This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a busy nine-game slate with the Flyers (-245) as the heaviest favourite against the Coyotes, followed by the red-hot Flames (-154) hosting the Predators and the shorthanded Sharks (-144) facing the visiting Sabres.
Curious line of the night: the Habs (-150) are favoured against the Red Wings despite winning just two games so far this season and having sent Cole Caufield to the AHL.
GOALIES
Carter Hart, PHI vs. ARI ($8,400): The Coyotes have the league's worst offense and playing on the road in Philly doesn't seem like an ideal matchup for them to get their first win. Hart has finished with at least a .900 Sv% in each of his past four games and at the very worst should escape with a win even with a subpar performance.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. DAL ($8,000): The Stars have Jason Robertson back in the lineup but goals continue to be hard to come by with the second-lowest GF/GP in the league. Hellebuyck is 9-5-2- with a 2.44 GAA and .923 Sv% and the Jets are trending in the better direction.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. NSH ($7,900): Even with an improved power play, the Preds offense shouldn't pose much of a challenge to Markstrom and his shutout streak. Historically, games between these two teams have been very close; three of their past meetings have been decided by just one goal. This feels like a low-scoring game between two good goalies, but Markstrom is arguably the best in the league right now.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. NYR ($7,800): The Rangers are going for their third straight win while the Canucks are still looking for their first win at home. Igor Shesterkin ($8,500) is the most expensive goalie for Tuesday's slate and the Canucks offense has been one of the league's worst, but there's always a chance that Demko pulls off a strong performance and Elias Pettersson comes alive on home ice. It's a contrarian play but there's some upset potential here.
Alex Nedeljkovic, DET at MON ($6,700): The Wings pushed the Panthers to overtime, which tells you how strong they've been so far this season. Nedeljkovic has not been at his best, but after a rough start seems to have settled down and allowed six goals on his last 68 shots (.912 Sv%). The Habs bottom-five offense should not pose much of a problem for Nedeljkovic or Thomas Greiss.
VALUE PLAYS
Chandler Stephenson, VGK at TOR ($5,100): An injury to William Karlsson means Stephenson will be further be pushed into the spotlight. He's been excellent so far with 9 points in 8 games, though it's a hard matchup against Auston Matthews and John Tavares. He might have his hands full playing defense, but Stephenson's a strong value play because he might play a lot of minutes.
Troy Terry, ANH vs. NJ ($4,700): An early-season benching seems to have sparked Terry, who has scored five goals in his past six games and played over 20 minutes in each of his past two games. The Ducks defense have been as poor as expected, but their offense has been surprisingly effective with the eighth-best power play in the league.
Jonathan Drouin, MON vs. DET ($4,500): Drouin is slated to move back to center and help generate some offense and take some pressure off Nick Suzuki. He'll have two good finishers in Mike Hoffman and Josh Anderson on his wings, who should get at least a few chances; the Wings are allowing the ninth-most shots per game.
Dawson Mercer, NJ at ANH ($4,500): We're getting to the point where Mercer isn't really a value play anymore, but his strong play with three points in three games makes him difficult to ignore. Mercer continues to center the Devils' second line and the Ducks have allowed the fifth-most goals per game.
Joe Veleno, DET at MON ($3,600): Veleno scored two points in his season debut and will skate on a scoring line with Pius Suter and Filip Zadina as Tyler Bertuzzi sits out again. This is a good value play for a top-six player facing one of the league's worst teams.
John Leonard, SJ vs. BUF ($3,100): Leonard finished with zero points but managed to get two shots on goal in 11 minutes in season debut. With multiple players placed in COVID protocol, Leonard has taken Jonathan Dahlen's spot on the top line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier. The Sharks will be looking for offense and Leonard is one of the few players remaining known for scoring goals.
LINE STACKS
Flyers vs. Coyotes
Sean Couturier (C - $7,600), Claude Giroux (W - $6,300), Travis Konecny (W - $5,500)
Konecny is having a strong bounce-back season and a big reason why the Flyers' top line has been playing so well. They've combined for 23 points in seven games and the Coyotes have the worst goaltending in the league.
Flames vs. Predators
Elias Lindholm (C - $7,500), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $6,700), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $7,000)
This is one of the best lines in the league and excellent value with Lindholm and Gaudreau playing like elite scorers, combining for 21 points in eight games. A showdown featuring Markstrom and Juuse Saros feels like it will be a low-scoring game, but four of their past five matchups featured at least seven goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Moritz Seider, DET at MON ($4,000): Seider's on a four-game assist streak and continues to be a strong value pick among defensemen playing a top-pairing role. He's been incredibly impressive and plays in nearly all situations.
Keith Yandle, PHI vs. ARI ($4,600): The Coyotes are basically hopeless this season, and this is a chance for the Flyers to take advantage of a vulnerable team with their well-oiled offense. Yandle has a chance to pad his stats in a game in which Alain Vigneault shouldn't have to worry about him at even strength.
Ryan Merkley, SJ vs. BUF ($3,500): Merkley is a talented offensive defenseman and will likely play just his second NHL game with the shorthanded Sharks. He was called up after scoring four points in four games in the AHL and he'll be tasked to generate offense in Erik Karlsson's absence, playing on the second power-play unit with Tomas Hertl and William Eklund. We're just waiting for the Sabres' unsustainably good goaltending to collapse.
