This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Fingers are crossed, but Thursday's slate will be the first since Dec. 17 where no games have been postponed. There are seven games on the docket, including six teams — the Panthers, Predators, Sabres, Canucks, Flyers, Kraken — who are playing the second half of a back-to-back. Note that scoring seems to be way up since the holiday break, and that's fairly normal considering goalies are probably pretty rusty and teams are trying to get back in rhythm.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. BUF ($8,300): The Sabres have a pretty underrated offense because they've got a lot of young talent; the only drawback is that they're not quite ready for the roles that they may be playing now, and were outshot 42-22 on Wednesday against the Devils. The Isles have struggled all season but their experience and defensive structure should win out. Sorokin is 3-0-1 with a 1.71 GAA in his career against the Sabres.
Antti Raanta, CAR vs. MON ($8,000): Raanta will be a very popular pick against the very shorthanded Habs. The Canes are more talented and deeper, and even on their worse nights should be able to handle the Habs with ease. Raanta hasn't been very good this season but it should make little difference in the end result.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY at SEA ($7,600): The Flames were one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, and it'll be interesting to see how they respond. Markstrom has not played since Dec. 11, a loss to Boston in which he allowed four goals on 27 shots, but the Flames have also been pretty good on the road and the Kraken are not a good team.
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. NSH ($7,400): The danger with Merzlikins is that this is his first game after the pause. Plenty of goalies have been lit up because they're rusty, but the upside is the Preds are playing the second half of a back-to-back after losing 5-3 to the Caps on Wednesday and starter Juuse Saros is unlikely to start. There's a chance Patrik Laine returns, which could give Merzlikins more goal support, and the Preds will likely be without captain Roman Josi.
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. VAN ($7,300): The Canucks will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after facing Anaheim on Wednesday, and will be without one of their top goal scorers in Brock Boeser. Quick struggled in his first game after the holiday break, lasting just 22 minutes after allowing five goals on 15 shots, but that wasn't entirely unexpected given the long pause. He should have a much better outing this time around.
VALUE PLAYS
Mathieu Joseph, TB at FLA ($4,100): Joseph will play on a line with Brayden Point, who made an emphatic return from injury with three points. Joseph doesn't play on the power play, but playing with Point at even strength might be good enough to pick up a point, as he did against the Habs. Joseph played 18 minutes for just the second time this season and should be a better choice than Taylor Raddysh, who is playing on Steven Stamkos' line but played just 14 minutes.
Kieffer Bellows, NYI vs. BUF ($3,700): Bellows was on a bit of a roll before the pause, scoring four points in five games. His ice time remains limited, averaging just eight minutes in his past two games, but with multiple regulars out of the lineup, Bellows is slated to skate on the second line with Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey.
Alex Turcotte, LA vs. VAN ($3,400): It wasn't a particularly strong debut, but it was certainly noticeable. The fifth overall pick in 2019, Turcotte finished his first game with 12:08 TOI and managed to register three shots, blocking another and winning 50 percent of his faceoffs. The Canucks looked rusty against Anaheim on Wednesday and despite their recent success still have not been particularly stout on defense.
JJ Peterka, BUF at NYI ($3,200): Both Peterka and Peyton Krebs ($3,000) could be good value plays. The two rookies are important pieces of the Sabres' future, and both played top-six roles against the Devils on Wednesday, with Krebs playing 17:02 and Peterka playing 16:12, and both saw time on the power play.
LINE STACKS
Panthers vs. Lightning
Aleksander Barkov (C - $8,500), Anthony Duclair (W - $5,800), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $5,200)
Barkov returned to the lineup and both Duclair and Verhaeghe scored goals to earn the win against the Rangers. The Lightning are a tough opponent, but they are also expected to start journeyman goalie Maxime Lagace, who allowed four goals on 31 shots against the Habs, just his 17th career start in the NHL.
Predators at Blue Jackets
Mikael Granlund (C - $5,300), Filip Forsberg (W - $7,400), Matt Duchene (W - $7,000)
Just in case the Jackets are rusty coming out of the break, the Preds' top line has been very good this season. Forsberg's goal against the Caps extended his point streak to five games while Granlund's assist gives him 28 points on the season, already surpassing last season's total and two away from tying his career-high with the Preds.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns, SJ vs. PHI ($5,900): Burns didn't have much to show in 28 minutes of ice time against the Coyotes, but continues to generate a ton of shots. Since Martin Jones started Wednesday against the Kraken, look for Felix Sandstrom to make his NHL debut.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR vs. MON ($5,800): DeAngelo's 21 points this season puts him in the upper echelon of scoring defensemen, and it shouldn't be a difficult assignment against the hapless Habs. The Canes will have all of their key players in the lineup and only depth forwards Jordan Martinook and Jesper Fast are expected to miss the game.
Alexandre Carrier, NSH at CBJ ($4,600): If Josi is not available, look for Carrier to continue to quarterback the top power play. His 23:40 TOI against the Caps trailed only Mattias Ekholm's 24:52, but he led all Preds defensemen with 4:20 TOI on the power play. The Jackets PK ranks 22nd in the league.
