This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a busy night with 10 games scheduled. With just a little more than a month to go, the playoff race is ramping up and only one game has no real playoff implications: Devils at Sabres (7 p.m. EDT). Note only the Oilers and Senators (7 p.m.) are playing the second half of a back-to-back, while the Canadiens will play host to the Jets (7 p.m.) after losing to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at CBJ ($8,500): The Jackets seem to have Vasilevskiy's number, who is just 2-2-0 with a .908 Sv% against them this season. But it's also rare to see Vasilevskiy and the Lightning play two bad games in a row, so perhaps this time's the charm. The Jackets will be without key two-way player Boone Jenner, and not being the goalie with the highest salary also makes Vasilevskiy an attractive play.
Juuse Saros, NSH at DET ($7,600): Saros' second-half turnaround has been pretty incredible after an awful start, and since March he's 7-2-0 with two shutouts and a .959 Sv%. He's 3-0 with a .953 Sv% and 1.18 GAA against the Red Wings this season.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at MON ($7,500): This salary feels too low for one of the league's best goalies. Not having Blake Wheeler will hurt, but the Habs are playing back-to-back and their offense looked anything but dangerous against the Leafs. They won't be able to beat Hellebuyck if Corey Perry is their best goal scorer again.
Mike Smith, EDM at OTT ($7,200): If Mikko Koskinen can beat the Sens, then Smith definitely should. The Oilers are going for a clean sweep of the Sens after defeating them 4-2 on Wednesday, and the Sens defense simply has no answer for either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, who will assuredly provide Smith with a ton of goal support.
Linus Ullmark, BUF vs. NJ ($6,700): Ullmark notched his eighth win of the season last game against the Devils, basically accounting for all of the team's wins. Yes, the Sabres are bad, but the Devils just lost two key veteran pieces and the Sabres are due for a bit of a bounce back after a record-setting losing streak.
VALUE PLAYS
Colin Blackwell, NYR vs. PIT ($3,700): He's slated to play alongside Artemi Panarin, and that should be enough reason to pick Blackwell. He's no slouch, either, scoring four goals in his past six games and showing some good hands around the net.
Kirby Dach, CHI vs. DAL ($3,700): The points are starting to come now with three points in his past four games. Since returning from injury, Dach has stepped into a top-six role right away and has recorded a shot in every game.
Casey Mittelstadt, BUF vs. NJ ($3,500): He's on a four-game point streak and after collecting a win on the last day of March to avoid a month-long drought, the Sabres seem to be playing with less weight on their shoulders. Mittelstadt's one of the few Sabres players with some offensive upside and the Devils are trending in the wrong direction.
LINE STACKS
Bruins at Capitals
Patrice Bergeron (C - $7,600), Brad Marchand (W - $7,900), Craig Smith (W - $4,300)
Bergeron's coming off a hat trick and he's scored five goals in his past three games. Marchand has made quick work of the Caps this season with seven points in four games, and Smith is a very useful 5-on-5 player who shoots the puck a fair amount and also keeps the combined salaries of this line stack lower than your usual first lines.
Hurricanes vs. Panthers
Vincent Trocheck (C - $6,300), Martin Necas (W - $4,900), Jordan Martinook (W - $3,100)
You can leave Martinook off this line stack because he's clearly the third wheel, but Trocheck has been fantastic all season (when healthy), and although Necas is going through a dry spell, he's at least been getting shots on net. The Panthers aren't very deep down the middle, so Trocheck's matchups should be a little easier than usual. He faced Noel Acciari and Alex Wennberg the most last game with the Canes getting last change on home ice.
Oilers at Senators
Connor McDavid (C - $9,000), Leon Draisaitl (W - $8,000), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $3,600)
Puljujarvi basically wins the equivalent of the hockey lottery playing on this line, and both McDavid and Draisaitl have been brilliant against the Sens. They just have no answer for them. Puljujarvi can be left off this line stack after McDavid and Draisaitl scored four points apiece on Wednesday – the only two Oilers forwards to score any points.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NSH at DET ($6,800): He played 29 minutes and added two helpers last game, and it's a good matchup because all the other big names face tougher opponents. Josi has 10 assists in seven games against the Wings this season.
Adam Fox, NYR vs. PIT ($6,200): He's showing no signs of slowing down and scored all three of his points last game on special teams. It extended his point streak to 11 games, and note the Pens' goaltending is faltering a little with Tristan Jarry just returning and Casey DeSmith struggling recently, and their PK ranks 25th and since last Monday has operated at only 58.3 percent.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at OTT ($5,900): He didn't register a point but finished with four shots and three blocked shots. It's hard not to see the Oilers run roughshod against the Sens again, and Nurse often shares the ice with the Oilers' dynamic duo.
Josh Morrissey, WPG at MON ($4,200): Morrissey doesn't normally contribute a lot on offense because that's not his game, but with a lack of a true quarterback, he's been handling a lot of power play duties this season. Despite Montreal's balanced lineup, their penalty kill just hasn't been good all season, and they will likely be starting third-string (but highly-touted) Cayden Primeau.
Filip Hronek, DET vs. NSH ($3,700): The Preds goaltending has improved but their PK still hasn't. Hronek has a ton of skill but the Red Wings offense is non-existent most nights, and that's the big risk. Otherwise, he's generally pretty good at getting shots on net.
