The NHL is closing out the year with a slate of 10 games, including a number that will start during the afternoon. Washington will host the Rangers to start the action at 12:30 p.m. ET, and that will be followed by a spread out set of matchups set to start at 3 p.m. (Nashville at Vegas), 4 p.m. (Tampa Bay at Anaheim, Minnesota at San Jose), 6:30 p.m. (Winnipeg at Detroit), 7 p.m. (New Jersey at Columbus), 8 p.m. (Buffalo at Dallas), 9 p.m. (St. Louis at Colorado) and 9:30 p.m. (Philadelphia at Calgary, Boston at Edmonton).
SLATE PREVIEW
New Jersey and Philadelphia each played Tuesday, so fatigue might be a factor today. Washington, Winnipeg, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Nashville are all set to enter the first half of a back-to-back set Wednesday, so there are plenty of teams whose lineup decisions might be influenced by the upcoming schedule.
GOALIES
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at SJS ($7,900): Gustavsson has dominated recently with a 6-0-1 record, 1.71 GAA and .931 save percentage in his past seven appearances. That gives him a 13-8-4 record, 2.47 GAA and .912 save percentage through 13 outings in 2025-26.
Akira Schmid, VGK vs. NAS ($7,700): Schmid has benefited from Vegas' support with an 11-3-4 record, 2.40 GAA and .900 save percentage in 19 appearances this season. The Predators have a 17-17-4 record and rank 23rd in goals per game with 2.82, so this is a fairly favorable matchup.
Dustin Wolf, CAL vs. PHI ($7,100): Although Wolf has left something to be desired this campaign with a 13-14-2 record, 2.89 GAA and .899 save percentage in 30 outings, he's done far better lately. Over his past nine appearances, Wolf has a 7-2-0 record, 2.33 GAA and .916 save percentage. That's amazing results, especially for a goaltender at his price point.
VALUE PLAYS
Gabriel Landeskog, COL vs. STL ($5,000): Landeskog needed some time to get going in his comeback season, but we're starting to see the Landeskog of old. He has four goals and 13 points across his past 16 appearances, including four helpers over his last four games.
Mason Marchment, CLM vs. NJD ($4,600): Marchment will enter Wednesday's action amid a four-game scoring streak. He has three goals and five points across that stretch. He's up to seven goals and 18 points on the season.
Cole Sillinger, CLM vs. NJD ($4,100): Sillinger has collected a goal and two assists over his past two games, giving him four goals and 18 points in 37 outings in 2025-26. While Marchment and Sillinger are both good choices while they're hot, please note that they're not expected to play alongside each other at even strength or the power play, so grabbing both wouldn't provide your roster with any extra synergy.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Bruins
Connor McDavid (C - $8,300), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C - $7,000), Zach Hyman (W - $6,700)
McDavid has been incredible, even by his standards, contributing 13 goals and 33 points across his active 13-game scoring streak. He's up to 24 goals and 69 points through 40 appearances in 2025-26.
McDavid is easily the highlight of this line, but Hyman is a great selection, too, with nine goals and 15 points over his past 10 outings. Meanwhile, Nugent-Hopkins has five goals and 14 points across his past 13 appearances, so he's a nice add, too. The only potential issue is that Nugent-Hopkins is listed as a center. You could consider skipping him for that reason or swapping him out for Leon Draisaitl (W - $7,600), who has five goals and 20 points across his past 13 outings.
Lightning at Ducks
Brayden Point (C - $5,700), Nikita Kucherov (W - $7,500), Gage Goncalves (W - $3,700)
Kucherov is on a four-game scoring streak in which he's collected four goals and seven points, which is a continuation of another fantastic campaign for him. He has 17 goals and 49 points through 34 outings in 2025-26. By contrast, Point has had a down season by his standards with six goals and 21 points in 31 outings, but he's done far better lately, supplying three goals and 10 points over his past nine appearances.
I'd typically recommend skipping Goncalves, but he has a goal and four points across his last four outings, so he's a nice value play right now, especially against Anaheim. The Ducks rank last in goals allowed per game with 3.51 this year.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. BOS ($7,000): Bouchard is having another fantastic campaign with seven goals and 37 points through 40 outings. Over his past 13 appearances, he has three goals and 15 points, including seven points with the man advantage.
Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. TBL ($6,000): LaCombe has been a steady contributor recently, contributing three goals and nine points across his past 12 appearances. He has six goals and 23 points in 39 outings this year, which puts him on track to best his output of 43 points from the 2024-25 regular season.
Damon Severson, CLM vs. NJD ($4,100): Severson is on a four-game scoring streak in which he's collected a goal and six points, making him a nice discount selection for now. He has three goals and 15 points in 38 outings this season.
