) because the Panthers against the Coyotes seem like a surer thing, and Adam Fox ($6,600) has a more difficult matchup against the team that originally drafted him. The Panthers should dominate puck possession in this game and Ekblad is one of the most reliable when it comes to getting shots on net.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at CBJ ($6,100): The game should be really close so Heiskanen should be logging a ton of minutes, which only increases the chances of him getting shots or getting shot at. He's scored four points in his past two games and coming off two days' rest after playing 29 minutes, so there should be no fatigue at all.
Torey Krug, STL vs. LA ($5,600): Krug is an underappreciated fantasy defenseman but he's been one of the more reliable options in recent years, ranking third in power-play points among defenseman over the past three seasons. The Kings PK has been horrendous to start the season, ranking second-last at 53.3 percent.
