This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are nine games on the NHL schedule. It's a bit lighter than the normally busy Thursday schedule. Columbus hosts the Islanders, Washington is home to Pittsburgh, Florida visits Ottawa, Tampa Bay faces Montreal, Boston takes on Carolina, Minnesota hosts Colorado, St. Louis plays in Nashville, Calgary travels to Winnipeg and LA goes up the coast to take on San Jose. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Daniil Tarasov, CLS vs. NYI ($7,400): It's hard to go against Tarasov, not after his outstanding performance Monday when he stopped 45 shots in a 4-1 victory over Colorado. He is 1-2-0 in his last three starts but has given up only eight goals on 129 shots (.938 save percentage). That is a huge advantage in FanDuel, especially at his price. Tarasov is 8-11-3 with a 3.13 GAA and a .909 save percentage this season. The Islanders have found the back of the net on 223 occasions, 23rd best in the NHL.
David Rittich, LA at SJ ($8,500): Rittich is slated to get the start, but if the Kings decide to play Cam Talbot, go with him as well. Rittich has two shutouts in his last four games and is 11-6-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 2023-24. He will face the lowly Sharks, who are last in NHL scoring with 164 goals in 74 games.
VALUE PLAYS
Vladimir Tarasenko, FLA at OTT ($5,800): Tarasenko returns to Ottawa, after the Senators dealt him to Florida on March 6 for a couple of draft picks. Tarasenko has five goals and 10 points in 13 games with the Panthers, after picking up 17 goals and 24 helpers in 57 appearances with Ottawa. Tarasenko has three goals and seven points in his last six games and should continue his hot streak versus his former teammates.
Viktor Arvidsson, LA at SJ ($6,000): Arvidsson has spent most of the season on the shelf, missing the first 50 games with a back injury, and then after playing four games, he suffered a lower-body injury that cost him another 14 contests. He is now healthy and has two goals and six points in seven games since his return. He is playing with Trevor Moore and Pierre-Luc Dubois on the second line and seeing time on the first power play. The Kings face the Sharks in what should be a big win for LA.
Max Pacioretty, WAS vs. PIT ($4,300): Pacioretty is starting to come around as he has three assists in his last five games. The 35-year-old has been just okay this season, as he missed the first 35 games of the season, due to a pair of Achilles tendon tears since the summer of 2022. He has three goals and 20 points in 39 games, including a pair of goals and nine assists on the power play.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Wild
Nathan MacKinnon (C-$10,400), Mikko Rantanen (W-$9,600), Jonathan Drouin (W-$6,200)
The Avalanche were stymied Monday in a 4-1 loss to Columbus as Daniil Tarasov made 45 saves, including a combined 15 on MacKinnon and Rantanen. The line is the best in the NHL – if not, it's certainly in the top two – and they have to be chomping on the bit coming into Thursday's tilt in Minnesota. MacKinnon is second in NHL scoring with 127 points heading into action on Wednesday. He has been a gem this season and should be the favorite for the Hart Trophy. Rantanen hit the 100-point mark for the second year in a row and has 40 points on the power play. Drouin moved back to the top line and has 15 goals and 33 assists in 72 games this season. The line has been shut down twice in the last three games, but combined for three goals and six assists in a 7-4 win over Nashville on Saturday. Drouin makes the line reasonable as far as pricing is concerned and worth selecting Thursday.
Jets vs. Flames
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,000), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $5,900), Gabriel Vilardi (W - $5,600)
This is a less expensive trio to look at. Scheifele has 23 goals and 65 points in 68 games and is poised to better last season's mark of 68 points in 81 appearances. He has been strong on the power play with 17 points, but his shots per game are down from 2.54 last season, to 2.16 this year. Ehlers looked good when he played with Scheifele earlier in the season, when Kyle Connor was injured, and is back on his wing. Ehlers has three goals and nine points in his last 10 games, giving the 28-year-old Dane, 22 goals and 54 points in 75 contests. Vilardi returned from an enlarged spleen that cost him 15 games and has been pointless in the two games. He has 16 goals and 30 points in just 40 games and could be ready to explode. The line is a nice addition to the MacKinnon unit, if you want to stack your forwards.
DEFENSEMEN
Jakob Chychrun, OTT vs. FLA ($5,900): Chychrun has been hot of late, scoring four times while adding two assists in his last six games. He has 13 goals and 38 points, including seven goals and nine assists on the power play, as he quarterbacks the first unit. Chychrun has a career high 191 shots on goal this season, as well as a career best 140 blocked shots.
Drew Doughty, LA at SJ ($5,600): Doughty has assists in each of his last two games, heading into Wednesday's game in Seattle. He has a chance to better his season-best 16 goals set as a 19-year-old in the 2009-10 season, as he has 14 goals thus far. Doughty keeps on chugging away and is worth considering, if you need a mid-priced defenseman to complete your fantasy squad.
Brock Faber, MIN vs. COL ($5,400): Faber has had a strong rookie campaign, scoring seven goals and adding 34 assists in 74 appearances. He is averaging 25:00 minutes a game, unheard of, for a rookie blueliner. He has two goals and 12 points on the power play, and has to be considered one of the top two candidates for the Calder Trophy – along with Connor Bedard. He has a goal in two games versus the Avalanche this season.
