This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
This will be the final night of the 2024-25 campaign to feature 10 or more games, and it's a slate that skews towards starts friendly for fans on the East Coast. Eight matchups are set to begin by 8:00 p.m. EDT or earlier with the lone exceptions being Calgary hosting Vegas, starting at 9:00, and the Kings playing in Seattle, beginning at 10:30. There is plenty to consider, so let's dive into my FanDuel lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's worth emphasizing that you'll want to verify each team's lineup as close to game time as possible. Teams like Columbus, Calgary and St. Louis are still fighting for playoff spots, so the lineups for those squads will be as good as can be mustered. By contrast, the Capitals have been rotating out veterans to rest them and will likely continue to do so tonight. Navigating the reality that these final regular-season games mean so much less to some teams than others is an added wrinkle that needs to be considered for DFS play.
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark, OTT vs. CHI ($8,400): Ullmark has won his past three starts while stopping 80 of 83 shots (.964 save percentage). With the playoffs around the corner, there is a chance Ullmark will rest Tuesday, but he already got Sunday's 4-3 win over Philadelphia off, so the 31-year-old is likely to get the nod tonight. Chicago ranks 27th in goals per game with 2.72.
Anthony Stolarz, TOR at BUF ($7,900): Stolarz is coming off a 15-save shutout over Montreal on Saturday, extending his personal winning streak to seven games. He's allowed just 11 goals on 186 shots (.941 save percentage) over that stretch, improving to 20-8-3 with a 2.21 GAA and a .923 save percentage across 33 outings overall. Toronto could secure its spot atop the Atlantic Division by claiming at least a point tonight, so this game does have some value to the Maple Leafs, while the Sabres' playoff hopes have long since been extinguished.
Dustin Wolf, CAL vs. VGK ($7,700): Wolf is having a fantastic rookie campaign with a 28-16-8 record, 2.62 GAA and .910 save percentage in 52 outings. With the Flames still fighting for a playoff spot, Wolf has done his best to keep hope alive with a 4-1-2 record, 2.26 GAA and .916 save percentage across his past seven starts. Vegas, which is tied for fifth in goals per game with 3.33, is typically a tough opponent, but the Golden Knights have already clinched the top seed in the Pacific Division, so tonight's game isn't important to them. For that reason, Vegas might rest some key players in addition to missing Alex Pietrangelo (undisclosed) and possibly Jack Eichel (upper body).
VALUE PLAYS
Blake Coleman, CAL vs. VGK ($5,000): Coleman won't come close to his 30 goals and 54 points in 78 outings from 2023-24, but with the Flames' season on the line, he seems set on ending the campaign on a high note. The 33-year-old has contributed two goals and six points over his past six appearances, bringing him up to 15 markers and 38 points in 80 outings this season.
Ryan Poehling, PHI vs. CLM ($4,900): Poehling was limited to four goals and 15 points over his first 52 games of 2024-25, but the 26-year-old has found another gear across his past 15 appearances, collecting eight goals and 15 points over that stretch. It helps that he's averaging 15:47 of ice time over that 15-game span compared to 13:17 in the 52 outings prior. Columbus ranks 26th in goals allowed per game with 3.33, so Poehling is in a good position to continue his run of success.
James van Riemsdyk, CLM at PHI ($3,500): Van Riemsdyk has played a supporting role with the Blue Jackets this campaign, supplying 16 goals and 35 points in 69 appearances, but he's going through a great stretch in which he's supplied two goals and five points across his past three appearances. Like the Blue Jackets, the Flyers have done poorly in terms of goals allowed per game, ranking 28th with 3.44, so this might be a high-scoring affair.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Devils
Elias Lindholm (C - $6,000), David Pastrnak (W - $8,800), Morgan Geekie (W - $6,200)
Boston won't be making the playoffs, but Pastrnak won't use that as an excuse to phone it in over the Bruins' final games. Instead, he's riding a nine-game scoring streak (eight goals, 20 points) and a five-game multi-point streak (five goals, 15 points). That incredible run has pushed him up to 42 goals and 104 points in 81 outings. He'll look to add to that season total one more time in the Bruins' finale tonight.
Geekie will also attempt to close the season on a high note. He's riding a 10-game scoring streak in which he's supplied eight goals and 18 points in 10 appearances. Geekie has established new career highs in 2024-25 with 32 goals and 56 points. Lindholm's season numbers are behind his linemates -- 17 goals and 46 points in 81 appearances -- but he's also red hot with four goals and eight points across his past six outings, so it makes sense to take all three members of this unit.
Kings at Kraken
Anze Kopitar (C - $6,300), Adrian Kempe (W - $7,400), Andrei Kuzmenko (W - $5,200)
Kempe is one of the league's hottest forwards with five goals and 13 points across his past eight outings. That's helped him eclipse the 70-point mark (34 goals, 37 assists) for the second straight campaign. Interestingly, the Kings have also been getting production out of Kuzmenko lately. He's moved around quite a lot over the past two years -- LA is his fourth team in that span -- in part due to his inconsistent contributions, but the 29-year-old has managed three goals and 12 points over his past eight appearances.
Kopitar has been strong too, providing two goals and five points across his past three appearances, which brings him just three points shy of 70 (21 goals, 46 assists).
This unit has the potential to excel against the Kraken, but be sure to monitor the Kings' plans. They might opt to rest one of the trio tonight. Kopitar is 37, so he would probably be the most likely candidate to be given a breather before the playoffs.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CLM at PHI ($6,800): Werenski is enjoying by far the most productive campaign of his NHL career with 22 goals and 78 points through 79 appearances. He's been pushing toward the 80-point milestone by supplying two goals and two assists across his past four outings. The only defenseman who has done better than Werenski from an offensive standpoint in 2024-25 is Cale Makar (30 goals, 92 points).
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. CHI ($5,600): Chabot is going into Tuesday's action amid a five-game scoring streak in which he's provided two goals and seven assists. He's up to eight goals and 44 points in 79 outings this campaign. This is the fourth time the 28-year-old has reached the 40-point milestone in his career, and he's enjoying his highest point total since 2018-19 when he finished with 55.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at BUF ($5,400): Rielly has collected six assists over his past five outings, allowing him to exceed the 40-point mark for the fourth straight campaign. He has seven goals and 34 assists across 80 appearances in 2024-25.
