This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 10 games for Thursday's slate. The Canucks and Blackhawks are the only teams to play the second half of a back-to-back, while the Flyers and Jets will play the first half of their back-to-back sets. The Lightning-Bruins matchup will be the marquee game of the night, with the Lightning trying to stop a two-game skid and the Bruins looking to win their third straight.
GOALIES
Ville Husso, STL vs. PHI ($8,000): Husso has started the last three games and beat the Caps in his last start so he should get the nod, though Jordan Binnington should be a good choice as well. The Blues' depth should easily overwhelm the Flyers, who have lost five of their past seven and allowed six goals in their last game. Even if Husso isn't sharp, the Blues should easily pull off the win.
Cam Talbot, MIN vs. VAN ($7,900): Talbot is expected to start and the Canucks are playing the latter part of a back-to-back after facing the Avs in Colorado on Wednesday. Talbot has won six straight starts including a 28-save shutout against the Knights on Monday. The Canucks have struggled and will likely be tired, giving the Wild a chance for an easy win.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. DET ($7,500): It should be Sorokin's turn to start and he's won four of his past five starts, even though he allowed just two goals on 37 shots in his only loss. The Wings may put up a fight because their goaltending has improved, but they continue to struggle with seven losses in their past nine and have allowed at least three goals in all but one game.
Mike Smith, EDM vs. SJ ($7,400): The Sharks have won both of their most recent games but only by one-goal margins, and their only previous meeting this season resulted in a 3-0 win for the Oilers. The Sharks only managed to put 20 shots on goal that game, and they will need to provide a lot more offense than that to beat Connor McDavid's crew.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. OTT ($7,200): This is a very good value play for Hellebuyck, who shut out the Knights in his last game. Even though he hasn't been sharp with at least three goals allowed in 11 straight games, the Jets offense should be able to bail him out if he struggles again.
VALUE PLAYS
Brandon Saad, STL vs. PHI ($4,600): Saad is on a bit of a heater with six points in his past six games, including two multi-point games. He'll get an easy matchup against the Flyers and having Ryan O'Reilly a as his center should be very beneficial since the Flyers have only one veteran center in Kevin Hayes. The Blues are at home, which means they get last change and the edge in line matching.
Arthur Kaliyev, LA vs. CHI ($4,300): Kaliyev arguably had the best game of his season with a goal and six shots against the Preds, and he's been consistently getting top-six minutes with Viktor Arvidsson out of the lineup. He's not an elite finisher yet, but the Hawks are expected to start Kevin Lankinen, who has struggled all season.
Taylor Raddysh, CHI at LA ($3,500): Raddysh has not scored two goals in three games since joining the Blackhawks and continues to relish playing on the second line next to Jonathan Toews. He never got this kind of opportunity with a deep Lightning squad and now gets some power play time to boot.
LINE STACKS
Panthers at Canadiens
Aleksander Barkov (C - $8,900), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $5,300), Claude Giroux (W - $6,100)
There's a ton of hype with the Panthers' top line, so be sure to temper your expectations, but the matchup and the relatively low cost for Verhaeghe and Giroux is just too good to pass up. All three forwards will be featured on the Panthers' five-forward top power play unit.
Predators at Golden Knights
Ryan Johansen (C - $5,200), Filip Forsberg (W - $8,300), Matt Duchene (W - $7,200)
They ran circles around the Ducks before Forsberg and Duchene's multi-game point streaks were snapped by the Kings, but this is another favorable matchup for one of the hottest lines in the league. The Knights are struggling to keep pucks out of their own net, and expected to start either Logan Thompson, who allowed four goals in his last start, or Laurent Brossoit, who has lost three straight games.
DEFENSEMEN
Tony DeAngelo, CAR vs. DAL ($6,100): The Stars are on the road, where they've improved but still aren't very good, and their PK ranks 19th in the league. That's good news for DeAngelo, who played a big role on special teams in their defeat of the Lightning in their last game.
Mackenzie Weegar, FLA at MON ($5,400): Look for Weegar to play a ton of minutes with Aaron Ekblad injured, and while Weegar won't have the luxury of playing on the top power play unit, he's expected to share the ice a lot with the Panthers' top line. Weegar consistently gotten shots on net and also blocks a ton of shots, so he's a high-floor option with a lot of upside.
