This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Just two games are on tap with the league still recovering from its 15-game Saturday slate. The Ducks continue their four-game road trip as they make a stop in D.C. to face the Capitals. It's a much-needed bonding time for the Ducks, who lost five straight at home during their seven-game homestand before beating the Blues in St. Louis on Saturday.
The Coyotes host the streaking Kings, who went 3-0-0 during their homestand but have struggled on the road with a league-low two wins. The Coyotes haven't been dominant at home, though, a perplexing development for a strong defensive team that should have the edge on home ice with last change. Despite being nine games over .500 since last season, they're only four games above .500 at home.
GOALIES
John Gibson ($8,300) has to be brilliant, as he was against St. Louis with 37 saves, for the Ducks to have a chance. The Caps are first with 84 goals scored and despite a pedestrian 5-2-3 record at home they're the heavy favorites, making Braden Holtby ($9,000) and his six straight wins a solid if expensive choice.
Darcy Kuemper ($8,700) will likely start for Arizona coming off a 37-save shutout against Calgary. That's now two straight wins with just two goals allowed for Kuemper, who's among the league's best when he gets hot. Jonathan Quick ($7,500) is a shell of his former self behind a thin Kings defense and despite wins against Detroit and Vegas his save percentage was only .902 in those two games. Holtby might be the surer option but Kuemper's a solid choice, too.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
There's plenty of young Ducks to choose from, starting with Max Jones ($3,300), who skated on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf. Dallas Eakins mixes up his lines a lot, but Jones has three points in four games and other than the season opener has registered at least one shot per game this season. The other two are Sam Steel ($4,400), who has five assists in six games, and linemate Troy Terry ($3,100), who has gone six games without a point but possesses top-six goal-scoring talent.
Conor Garland ($4,400) has carved out a spot in the lineup after spending the better part of three seasons in the AHL. His nine goals lead the team, including two in his past three games, and plays with top playmaking center Nick Schmaltz.
Adrian Kempe ($4,200) has been one of the few brighter spots for the lackluster Kings, scoring two points and five shots in his past two games. Scoring production has been hard to come by and against Kuemper he's not a particularly strong play, but along with Blake Lizotte ($3,700) they seem like the best bang for your buck.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Arizona Coyotes (TOTAL: $14,000)
C – Nick Schmaltz ($5,400)
W – Conor Garland ($4,400)
W – Christian Dvorak ($4,200)
There's not a whole lot of confidence in this line with the Coyotes' mostly toothless attack, but they should be able to score a couple against the Kings and this line's their best bet. This line comes super cheap.
Washington Capitals (TOTAL: $18,900)
C – Nicklas Backstrom ($6,400)
W – Jakub Vrana ($5,600)
W – T.J. Oshie ($6,900)
Curiously, both Backstrom (four) and Oshie (six) have more goals at home than Alex Ovechkin (two), though Vrana is going through a small dry spell with three straight games without a point. The Ducks have one passable D pair right now and they're not nearly deep enough to stop one of the league's best second lines.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($7,400) is still worth every penny and he has a six-game point streak going. This time last season, Morgan Rielly led all defensemen with 25 points. Carlson already has 32, 10 more than second-place Dougie Hamilton and Cale Makar.
Sean Walker ($4,300) is slowly climbing up the ranks and he's played at least 20 minutes in each of his past three games, which also includes a goal and two assists. He's an underrated skating defenseman who also doesn't mind blocking shots.
Jakob Chychrun ($4,000) is another unheralded young defenseman worth looking at. He's played at least 22 minutes in every game this month and has a booming shot on the power play. He's been sacrificing his body a lot lately with 11 blocked shots in four games.
Josh Mahura ($3,500) gets very little time at even strength but mans the second power-play unit thanks to his skating and passing ability. He's a low-floor, high-risk option but one of the more worthwhile gambles at the bottom of the barrel.
