This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are three games scheduled for the NHL's opening night, and they've been spread out to minimize overlap with the games starting at 5:30 p.m. ET (Nashville at Tampa Bay), 8:00 p.m. ET (Chicago at Pittsburgh) and 10:30 p.m. ET (Seattle at Vegas).
SLATE PREVIEW
Even with this just being the start of the campaign, there are some injuries to consider. Tampa Bay will be missing starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (back), which naturally makes life easier for the Predators. Elsewhere, Pittsburgh was expected to open the season without Jake Guentzel (ankle), but after being a full participant in Sunday and Monday's practices, he's now a game-time decision and would likely assume his normal duties on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust if he does play.
GOALIES
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. CHI ($8,000): Jarry will be opposing Connor Bedard in his NHL debut, but while the Blackhawks forward has a bright future, the team around him is still full of holes. The Penguins should be seen as heavy favorites to claim this contest and, on a night where there aren't a lot of options, Jarry consequently looks like your safest bet to secure a win.
Adin Hill, VGK vs. SEA ($7,800): Taking Hill is a gamble given Seattle's deep offense, but it's one that could pay off nicely. Hill was strong for Vegas in the 2022-23 campaign, posting a 16-7-1 record, 2.45 GAA and .915 save percentage in 27 contests, but where he really came out into his own was the playoffs in which he was 11-4 with a 2.17 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 16 outings. It's taken the 27-year-old time to establish himself, but now that he's earned this position, he could cement himself as a high-end goaltender on an elite team.
VALUE PLAYS
Thomas Novak, NAS at TBL ($4,400): Novak started the 2022-23 campaign in the minors, but he finally played for the Predators on Dec. 19 and went on to have a superb campaign for them, scoring 17 goals and 43 points in 51 contests. Now 26 years old, Novak is a late bloomer, but one who looks like he could be a valuable top-six forward for a long time to come. His current price seems rather low given what he's shown he could do, especially on a night when the Lightning are missing Vasilevskiy.
Reilly Smith, PIT vs. CHI ($4,800): Smith is coming off a campaign in which he finished with 26 goals and a career-high 56 points in 78 contests with Vegas. Now he's a member of the Penguins and is projected to play alongside Evgeni Malkin. He should do well in that role and Pittsburgh's forwards are worth focusing on tonight. The Blackhawks will be sending out goaltender Petr Mrazek, who struggled over the past two campaigns with a 3.55 GAA and an .893 save percentage in 59 outings.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Predators at Lightning
Ryan O'Reilly (C - $5,700), Filip Forsberg (W - $7,300), Juuso Parssinen (W - $3,400)
Tampa Bay being without goaltender Vasilevskiy is a significant factor in this recommendation, but this trio is also well-priced. O'Reilly had a rocky 2022-23 campaign from an offensive production perspective, finishing with 16 goals and 30 points in 53 contests between St. Louis and Toronto, but he got better after being acquired by the Maple Leafs, scoring four goals and 11 points over his last 13 outings. Now that he's with Nashville and getting an opportunity to play alongside Forsberg, he should enjoy a scoring pace resembling the one he had in Toronto.
Parssinen is also rather interesting at that price point. He had an encouraging rookie campaign with six goals and 25 points in 45 contests. Playing alongside Forsberg, he could make big strides as a sophomore.
Golden Knights vs. Kraken
Chandler Stephenson (C - $6,000), Mark Stone (W - $5,900), Brett Howden ($4,000)
Seattle's goaltending is lacking with Philipp Grubauer posting a 3.04 GAA and an .891 save percentage in 94 contests over his past two campaigns. Against that kind of netminder, Vegas' top line led by Jack Eichel is worthy of serious consideration too, but the Stone line presents a cheaper alternative. Injuries have been a recurring issue for Stone, but when healthy, he was great last season, scoring 17 goals and 38 points in 43 regular-season contests followed by 11 markers and 24 points in 22 playoff appearances.
As effective as Stone is, he's arguably not even the driving force of the line. Stephenson has come into his own over the past two seasons, recording 64 and 65 points, which makes his current price competitive.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson, PIT vs. CHI ($7,100): Karlsson is a big injury risk, but if he can stay healthy, I think he'll be a fantastic addition for the Penguins. He had 25 goals and 101 points in 82 contests with the Sharks last season to earn his third Norris Trophy win. Working alongside stars like Crosby and Malkin, who are hungry to make at least one more playoff push before their careers end, should help keep Karlsson at the top of his game.
Kris Letang, PIT vs. CHI ($5,300): At the risk too hard on the Penguins, Letang is an interesting option too at this price. He's not at Karlsson's level in terms of raw offensive output, but Letang is a star defenseman in his own right. He had 12 goals and 41 points in 64 contests last season, making it his sixth straight campaign with at least 40 points, which is quite the feat given the health problems he's encountered along the way.
