This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Thursday is packed with 14 games, but before that, we have a pretty quiet Wednesday with just two games on the docket. There isn't much to choose from, so here are my FanDuel recommendations from that limited selection.
SLATE PREVIEW
Seattle also played Tuesday, earning a 6-2 victory against Chicago, so fatigue might be a factor for the Kraken. Colorado and Toronto are also set to play Thursday, which might influence the lineup decisions for those squads. In other words, every team playing tonight but Minnesota is either on the first or second half of a back-to-back set.
GOALIE
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. SEA ($7,900): Toronto and Colorado have high-powered offenses, so I'd like to avoid picking a goaltender from either end of that matchup, and Seattle starting Joey Daccord on Tuesday leaves Philipp Grubauer, who has an ugly 3.61 GAA and .872 save percentage, as the Kraken's probable starter tonight, so by process of elimination, Gustavsson is my preferred choice among the available options. Although Gustavsson was picked somewhat by default, he is a good netminder when measured simply by his own merits. The 26-year-old is 26-15-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 46 outings in 2024-25. Gustavsson is also coming off a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles in which he stopped 28 of 29 shots.
VALUE PLAYS
Ryan Hartman, MIN vs. SEA ($5,200): Hartman has a solid two goals and five points in seven appearances since returning from a suspension that kept him out of the lineup from Feb. 4 to March 2. He's been serving on the first power-play unit, which is the key to his recent success – four of his last five points have been recorded with the man advantage – and he might be getting hotter after supplying a goal and an assist Monday.
Max Domi, TOR vs. COL ($4,500): Domi hasn't been anything noteworthy this year offensively, recording six goals and 28 points across 59 outings. However, he's been effective recently with two goals and four points across his past four appearances, which makes him a decent selection in the short term.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Maple Leafs vs. Avalanche
Auston Matthews (C - $8,700), Mitch Marner (W - $7,600), Matthew Knies (W - $5,800)
Colorado's top line highlighted by Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,000) is also a great option, but MacKinnon has been a touch quiet recently with an assist over his past three games, so I decided to go with Matthews instead, as he has three goals and four points over his past two outings, bringing him up to an incredible 15 markers and 37 points in his last 28 appearances. Injury issues will likely make this Matthews' worst campaign in terms of total goals (he currently stands at 26), but his markers tend to come in bunches, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him find the back of the net tonight given his recent success.
Marner is a steady partner for Matthews. The 27-year-old winger has 21 goals and 82 points in 66 appearances in 2024-25, including five goals and 11 points in his past 10 appearances. Meanwhile, Knies is an acceptable player to round out the unit with 24 goals and 44 points across 63 outings. If you can afford him, you could also consider William Nylander (W - $8,000), who is riding a nine-game scoring streak (five goals, 13 points) and is set to serve on the first power-play unit with Matthews, Marner and Knies.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at TOR ($7,000): There might not be many defensemen to choose from tonight, but one of the options is the best in the league. Makar leads all blueliners in goals (25), points (78) and power-play points (31) through 68 outings in 2024-25. He's coming off a 4-3 overtime victory over Dallas in which he contributed the game-winning goal and two assists, including one helper on the power play.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. SEA ($5,600): Spurgeon is a nice value proposition on defense after supplying a goal and seven points across his past seven games. That hot streak has pushed him up to seven goals and 28 points in 53 outings overall.
