This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
'Tis the season for turkey and gravy. We now have a month of play under our belt and that data should make things easier to work with. I'll do my best to guide you through this murky slate with five games starting at 6 p.m. EST.
SLATE PREVIEW
Here's the breakdown on teams playing the second night of a back-to-back: Golden Knights, Red Wings, Islanders and the Wild. The Blackhawks enter with the league's second-highest goals against along with the Red Wings at the sixth-highest and the Wild at the seventh-highest.
GOALIES
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs DAL ($7,800): Demko continues to have an up and down season, yet his stats remain dominant with a 2.30 GAA and .920 save percentage. Considering how non-dominant the Canucks are after a month, this may come as a surprise for most. Against the third-worst offense in the league, Demko will look to rebound after a tough 3-2 loss to the Preds Friday.
VALUE PLAYS
Pius Suter, DET vs VGK ($3,700): Due to the Wings playing the second of a back-to-back and Dylan Larkin still out, we once again get to take advantage of incorrect valuation. Suter continues to be everything and more for the Wings, something that he never could do with the Blackhawks. He now gets the chance to play between two excellent wingers. Against a pesky Sabres team, Suter ran a line of 1-1-2 with seven shots over 19 minutes. He could be in store for even more versus a leaky Golden Knights side.
Tyler Bertuzzi, DET vs VGK ($4,800): It was hard to change direction with the lack of value on this slate, so we'll highlight another Red Wing. Bertuzzi welcomed himself back last night against the Sabres with two goals, two assists and three shots. Right before getting hurt, he was gaining chemistry with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. With Larkin out, it's time for Bertuzzi to hold the line together.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Predators at Blackhawks
Mikael Granlund (C - $4,700), Matt Duchene (W - $5,600), Luke Kunin (W - $3,800)
With all of the turmoil currently in Chicago and Granlund starting to enjoy life as a top-line center, this is the perfect opportunity for the makeshift unit to strike. Luke Kunin has substituted into the line with Filip Forsberg out, but the real connection is Granlund and Matt Duchene. Since these two have played together this season, they're averaging 7.46 goals per 60.
Islanders at Wild
Brock Nelson (C - $5,600), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $4,900), Kyle Palmieri (W - $4,100)
Palmieri hasn't produced much in the points department, but continues to average between two to three shots a night. Meanwhile, the strong connection on the line can be found between Nelson and Beauvillier. Over the last two outings, the duo has gone 5-3-8 with 18 shots. Against a questionable Wild D who looked tired last night against the shorthanded Penguins, this looks to be a mismatch.
DEFENSE
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK at DET ($6,200): Pietrangelo has been a force for the Golden Knights as one of the club's only consistent producers. The veteran defender has just posted two goals and two helpers through 11 outings, but he's averaged over 15 fantasy points per game across the last four. With two tallies and one helper from the last two, it wouldn't be surprising if Pietrangelo continued that form.
Justin Faulk, STL at ANH ($4,400): Torey Krug looks to miss this contest due to COVID-19. This would leave the Blues' top power-play up for grabs and Faulk should be the first to run it. He used to quarterback the Hurricanes top unit, but hasn't done much offensively so far this year. Should Krug stay sidelined, this represents a perfect chance for Faulk to kickstart his campaign.
