We're a day away from the Christmas break, but before that happens, there are 13 games on the slate tonight. Toronto will host Pittsburgh at 4:00 p.m. ET, which is unusually early for a weekday game, but outside of that, each game will begin at 6:30 p.m. or later. Here are my recommendations for the last day before the break.
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SLATE PREVIEW
Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles all played Monday, so fatigue might be an issue for those teams. For the Flyers and Kraken, this is also their third game in four days, which might make tonight especially challenging for them.
GOALIES
Scott Wedgewood, COL vs. UTA ($8,300): Colorado is having an ideal campaign, and Wedgewood has been part of that. He's 15-1-1 with a 2.11 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 22 outings this year. Wedgewood has also won his past two starts while turning aside 47 of 51 shots (.922 save percentage).
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. NAS ($8,100): Gustavsson has won his past five starts while turning aside 121 of 128 shots (.945 save percentage). He's having a strong season overall with a 2.47 GAA and a .913 save percentage through 23 appearances. Nashville is in a three-way tie for 24th in goals per game with 2.80, so this is a favorable matchup.
Linus Ullmark, OTT vs. BUF ($7,100): Ullmark has left something to be desired this year with a 14-8-4 record, 2.85 GAA and .884 save percentage across 26 appearances. He's on a run, though, winning his past four games while allowing just seven goals on 97 shots (.928 save percentage).
VALUE PLAYS
Fabian Zetterlund, OTT vs. BUF ($4,800): Zetterlund is on a three-game scoring streak in which he's provided three goals and six points. He's somewhat inconsistent offensively, which is why he has 16 points (nine goals) in 35 appearances this season despite some good stretches, but he's a solid grab at times like this.
Claude Giroux, OTT vs. BUF ($4,700): Giroux has collected two goals and five points over his active three-game scoring streak. That gives him seven goals and 24 points in 35 appearances this season. He's not projected to play on the same even-strength line as Zetterlund, but the two of them are expected to feature on the top power-play unit, so there is some synergy in taking both of them.
Collin Graf, SJS at VGK ($4,300): Graf has six goals and nine points across his past eight games. It helps that he's projected to play on the top line alongside Macklin Celebrini, who has appeared on the scoresheet for six of Graf's last nine points.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Flames
Connor McDavid (C - $8,600), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C - $6,600), Zach Hyman (W - $6,400)
McDavid is on a 10-game scoring streak in which he has collected 12 goals and 26 points. That brings him up to 23 goals and 62 points in 37 outings this year. Nathan MacKinnon, with his 61 points, is the only other player who is in the same ballpark as McDavid in the scoring race.
McDavid being McDavid has appeal by itself, but the rest of the line is also doing great. Hyman has seven goals and 10 points in his past seven outings, while Nugent-Hopkins has contributed three goals and five points in his last three appearances. Unfortunately, Nugent-Hopkins is listed as a center, which can make it somewhat awkward to work him into your lineup. If that's the case, you can swap him with Leon Draisaitl (W - $7,700), who has two goals and 21 points in his last 10 games. Draisaitl should play alongside McDavid and Hyman on the top power-play unit.
Wild vs. Predators
Ryan Hartman (C - $5,600), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $7,600), Mats Zuccarello (W - $5,500)
Hartman has struggled this campaign, but he's red hot with five goals and seven points over his past six appearances. Meanwhile, Zuccarello has recorded two assists across two games since returning from an upper-body injury.
Whenever those two are productive, this line is worth considering, given that Kaprizov is almost fantastic. He has 22 goals and 42 points in 37 outings this year, including five goals and 11 points over his past nine appearances.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. UTA ($7,500): Makar is both consistent and fantastic. He leads all defensemen with 43 points (11 goals) through 35 outings this year. Makar has also been held off the scoresheet just six times all seasons -- by contrast, he has 10 multi-point games in 2025-26.
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. BUF ($5,100): Chabot has recorded an assist in each of his first two games since returning from an upper-body injury. He's been limited to 20 games this campaign, but Chabot has been a decent option at his price point when healthy, supplying two goals and 12 points, including five with the man advantage, in 20 appearances.
Jamie Drysdale, PHI at CHI ($4,300): Drysdale has a goal and four points over his last six appearances. That's not bad production for a pretty affordable defenseman. He has three goals and 16 points in 35 outings this year.
