This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Happy Thanksgiving Friday.
After taking a break on Thursday, the NHL is back with a rare 13-game schedule. FanDuel will offer five slates, and only the all-day one will feature all the matchups.
The previous day of heavy action on Wednesday brought forth some interesting new storylines.
The Canadiens had no real chance of ever beating the Capitals, but being able to score three goals – including one from Cole Caufield – proved to be a small ray of light. It was just the sixth time they managed to produce at least three, and the first time in consecutive contests. The Habs will be playing the Sabres, who have lost four straight with 22 goals allowed.
The Jets are dropping with four straight losses just as it seemed they were on the cusp of joining the league's elite. They've only potted four goals during that span, including a shutout loss to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Columbus has won four of five and host the Canucks, who are probably the league's most dysfunctional team.
The Kraken surprisingly defeated the league-leading Hurricanes last time out. They'll visit Tampa, who have been excellent despite losing key players to injury. Seattle's analytics are good, but their goaltending has really sunk them. Another win against a Cup contender could be the turnaround they're looking for.
GOALIES
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. VAN ($7,800): The Canucks are in shambles and Merzlikins and the Jackets remain a tough team to beat under Brad Larsen. They have not let up and will be facing one of the more inept offenses whose young superstar players are going through the worst stretch of their careers.
Tristan Jarry, PIT at NYI ($7,500): We're sleeping on Jarry and the Pens, who are turning it around in a hurry with four straight victories and only two goals allowed. The Isles are carrying so many injuries they're basically rolling out their AHL roster.
Cam Talbot, MIN vs. WPG ($7,300): Talbot's 40-save effort was pretty impressive; it's just too bad he can't be this consistent considering he's given up at least three goals in six of 10 appearances. And unless the Wild provide decent goal support, they have to get a little lucky to win. The positive her is the Jets are struggling and have experienced issues scoring. The Wild have taken seven of their past nine meetings and Talbot has gone 7-4-1 against them over his career.
Marc-Andre Fleury, CHI vs. STL ($7,000): Teams Hawks have lost to in November: Hurricanes, Jets, Oilers, Flames. Teams Blues have lost to in November: literally everyone, because they have only four wins. Fleury has turned it out posting a .934 Sv% and 2.25 GAA this month. And when the Hawks plummeted to the bottom of the standings right away, we knew they weren't going to be that bad all season because they boast too much talent.
Jake Allen, MON at BUF ($7,000): Just… maybe? The Habs have only managed to win two games out of any three-game period once this season, and they get a chance to do it again against the flailing Sabres with their two Ws in November. It's one of those rare times the Habs are the favorite, and Allen can be a good value play because it's two subpar teams. Also, he's gone 6-2-1 with a .937 Sv% against Buffalo.
VALUE PLAYS
Logan O'Connor, COL at DAL ($4,100): The Stars tend to defend better at home, which is a bummer, but LOC continues to be a solid contributor for the Avs' top line. Jared Bednar won't change anything as long as the team's on a roll, so LOC will continue to feed off of Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog on the top line.
Kaapo Kakko, NYR vs. BOS ($3,900): Kakko's been brilliant of late and the hockey gods are smiling on him after a tough start. He's riding a five-game point streak with three goals and three assists and playing on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and the equally red-hot Chris Kreider.
Brandon Hagel, CHI vs. STL ($3,600): On his own, Hagel's an unimpressive player. But playing on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane significantly boosts his fantasy value. Hagel has scored three goals over his past four outings, and he's the ideal utility forward who could play with skilled forwards. The Blues' goaltending is a mess again with 3.08 goals per game in November, which ranks 18th in the league.
Seth Jarvis, CAR at PHI ($3,200): It was a quiet game for Jarvis against Seattle, but so was the entire offense. Rod Brind'Amour switches up his lines a fair amount, but Jarvis has remained with Sebastian Aho while Andrei Svechnikov tries to get the other lines going. The Flyers' goaltending remains a nice surprise this season, but they've recently taken a small step back.
Morgan Frost, PHI vs. CAR ($3,000): Frost was AHL Lehigh Valley's leading scorer when he got called up, and he's been thrust into a top-six scoring role right away because the Flyers don't have enough playmaking centers. He'll have Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson – both excellent finishers – on his line.
Cole Caufield, MON at BUF ($3,400): The one thing about snipers is that they tend to score in bunches. Hopefully, Caufield's first goal opens the floodgates and he's got a ripe opponent ready to be picked apart.
LINE STACKS
Ducks vs. Senators
Trevor Zegras (C - $5,600), Sonny Milano (W - $4,100), Rickard Rakell (W - $4,600)
Troy Terry has cooled off a bit, so his line won't be a fun stack anymore. Meanwhile, Milano is coming off a two-goal effort and Zegras has produced seven points in five games. The Sens don't defend well and their goaltending definitely isn't very good with expected starter Matt Murray not having earned a victory this season.
Lightning vs. Kraken
Steven Stamkos (C - $8,200), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,600), Alex Barre-Boulet (W - $3,500)
Barre-Boulet has scored a goal in consecutive appearances and Stamkos has gone full Super Saiyan with 22 points and shouldered much of the load with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point injured. The Kraken's win against Carolina was impressive, but past history and stats still say their goaltending is horrendous.
Penguins at Islanders
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,400), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,800), Bryan Rust (W - $6,000)
Only one defenseman on the Isles' projected lineup was with the team at the start of the season: Scott Mayfield. The rest are rookies and minor leaguers, and both Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin have struggled because they're not getting the usual high-quality defense in front. With the Pens on a roll, they should be walking all over the Isles, who are basically dressing half their farm team. Even the other Sebastian Aho is playing.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CBJ vs. VAN ($6,200): Werenski extended his point streak to six with a goal against the Jets, and this promises to be a favorable matchup for the Blue Jackets. He'll log a ton of minutes as usual, but the Canucks offense has not been in sync all season and their defense bleeds shots. Werenski's ability to skate through the neutral zone with ease might pose problems for the disorganized Canucks.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR at PHI ($5,200): There's a ton of elite defensemen playing, but DeAngelo - at his best - offers similar kind of offensive upside for a substantial discount. He posted an assist on the Canes' only goal against the Kraken and extended his points streak to three.
Matt Dumba, MIN vs. WPG ($4,600): With Jared Spurgeon injured, look for Dumba to play a bigger role, though maybe not on the top power play where the Wild have curiously opted for Alex Goligoski. At least Dumba will remain No. 2, and at worst a No. 3 sharing duties with Jonas Brodin. Regardless, he'll likely be playing more minutes than usual against a division rival.
