This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
We have plenty of action ahead of us with 11 games set for tonight. The first four games begin at 7:00 p.m. ET (Ottawa at Boston, Montreal at Detroit, Philadelphia at the Rangers, Columbus at Carolina), followed by two starts at 8:00 p.m. (Vegas at St. Louis, Utah at Minnesota), two at 9:00 p.m. (Buffalo at Calgary, Vancouver at Edmonton), two at 10:00 p.m. (Pittsburgh at Anaheim, Washington at Seattle) and one at 10:30 p.m. (Nashville at San Jose).
SLATE PREVIEW
Boston and Columbus are playing in the second half of a back-to-back, so fatigue might be a factor. Tonight might be particularly challenging for the Blue Jackets given that this is also their third straight road game in four days. Philadelphia and Utah are rested but will play again Friday, so that might influence their lineup decisions tonight.
GOALIES
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. UTA ($8,500): I went back and forth on this one but ultimately decided to recommend Gustavsson. My hesitation stemmed from his high price point coupled with his terrible play as of late. He has a record of 0-3-0 with a 5.64 GAA and an .839 save percentage over his past four appearances. However, he's had two straight games on the bench, so he's had an opportunity to step back and reset, and he's still a top-notch goaltender overall, so a rebound should be a matter of when not if. Minnesota might also get back Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) and Jared Spurgeon (lower body) tonight, which would increase the chances of the Wild winning and make Gustavsson's job a little easier.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. PHI ($8,300): The Rangers had a disastrous stretch from Nov. 21-Dec. 30 (4-15-0), but they've stabilized since (7-1-3), and Shesterkin has been an important part of that recent success. The netminder has a 5-0-1 record, 1.45 GAA and .943 save percentage across his past six appearances. He has earned a shutout in each of his past two starts.
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT at ANA ($7,800): Nedeljkovic has a 9-7-4 record, 3.21 GAA and .893 save percentage in 21 outings, so it's fair to say he's had a rough campaign. Still, he's won his past two starts while stopping 65 out of 68 shots (.956 save percentage). He is up against the 18-23-6 Ducks, who rank 32nd in goals per game (2.36), so this is about as favorable a time to take Nedeljkovic as you're likely to find. Given his low price point, he's worthy of consideration.
VALUE PLAYS
Chandler Stephenson, SEA vs. WAS ($5,000): Stephenson has been a reliable offensive contributor recently, recording at least a point in eight of his past 10 games, totaling five goals and five assists in that span. Washington is a difficult adversary, but Charlie Lindgren (2.65 GAA, .900 save percentage) is set to start tonight instead of Logan Thompson (2.09 GAA, .925 save percentage), which makes the Kraken's task somewhat easier.
Kaapo Kakko, SEA vs. WAS ($5,000): Kakko never lived up to his potential with the Rangers, but the 2019 No. 2 overall pick has excelled since being acquired by Seattle, providing four goals and 13 points across 15 outings. That includes three markers and eight points across his past six appearances. Just keep in mind that Kakko and Stephenson are projected to serve on different lines – both on even strength and the power play. If you were thinking of taking both of them, you absolutely can, but they might not offer the synergy you were anticipating.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, CAR vs. CBJ ($4,700): Kotkaniemi typically isn't much of an offensive force, but he is hot with three goals and four points over his past four appearances. It helps that he's up against the Blue Jackets, who, as noted above will likely be tired. Plus, Columbus' defense, even under normal circumstances, leaves something to be desired – the Blue Jackets rank 26th in goals allowed per game (3.29).
Alex Newhook, MTL at DET ($4,000): Newhook has two goals and four points across his past five outings. Like Kotkaniemi, Newhook doesn't tend to do a lot offensively, but he's worth considering during a hot streak like this one. Newhook's matchup is also favorable – Detroit ranks 25th in goals allowed per game with 3.23.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Senators
Pavel Zacha (C - $5,400), David Pastrnak (W - $8,200), Morgan Geekie (W - $5,300)
If the Bruins make the playoffs this year, Pastrnak will deserve a significant chunk of the credit. He's accumulated 22 goals and 54 points in 49 appearances in 2024-25 – 17 points more than any other member of the Bruins – and seems to be only picking up steam as the campaign progresses with nine goals and 16 points across his past nine appearances.
His linemates aren't nearly as impressive, but they're well-priced and have been effective recently. Zacha is on a four-game scoring streak (two goals, seven points), which brings him up to 11 goals and 28 points in 49 outings in 2024-25. Meanwhile, Geekie has three goals and five points across his last five games, giving him 12 goals and 23 points in 44 outings overall.
Golden Knights at Blues
Tomas Hertl (C - $6,800), Pavel Dorofeyev (W - $6,300), Victor Olofsson (W - $6,300)
You could also consider Vegas' top line of Jack Eichel (C - $8,500), Mark Stone (W - $7,800) and Ivan Barbashev (W - $6,700), but the Hertl line is cheaper and hotter. Hertl, specifically, is on a tear with five goals and 10 points across his active six-game scoring streak. He's up to 16 goals and 36 points in 47 appearances in 2024-25.
Dorofeyev has looked fantastic, too, providing six goals and nine points across his past five appearances. The 24-year-old has filled in nicely in the top six this campaign with 20 goals and 30 points in 47 outings overall. By contrast, Olofsson has had a rough time. A lot of that is because he missed 20 games from Oct. 27-Nov. 29 due to a lower-body injury, but he's also been inconsistent when healthy. Still, Olofsson has a goal and four points over his past four appearances. With two hot linemates, he's not a bad choice for the sake of rounding out the line.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NSH at SJS ($7,100): Josi scored a goal and registered an assist against the Sharks on Tuesday to extend his point streak to six games, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the defenseman feature on the scoresheet in the rematch. San Jose ranks 31st in goals allowed per game with 3.56, so it's pretty typical of the Sharks to allow a fair amount of offense. Josi has nine goals and 34 points in 42 appearances in 2024-25.
Shea Theodore, VGK at STL ($6,600): Theodore has been a fantastic offensive defenseman for years, but injuries have prevented him from competing for the top spot among blueliners in scoring. This campaign has been the exception. He's appeared in 46 games already, allowing him to record five goals and 43 points, including 25 points across his past 21 outings. If he can continue to avoid injury, he should shatter his career-high 52 points, set in 2021-22.
Adam Fox, NYR vs. PHI ($6,200): Fox might fall shy of reaching the 70-point mark for the fourth straight campaign, but if he keeps playing like he has recently, he can still get there. He has a goal and 10 points across his past nine appearances, bringing him up to two goals and 38 points in 47 games in 2024-25.
