FanDuel NHL: Thursday Targets

FanDuel NHL: Thursday Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.

SLATE PREVIEW

It's a busy 10-game night featuring some lopsided matchups, with the Hurricanes (-220), Islanders (-225), Penguins (-200) and Lightning (-390) among the clear favorites.

Flames head coach Darryl Sutter is expected to make his debut tonight against the Canadiens, and it'll be interesting to see what the response will be. Sutter's not the type to make excuses, especially against a team that just played last night.

GOALIES

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at DET ($8,700): It was a close one, but Vasilevskiy and the Lightning completed the comeback to beat the Red Wings last game. He's been perfect 3-0 against the Wings this season and there's no reason to think anything will change in a matchup between the defending champs and the lottery-bound Wings.

Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. NJ ($8,600): Varlamov's put together a Vezina-worth performance this season and expect that to continue against the Devils, who have lost six of their past seven games no thanks to a mediocre offense, ranking 18th in Shots/GP and 27th in GF/GP. Varlamov is 2-0 against them this season and 6-3-0 with a .943 Sv% and 1.55 GAA in his career.

Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at CBJ ($7,900): Bob has won four of his past five games and seems to have won back the No. 1 job. Head coach Joel Quenneville's patience is paying off and Bob has never looked better in a Panthers uniform. Since allowing six goals against Tampa on Feb. 13, Bob has a .926 Sv%.

Jaroslav Halak, BOS vs. NYR ($7,800): Halak's allowed just two goals in his past two starts and will likely get the start with Tuukka Rask unavailable. The Bruins have lost seven of their past 10 games but it's goal scoring that's been the problem; they've allowed just five goals in their past five games.  

Tristan Jarry, PIT at BUF ($7,700): Jarry doesn't always inspire a lot of confidence but shutting down the Sabres shouldn't be a difficult task. He's won four of his past five games after a tough start and the Sabres continue to spiral downward, mired in an eight-game losing streak and now relying on rookie Dylan Cozens to center their top line.

VALUE PLAYS

Dylan Cozens, BUF vs. PIT ($3,800): He'll have to go head-to-head against Sidney Crosby, but don't ever count out the workhorse from Whitehorse. He registered an assist in his last game and with a dearth of options, the Sabres really have no choice but to play Cozens on their top line.

Jason Robertson, DAL vs. CHI ($3,700): Robertson will be a popular pick after his first career four-point effort last game. The talented winger is playing top-six minutes along with power-play duties, averaging around 15 minutes of ice time after getting moved up the depth chart.

LINE STACKS

Lightning at Red Wings

Yanni Gourde (C - $4,500), Steven Stamkos (W - $7,900), Alex Killorn (W - $5,000)

They were the best line by far in their last game, generating 11 chances at even strength with a 64.71 CF%, according to Natural Stat Trick. They didn't score a goal but managed to put nine shots on goal. If they can replicate that performance, it is unlikely the Wings will be able to keep them off the board.

Penguins at Sabres

Sidney Crosby (C - $8,000), Bryan Rust (W - $5,400), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,400)

The general expectation is that the Pens are going to put up a lot of goals against the Sabres, who are missing their top center, their top defenseman and their top goalie. Evgeni Malkin's line could be worth a stack, too, but no question this is the Pens' best line. 

Stars at Blackhawks

Roope Hintz (C - $5,300), Jason Robertson (W - $3,700), Joel Kiviranta (W - $3,800)

Hintz may be playing hurt but it hasn't really showed, scoring four points in his past two games. Hintz and Kiviranta provided a goal each and Robertson provided four helpers in their last game. The Blackhawks have been a pleasant surprise but their defense is still a concern with a very young blue line. Their ice time is limited because the Stars lean so much on their top line, but it's a good value play due to their recent performances.

DEFENSEMEN

Victor Hedman, TB at DET ($7,000): He remains at the top of his class and it's a good matchup. An assist last game extended his point streak to five games.

Jeff Petry, MON at CGY ($6,300): One of the changes new assistant coach Alex Burrows made was to open up lanes for the Habs' fearsome shooters on the point. Petry had scored two goals in his past four games entering Wednesday's match against Vancouver, and after an eight-game drought seems to be back on track. His nine goals and 23 points ranks second in the league, trailing only Hedman.

Aaron Ekblad, FLA at CBJ ($5,800): He collected an assist last game and now has seven points in his past four. Ekblad is excellent at getting shots through and ranks fourth among defensemen with 69 shots. The Jackets PK ranks 27th in the league.

Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. PIT ($4,500): Taking advantage of a Pens PK that is 24th in the league, Dahlin has been a fairly consistent contributor on offense over the past month. He has three helpers in his past six games and his only goal this season has come with the man advantage.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NHL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NHL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Chen
Jason won the 2021 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year award, and was also a finalist on 2019. He joined RotoWire in 2013. Jason has also written for Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, The Hockey News, The Hockey Hall of Fame's Legends Magazine, and Centre Ice Magazine.
DraftKings NHL: Friday Breakdown
DraftKings NHL: Friday Breakdown
FanDuel NHL: Friday Targets
FanDuel NHL: Friday Targets
NHL Bets: Expert NHL Picks and Props for April 25, 2024
NHL Bets: Expert NHL Picks and Props for April 25, 2024
NHL Picks: Stanley Cup Playoffs Parlay Picks for Thursday, April 25
NHL Picks: Stanley Cup Playoffs Parlay Picks for Thursday, April 25
DraftKings NHL: Thursday Breakdown
DraftKings NHL: Thursday Breakdown
FanDuel NHL: Thursday Picks
FanDuel NHL: Thursday Picks