This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
It's 2018, and the holiday season is over. That doesn't mean the fun has to end, though. Here are some players to consider for a 12-game Tuesday slate…
GOALIE
Anaheim Ducks, ANA at VAN ($16,300): The Canucks have scuffled recently (2-7-1 in their last 10 games) and haven't exactly been great at home with a 7-11-3 record. On top of that, the Canucks have only put 29.5 shots on net per contest. Giving up shots is what the Ducks have struggled with, but that may not be as much of a problem here. This bodes well for John Gibson, who has a .922 save percentage.
CENTER
Eric Staal, MIN vs. FLA ($13,500): Staal has put 114 shots on net in 39 games, and the Panthers have allowed a league-high 35.3 shots on goal per contest. He also has 15 goals after scoring 28 last year, and Florida has a team GAA of 3.13. The veteran center should at least be able to put some pucks on net, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him light the lamp in this one.
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. PIT ($13,200): The Penguins have a team GAA of 3.18, and Matt Murray has yet to turn his season around (2.98 GAA, .902 save percentage). Couturier has a three-game point streak, and in his las seven games he's put 27 shots on net. The 25-year-old already has a career high in goals with 18, but his minutes (and power-play minutes) are way up, so it's not necessarily a fluke.
WING
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. CLM ($13,700): Benn has been on a real roll, as he has a six-game point streak which has helped bring him to 37 points in 40 games. It wouldn't be surprising to see this hot stretch of play continue in this matchup. In December, the Blue Jackets had a 3.47 team GAA, fourth worst in the NHL, and a .894 save percentage.
Kyle Connor, WPG at COL ($11,900): Speaking of streaks, Connor has a four-game point streak in which he's totaled six points. He's having a breakout campaign, perhaps owing in part to the fact he's started 55.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most among Winnipeg forwards. The Avalanche have struggled again defensively this year, as they have a 3.13 team GAA.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANA at VAN ($10,700): Let's keep streaking — Silfverberg has a four-game point streak, and since returning from injury, he has eight points in 10 games (three on the power play). The Canucks have a team GAA of 3.21, and they owe a lot of that to a woeful December. Last month they had a 3.92 team GAA, second worst in the league.
DEFENSEMEN
Torey Krug, BOS at NYI ($11,000): Krug has notched six goals in 33 games, and now he's squaring off with an Islanders team that has a 3.54 team GAA, which is dead last in the NHL. Additionally, Krug has had at least 14 power-play points in his last four seasons, and he's averaged a career-high 3:43 per game with the extra man this year. New York also has the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
Alec Martinez, LOS at EDM ($9,200): Martinez has averaged 2:25 with the extra man. That could pay off here, because the Oilers have the worst penalty kill. Even if Martinez doesn't manage to secure a point, he's blocked 103 shots in 36 tilts. He'll add some fantasy value defensively more than likely.
