This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
To this point, no team has been eliminated from the 2025 playoffs, but that could change tonight. Toronto and Carolina are both up 3-1 on Ottawa and New Jersey, respectively, going into Tuesday's matchups. Tonight's action will also feature Vegas hosting Minnesota and Los Angeles hosting Edmonton in series that are tied 2-2. If you want to construct a FanDuel lineup to root for while watching those key games, I have some recommendations for your consideration.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Hurricanes are regarded as the biggest favorites tonight (-275) on FanDuel. Edmonton-Los Angeles is also projected to be the highest-scoring game with an Over/Under of 6.5, while the other three each have an Over/Under of 5.5. It's worth noting that all of the first four games of the Kings-Oilers series have resulted in seven goals or more.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR vs. NJD ($8,000): Frederik Andersen started in Carolina's opening four games of the first round, but he had to leave Game 4 due to an undisclosed injury, and that same issue will keep him out of tonight's action. Kochetkov, who stopped 14 of 15 shots en route to a 5-2 win after Andersen got hurt Sunday, will get the start instead. The Hurricanes excel at supporting their goaltending, which is presumably why they're such heavy favorites even after losing their starter. Kochetkov left something to be desired in the regular season with his .897 save percentage, but thanks to the team in front of him, he still posted a respectable 2.60 GAA and 27-16-3 record. The 25-year-old netminder should see similar levels of support tonight.
Anthony Stolarz, TOR vs. OTT ($7,900): The Maple Leafs failed to complete the sweep in Game 4, but with the series returning to Toronto, I'm looking for the Maple Leafs to win the game and the series. Stolarz should be a big part of that: he's 3-1 with a 2.29 GAA and a .902 save percentage across four playoff games in the first-round series.
VALUE PLAYS
Trevor Moore, LAK vs. EDM ($5,500): Although Edmonton has won the past two games, Moore has worked hard for the Kings, providing two goals and three points over that stretch. He's been a steady presence for a while now, supplying five goals and 11 points across his last 13 appearances.
Ryan Hartman, MIN at VGK ($5,400): Hartman has registered an assist in each of Minnesota's opening four playoff games this year. He didn't do much in the regular season, finishing with 26 points across 69 appearances, but he's a former 65-point player (2021-22) and is serving in a top-six role, so his recent offensive success isn't coming entirely out of nowhere.
Corey Perry, EDM at LAK ($4,500): At this stage of his career, Perry is not known for his offensive contributions, but he has his moments. Perry has been hot recently, contributing five goals and seven points over his past eight outings, including a power-play goal in Edmonton's 4-3 overtime victory over LA on Sunday.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Kings vs. Oilers
Anze Kopitar (C - $6,900), Adrian Kempe (W - $8,000), Andrei Kuzmenko (W - $6,000)
Connor McDavid (C - $8,800) and Leon Draisaitl (C - $8,900) are also great picks tonight, but I'm favoring the Kings' top line both because LA is playing at home and because the Kempe unit is more affordable than Edmonton's duo. In terms of production, Kempe (four goals, nine points) has performed at the same level as McDavid (two goals, nine points) and Draisaitl (three goals, nine points) in this series.
Kopitar has also been fantastic in the first round, providing a goal and seven points across four appearances, and Kuzmenko has made his mark too with two goals and five points over the 2025 postseason, so there's plenty of potential value in this line outside of Kempe.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. LAK ($6,000): Bouchard has come up huge for Edmonton on the offensive side of things during the first round, providing four goals and seven points across four appearances. That includes him providing a pair of goals in each of Edmonton's past two games. The 25-year-old supplied 14 goals and 67 points across 82 regular-season outings.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. OTT ($5,500): Rielly has done well during the 2025 playoffs, providing two goals and an assist across four outings. He's been fairly effective in the postseason throughout his career, supplying 13 goals and 43 points in 61 appearances.
