This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are eight games tonight with a skew towards later starts. Three clashes begin at 7:00 p.m. ET (Tampa Bay at Montreal, Ottawa at the Rangers, Detroit at Philadelphia), but after that, there are two starts at 8:00 p.m. (San Jose at Nashville, Carolina at Dallas), one at 9:00 p.m. (Washington at Edmonton) and two at 10:00 p.m. (Buffalo at Vancouver, Florida at Anaheim). Here are my FanDuel lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
San Jose, Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Carolina are all playing in the second half of a back-to-back, which might negatively impact those teams' performance. The Sharks might be especially tired because they're playing in their fifth consecutive road game, including three tilts over the past four days and four over the last six.
GOALIES
Logan Thompson, WAS at EDM ($8,000): Taking a goaltender opposing the Oilers is always a risk, but Thompson has been phenomenal lately with a 9-0-1 record, 1.43 GAA and .948 save percentage across his past 10 appearances. He also has the benefit of facing the Oilers at a time when Connor McDavid (suspension) isn't available.
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. SJS ($7,600): Saros has struggled this campaign with an 11-18-6 record, 2.72 GAA and .904 save percentage in 35 outings. However, he has won his past two starts while stopping 51 out of 55 shots (.927 save percentage). The Sharks rank 30th in goals per game with 2.55, and, as noted above, they are likely to be exhausted given their recent schedule. This is a very favorable matchup for Saros.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. OTT ($7,500): This has been a rough campaign for the Rangers. Shesterkin has lagged behind as a result, posting a 15-15-2 record, 2.87 GAA and .910 save percentage in 32 outings. He's stabilized recently, though, going 4-0-1 with a 1.73 GAA and a .934 save percentage across his past five starts. Meanwhile, Ottawa has been mediocre offensively, ranking 22nd in goals per game with 2.85.
VALUE PLAYS
Jesper Boqvist, FLA at ANA ($4,600): Boqvist is not usually much of an offensive contributor. He plays primarily in a bottom-six role and his career high in points stands at 23, which was set in 2021-22. Still, he's worth consideration for now. Boqvist has six goals and eight points over his past 10 appearances. It helps that he's fired 17 shots in that span, which is a significantly higher rate than his 31 over his first 34 outings of 2024-25.
Marco Kasper, DET at PHI ($4,500): Kasper has secured a regular position with the Red Wings this campaign, but he's been mostly quiet from an offensive perspective, supplying two goals and seven points in his opening 35 outings in 2024-25. The 20-year-old has gotten into a groove, though, providing four goals and seven points across his past six appearances. His offensive outburst isn't expected to last, but he's a good option for his price while hot, especially because he's projected to play alongside Lucas Raymond (W - $7,500) and Dylan Larkin (C - $7,400), who have been especially effective recently.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Stars vs. Hurricanes
Wyatt Johnston (C - $6,900), Jason Robertson (W - $7,300), Evgenii Dadonov (W - $5,500)
Robertson's quiet patch from Oct. 26-Dec. 6 (nine points in 18 games) is well behind him at this point. The 25-year-old forward has supplied eight goals and 19 points across his past 12 outings, bringing him up to 15 goals and 42 points in 46 appearances this season. Although he's not at an 80-point pace yet, it wouldn't be surprising to see him hit that milestone for the third straight campaign.
Johnston has also thrived lately, collecting five goals and 16 points over his past 13 games. That gives him 11 goals and 36 points across 46 outings in 2024-25.
That duo is worth taking, though you could consider excluding Dadonov. He has 12 goals and 23 points in 46 outings this campaign and just one assist across his last four appearances. Unfortunately, there isn't a great alternative winger on one of Dallas' other lines, but you could consider center Matt Duchene ($6,800), who has two goals and seven points over his past four appearances, giving him 18 goals and 45 points in 46 games overall. He is also set to play on the top power-play unit with Johnston and Robertson.
Predators vs. Sharks
Filip Forsberg (W - $8,100), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,700), Steven Stamkos (W - $6,100)
As you'll notice, none of the members of this projected line have FanDuel center eligibility, which complicates things. However, this trio is still worth highlighting because they're a hot, talented group against a tired, struggling team (the Sharks rank 31st in goals allowed per game with 3.49).
Forsberg is the one who has seen the most success with 15 goals and 42 points in 45 outings this season, including six goals and 22 points over his past 14 appearances. However, his linemates are on a roll, too. Stamkos is on a three-game goal-scoring streak (four goals, one assist), giving him 16 goals and 30 points in 45 games overall. Meanwhile, Marchessault is on an eight-game scoring streak (one goal, eight points) and has been held off the scoresheet just once over his past 17 outings. The 34-year-old has 14 goals and 34 points in 45 appearances this campaign.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. BUF ($7,300): Hughes has contributed four goals and eight points across seven outings since returning from an undisclosed injury on Jan. 6. That's pushed him up to 12 markers and 50 points in 41 appearances in 2024-25. Cale Makar and Zach Werenski are the only defensemen ahead of him in the blueliner scoring race.
Victor Hedman, TBL at MTL ($6,900): Hedman collected two assists Monday to extend his scoring streak to seven games (two goals, nine points). He has seven goals and 38 points in 43 appearances, making it an all but foregone conclusion he'll surpass the 40-point milestone for the 10th consecutive season.
Lane Hutson, MTL vs. TBL ($5,700): Hutson has provided fantastic value by supplying a goal and 12 points across his active eight-game scoring streak. The 20-year-old rookie has three goals and 38 points in 46 outings overall. A good chunk of that production has come with the man advantage – he's in a three-way tie for eighth among defensemen in power-play points with 15.
