This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Welcome back to NHL action with three games on the slate after a lengthy break. Note that despite the league-mandated pause for all 32 teams, several teams are still affected by COVID-19 protocols. The Blue Jackets-Blackhawks matchup has been postponed, and starters for teams playing Tuesday will be subject to change, sometimes at the shortest notice.
GOALIES
Maxime Lagace, TB vs. MON ($8,400): Both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliott are in COVID protocol, and if neither are available against the Habs, all signs point towards Lagacé making his season debut. The 28-year-old undrafted journeyman has little NHL experience, having appeared in just one game last season and in 18 career appearances has a .876 Sv%. Still, the Lightning – potentially with Brayden Point back in the lineup – should overcome a very, very depleted Habs squad with their third-string goalie.
Laurent Brossoit, VGK at LA ($8,100): The Knights may be without Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty, and Brossoit should get the nod over Robin Lehner, who is a game-time decision due to an undisclosed injury. It shouldn't be a difficult matchup for the Knights, who lost 6-2 in their first meeting in October but have won six of their past 10 matchups. The Kings will be a little light on veteran depth and will likely ice a few rookies in their lineup.
James Reimer, SJ vs. ARI ($7,800): Reimer should be a very popular choice because he's been excellent all season and the Coyotes don't pose much of a threat. The Coyotes are historically bad, and an upset win would be a very big surprise.
VALUE PLAYS
Taylor Raddysh, TB vs. MON ($4,300): Raddysh is slated to skate on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat. He's also skated on the top power-play unit, but that may change depending on whether or not Point plays. Rather than stacking one line with a still-depleted lineup, the Lightning will roll out two scoring lines and spread out their young talent. Raddysh may be a good choice on the top line with Stamkos playing at an MVP-like level.
Mathieu Joseph, TB vs. MON ($4,100): Joseph will be the other lucky rookie, who will skate on the second line with Point possibly at center. That gives Joseph exposure to the Lightning's best player, even if he is a little rusty. Joseph is an adept penalty killer, too, so he gets some exposure on special teams though it's not with the power play.
Jake Evans, MON at TB ($3,600): Evans was skating on the top line with Nick Suzuki at center, though their lineup is very fluid. An offensive-minded player will likely play on the left wing, either Jonathan Drouin or Mike Hoffman. Either way, just in case the Lightning's goalies aren't very sharp, Evans might get a good value play since the Habs don't really have any other scoring lines.
Matt Nieto, SJ vs. ARI ($3,200): Nieto may take Jonathan Dahlen's spot on the top line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier. This may be a line the Sharks will lean on a lot since Tomas Hertl will also be unavailable due to COVID protocol. Nieto doesn't have a lot of offensive upside with four points in 23 games, but Couture and Meier certainly do. Hopefully, it rubs off.
Alex Turcotte, LA vs. VGK ($3,000): Turcotte is one of the Kings' prized prospect, picked fifth overall in 2019, and could make his NHL debut in place of the injured Phillip Danault. The Kings' farm team has played very well this season, and as the team's youngest forward, Turcotte's 10 points in 18 games is pretty impressive. Turcotte is one of two forwards moved to the Kings' taxi squad, the other forward being the hard-shooting Martin Frk.
LINE STACKS
William Karlsson (C - $4,500), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,900), Reilly Smith (W - $5,400)
With Stone and Pacioretty potentially unavailable, look for the Knights to default to their most reliable line dating back to their inaugural season. Karlsson has missed some time, but Marchessault and Smith have been two of their more reliable forwards this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK at LA ($6,100): With Alex Pietrangelo in COVID protocol and Alec Martinez still injured, look for Theodore to eat up a lot of minutes. He's by far their best puck mover on that blue line now, and even though the Kings have been very good at limiting shots and goals this season, their penalty kill still ranks a paltry 24th at 77.4 percent.
Brent Burns, SJ vs. ARI ($5,800): Burns cleared COVID protocol Monday and is expected to play. The veteran rearguard isn't the elite defenseman he once was, but the slate is short on options and Burns' high-volume shooting puts him in the upper echelon of the second tier behind Victor Hedman and Drew Doughty. Burns is having a pretty good bounce-back season with 17 points in 30 games.
Janis Moser, ARI at SJ ($3,500): Based on past ice time, the Swiss-born Moser should play on the top two pairings. Drafted 60th overall just this past summer, the 21-year-old rearguard plays well at both ends of the ice and expected to play on the second power-play unit. Note, however, that the Sharks PK ranks fifth in the league, which certainly caps Moser's upside, but the first game back from the pause might feature some surprises as teams look to shake off the holiday rust.
Daniil Miromanov, VGK at LA ($3,500): Miromanov is an offensive defenseman who can play both defense and forwarda, and showed very well with the Knights at camp. Theodore will obviously get first crack in any offensive situation, but Miromanov's got some scoring ability as well and may be relied upon to give Theodore a break. Miromanov was added to the Knights' taxi squad Monday.
