This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
We're coming close to the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, but there's still some NHL action left before that happens, including nine games tonight. The action will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET with four clashes (Ottawa at Tampa Bay, Vegas at New Jersey, Washington at Philadelphia, Utah at Columbus), followed by games starting at 7:30 p.m. (Carolina at Minnesota), 8:00 p.m. (Florida at St. Louis), 9:00 p.m. (Colorado at Calgary), 10:00 p.m. (Toronto at Seattle) and 10:30 p.m. (Vancouver at San Jose). Here are my FanDuel lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
None of the 18 squads playing tonight had a match on Wednesday, so everyone is relatively rested. Colorado is gearing up for the first half of a back-to-back, which might influence their lineup decisions today.
GOALIES
Thatcher Demko, VAN at SJS ($8,200): Demko struggled after returning from a back injury, but he might be starting to stabilize. He's posted a 2-1-0 record, 1.34 GAA and .944 save percentage across his past three starts and is coming off a 25-save shutout over Colorado on Tuesday. The Sharks rank 29th in goals per game with 2.62, so this is a favorable matchup for the Canucks.
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL at CGY ($8,100): Blackwood has stopped 71 out of 73 shots (.973 save percentage) across his past three starts, so he couldn't be much hotter. He's also just been great in general since joining Colorado from San Jose, posting a 12-6-2 record, 2.04 GAA and .926 save percentage over 20 appearances. The Flames are decent at 26-20-7, but scoring isn't their strong suit – Calgary ranks 28th in goals per game with 2.66.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at STL ($8,100): I'm not enthusiastic about this one because Bobrovsky has been inconsistent this season, accumulating a 22-12-2 record, 2.71 GAA and .901 save percentage across 36 appearances. He did do well when he faced the Blues on Dec. 20, though, stopping 26 out of 27 shots to earn the victory. St. Louis is scoring a mediocre 2.67 goals per game, which ranks 27th, so the matchup is favorable.
VALUE PLAYS
James van Riemsdyk, CBJ vs. UTA ($4,900): van Riemsdyk has dialed up his game lately, providing six goals and 15 points over his past 16 appearances. I don't expect this to last, but van Riemsdyk has been held off the scoresheet just once over his past seven outings, so you might as well keep selecting him for as long as he's hot.
Ridly Greig, OTT at TBL ($4,200): Greig is going into Thursday's action amid a five-game scoring streak in which he's collected three goals and two assists. He's been getting plenty of opportunities recently, averaging 18:16 of ice time over that five-game stretch, including 2:28 with the man advantage – two of his five points have come on the power play.
David Perron, OTT at TBL ($3,900): Perron has missed significant chunks of the 2024-25 campaign due to personal reasons and injury, but he's in the lineup now and making an impact. The 36-year-old has a goal and four points across his past four outings. Perron is capable of providing decent secondary scoring, so he's a decent option as long as his price is this low.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Blues
Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,700), Sam Reinhart (W - $8,000), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $6,500)
St. Louis has dropped five of its past six games (1-4-1), so it's going to have a tough time countering one of the hottest lines in the NHL.
This unit has been so impressive lately that Reinhart's four goals and nine points across his past eight appearances are the coldest of the trio. By contrast, Barkov has managed two goals and nine points over his last six games while Verhaeghe has four markers and seven points over just his past three outings.
All three have also crossed the 40-point mark this campaign with Reinhart having the strong season overall with 31 goals and 60 points through 55 appearances.
Devils vs. Golden Knights
Jack Hughes (C - $8,000), Jesper Bratt (W - $7,600), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,100)
Missing Nico Hischier (upper body) hurts, but the Devils still have Hughes to lead their offensive charge. The 23-year-old Hughes is going into Thursday's clash on a six-game scoring streak in which he's supplied five goals and eight points. That brings him up to 23 goals and 63 points in 55 outings overall.
Bratt is a good compliment to Hughes, supplying 16 goals and 61 points in 55 appearances this season, including a goal and nine points over his past six outings. However, Palat has left something to be desired offensively with 11 goals and 21 points across 53 games. He has done OK recently with a goal and two points over his past three appearances, so you still could take a chance on him if you want, given his low price.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at CGY ($7,400): Makar is just a pretty strong option in general. He has 19 goals and 58 points in 55 outings in 2024-25, which ranks second in the defensemen scoring race behind only Quinn Hughes (59 points). Hughes is set to miss Thursday's action because of a lower-body injury, which makes Makar the best defenseman to grab if price is no object.
Jake Sanderson, OTT at TBL ($6,500): Sanderson has five goals and 35 points in 53 appearances, putting him close to his career high of 38 points, which he set in 2023-24. The 22-year-old has been steamrolling towards that personal best by collecting three goals and 10 points across his past six outings.
Filip Hronek, VAN at SJS ($5,000): Hronek missed a large chunk of 2024-25 due to a lower-body injury, but he's healthy now and making up for lost time with a goal and six points across his past seven outings. The 27-year-old has two goals and 16 points in 32 appearances this season.
