This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
We have our first busy night of the 2024-25 campaign ahead of us with nine games on the docket. That gives us plenty of options to work through. Sometimes it can be challenging to navigate through a wealth of choices, so here are my recommendations to help narrow it down.
SLATE PREVIEW
Montreal, Toronto and Pittsburgh are all playing in the second half of a back-to-back, which might impact those squads' roster decisions. This will be an especially challenging night for the Maple Leafs given that they'll have to deal with their second road game in as many nights, but there are added emotional stakes to this one with Toronto facing former head coach Sheldon Keefe for the first time.
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. MON ($8,300): Swayman wasn't used in the season opener against Florida because he missed the preseason as a restricted free agent. However, he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract Sunday. After getting a few days to settle in with the Bruins, he should get his first start Thursday. Montreal struggled offensively in 2023-24, averaging just 2.83 goals per game to rank 26th in the league. Fatigue might work against the Canadiens, who played Toronto yesterday.
Jordan Binnington, STL at SJS ($8,000): Binnington stopped 30 out of 32 shots Tuesday to start the campaign with a 3-2 win over Seattle. The Blues goaltender should continue his strong opening to the campaign if he gets the nod against San Jose, which ranked 31st offensively in 2023-24 with 2.20 goals per game. Be sure to monitor the situation, though, because it's possible Joel Hofer will get the nod to save Binnington for Friday's road game versus Las Vegas. If that's the case, Hofer ($8,000) is a solid substitute.
Linus Ullmark, OTT vs. FLA ($7,600): Ullmark is a major risk against an amazing squad like the Panthers, but if you need a cheaper goaltender option he's worthy of consideration. The 31-year-old has been one of the league's top goaltenders over the past five regular seasons, posting a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 184 contests over that span. Granted, a lot of that work was with a contender in Boston, but Ullmark's importance tends to get undersold. Boston was average defensively in the 2023-24 regular season, ranking 15th with 3.03 xGA/60, while Ottawa was 11th with 2.97 xGA/60, per MoneyPuck. Ullmark might fare better with the Senators than some fear.
VALUE PLAYS
Marco Rossi, MIN vs. CBJ ($4,900): Rossi scored 19 goals and 40 points in 82 appearances with Minnesota in his first full NHL campaign in 2023-24. The 23-year-old has a chance to take a step forward this campaign, especially because he's projected to open the season alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.
Thomas Novak, NAS vs. DAL ($4,300): Novak was solid, but not remarkable with the Predators in 2023-24, collecting 18 goals and 45 points across 71 regular-season games. However, he's an interesting choice because he's projected to benefit from sharing a line with Nashville's summer additions of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. Those skilled forwards should boost Novak's offensive production so long as that line stays intact.
Dawson Mercer, NJ vs. TOR ($4,200): Mercer managed 20 goals and 33 points in 82 contests with New Jersey last season, but the 22-year-old is capable of significantly more, as he demonstrated with his 56-point showing in 2022-23. Mercer has an assist in two games this season, but more importantly, he's getting opportunities at a level that's hard to come by at his price point. He's averaged 18:55 of ice time so far this campaign.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Blues at Sharks
Pavel Buchnevich (C - $6,100), Jordan Kyrou (W - $6,100), Alexandre Texier (W - $3,900)
Just as was the case last season, the Sharks should be a poor defensive team in 2024-25, so this is a very favorable matchup for St. Louis. That gives Kyrou a great opportunity to build off his two-goal performance in the Blues' season opener against Seattle on Tuesday. Buchnevich didn't record a point in that contest, but he's exceeded the 60-point milestone in each of the previous three regular seasons, so there's every reason to believe the 29-year-old will find success this year.
Taking Texier is a bit of a gamble. He had just 30 points (12 goals) in 78 contests with Columbus in 2023-24, and that was the 25-year-old's career high. Still, he's playing on a good line and assisted on one of Kyrou's goals Tuesday, so it's reasonable to select Texier at his price point.
Red Wings vs. Penguins
Dylan Larkin (C - $7,600), Alex DeBrincat (W - $6,800), Lucas Raymond (W - $6,200)
Tristan Jarry faced a staggering 41 shots in Tuesday's 6-0 loss to the Rangers, and Alex Nedeljkovic (lower body) is on injured reserve (IR), so the stage appears to be set for the 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist to make his NHL debut in goal tonight. Blomqvist held his own during the 2023-24 AHL regular season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, posting a 2.16 GAA and .921 save percentage across 45 contests. He certainly has potential, but this is a tough first assignment given that it's on the second half of a back-to-back and against a formidable offensive force in Detroit.
The Red Wings' top unit is particularly potent. All three surpassed the 60-point milestone in 2023-24, with Raymond, Larkin and DeBrincat finishing with 72, 69 and 67 points, respectively. For Larkin and DeBrincat, last year was more of the same. For Raymond, though, it was his breakout campaign, surpassing his rookie career high of 57 points. Still just 22, Raymond could reach even further heights, making him an especially good value play at his present price point.
DEFENSEMEN
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. UTA ($6,400): Dobson is coming off a fantastic campaign in which he recorded 10 goals and a career-high 70 points. That was quite the jump in offensive production for him, so he does have something to prove this year, but he should fare well against Utah. Sure, Utah earned a 5-2 victory in its opener, but that was against the rebuilding Blackhawks. The Islanders should present them with a more substantial challenge.
Justin Faulk, STL at SJS ($5,800): Faulk got two helpers in the Blues' season opener, including one with the man advantage. With Torey Krug (ankle) unavailable this year, Faulk figures to spend 2024-25 quarterbacking the top power-play unit, which should lead to him having a strong campaign. Especially against a team with a questionable defense like San Jose, the 32-year-old Faulk is worth rostering.
Erik Gustafsson, DET vs. PIT ($3,700): If you're looking for an affordable option, betting on Gustafsson to perform against the fatigued Penguins is a reasonable choice. Gustafsson had six goals and 31 points in 76 regular-season games with the Rangers in 2023-24, but he should do better this year with the Red Wings because he's penciled in to be part of the top power-play unit.
