This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Hey, remember the NHL? It's been a few days since they've been in action, but the league returns with a bang Tuesday. There are 10 games on the docket, and here are some of the players that stand out tonight:
GOALIE
Chad Johnson, CGY at COL ($8,500): Johnson's last few starts have been a little disappointing, but he still has a 2.30 GAA and .922 save percentage overall. You've got to feel confident in Johnson being able to right the ship against the Avalanche -- Colorado is dead last in goals per game, averaging a mere 2.03. Don't worry about the Flames being on the road, as the Avs are 4-11-2 at home.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at NYI ($6,700): Backstrom isn't scoring a ton of goals (he has nine), but that's perfectly alright because of his playmaking ability. He's got 20 assists, including 11 on the power play. The Islanders are allowing 3.03 goals per game and are 24th on the penalty kill, so Backstrom should have plenty of chances to get another helper or two.
Jack Eichel, BUF at DET ($7,200): This was originally Ryan O'Reilly, but the morning's news of his appendectomy forces us to pivot to Eichel. He offers fantasy owners a pretty good situation too -- after all, the Red Wings are without Jimmy Howard for a few weeks, and even with his contributions this year, they've allowed 2.82 goals per game. Eichel has been a huge factor with the extra man, skating 3:01 on the power play per game since his return from injury, and his role is only going to increase in O'Reilly's absence. Detroit's penalty kill is ranked 15th, but without Howard, the situation has changed for the worse.
WING
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY at COL ($7,400): The Avs' offense is bad, but their defense is giving them a run for their money in terms of awfulness. The Avalanche are last in the league in goals allowed (3.18) and give up 32.2 shots on net per game. It's been a few games since Gaudreau has scored a goal, but there's no reason for concern, as he has 11 points in the nine contests since he returned from a finger injury. His price is a little on the high side, but he's worth it.
Blake Wheeler, WPG at CHI ($7,200): The Blackhawks have been good at goal prevention, but they are far from perfect. They give up 31 shots per game, and their penalty kill is ranked 29th overall. Wheeler has put 99 shots on goal in 36 games, and he's averaging 3:07 per game on the power play. He's also a regular 20-goal scorer who's on pace to repeat that feat. There's reason to have faith in Wheeler.
Charlie Coyle, MIN at NAS ($5,500): The Predators are a middle-of-the-road team in giving up goals, but Pekka Rinne has given up at least three goals in eight of his last nine games. Coyle has been tearing it up, tallying nine points in his last six games. Coyle is averaging 13.2 fantasy points per game, and a player performing like this looks like a very good value at this price.
Conor Sheary, PIT at NJD ($5,200): Sheary has moved up Pittsbugh's depth chart, which has resulted in more minutes and better linemates. He's earned it, because he's scored eight goals on 66 shots in 28 games. The Devils allow a lot of shots (31.7) and goals (2.94), and there's real potential to get decent bang for your buck with Sheary.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Seabrook, CHI vs. WPG ($6,000): Seabrook has notched at least 15 power-play points in his last two seasons, but this year he's averaging his most power-play minutes per game. The production is there too, as he has nine points with the extra man. The Jets have the 28th-ranked penalty kill, so this looks like quite the favorable matchup for Seabrook.
Justin Schultz, PIT at NJD ($5,000): Sure, Schultz is popping up a bunch in daily articles these days, but it's hard to argue against it – especially at this price. He's got 21 points in 35 games, with most of those (15 points) coming in December. Plus, since Kris Letang has been out, he's played at least 21:36 per game and 2:12 on the power play. With this matchup, Schultz's hot run seems likely to continue.
