This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There was just one game Monday but to make up for it, the NHL has scheduled 14 clashes for tonight. That gives us plenty of options for our lineups, which makes things challenging when the goal is to assemble the optimal team. Here are my FanDuel recommendations to help you out.
SLATE PREVIEW
You might assume that there wouldn't be any overlap between the teams playing today and yesterday given that there was just a single game Monday, but the Senators will engage in the second half of a back-to-back. It's their second straight road matchup as well, which makes things all the more challenging for Ottawa. Boston, Edmonton and Montreal are all set to play tonight and Wednesday, which might influence those squads' lineup decisions.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL at ANA ($8,500): Oettinger has been dominant with a 26-11-1 record, 2.32 GAA and .912 save percentage in 38 appearances in 2024-25. He has been a touch worse recently. He's won his past three starts, but he's allowed nine goals on 78 shots (.885 save percentage) in that span. I still like him tonight because Anaheim ranks last in goals per game (2.52).
Cam Talbot, DET at SEA ($7,600): Talbot has been a mixed bag in 2024-25, posting a 15-10-2 record, 2.79 GAA and .909 save percentage in 29 outings. He's red-hot, though, winning his past four appearances while saving 111 out of 116 shots (.957 save percentage), which makes him a great pickup at his price. The Islanders are 15th in goals per game with 2.96.
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL at VAN ($7,600): Blackwood is coming off back-to-back shutouts, giving him a 12-5-2 record, 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage in 19 appearances since being acquired by Colorado from San Jose. Vancouver hasn't been too impressive offensively, averaging 2.83 goals per game. The Canucks might be without Quinn Hughes (undisclosed) in addition to no longer having J.T. Miller after trading him to the Rangers.
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT vs. NJD ($6,800): If you want a cheap option, you could take a chance on Nedeljkovic. He's struggled overall this season with an 11-9-4 record, 3.02 GAA and .899 save percentage in 25 appearances. New Jersey is a great team (29-19-6), so it's not hard to figure out why the Penguins netminder is so cheap. However, Nedeljkovic might have finally stabilized, posting a 4-2-0 record, 1.84 GAA and .940 save percentage across his last six starts. He's allowed more than two goals just once in that span. New Jersey is also missing one of its better forwards in Nico Hischier (upper body) and starter Jacob Markstrom (knee). The Devils have lost a bit of their luster recently with a 5-8-3 record dating back to Dec. 28. Nedeljkovic is still a very risky selection, but the potential payoff is high.
VALUE PLAYS
James van Riemsdyk, CBJ at BUF ($4,800): van Riemsdyk has been more of a secondary scorer for Columbus this campaign, but everything seems to have worked out recently. He has six goals and 14 points over his past 15 appearances and has recorded at least a point in five of his last six games. Buffalo has left plenty to be desired defensively, ranking 29th in goals allowed per game with 3.38.
Maxim Tsyplakov, NYI vs. VGK ($4,300): Tsyplakov has recorded an assist in each of his past three outings. That brings the 26-year-old rookie up to 22 points (seven goals) in 48 games this season. He's projected to serve on the second line alongside Brock Nelson ($6,100) and Kyle Palmieri ($5,700) and will likely see time with the man advantage.
Will Smith, SJS vs. MTL ($4,100): Smith is going into Tuesday's action on a six-game scoring streak in which he's accumulated two goals and seven points. The 19-year-old rookie is up to eight goals and 22 points in 46 outings. Those are fantastic numbers, but he's got tremendous offensive upside, which makes him a particularly interesting grab while he's hot.
Ridly Greig, OTT at TBL ($3,900): Greig isn't known for his offensive contributions – eight goals and 16 points in 49 outings this season – hence his low price. He is on a three-game scoring streak, though, collecting two goals and three points in that span. It helps that he averaged 18:37 of ice time, including 2:54 with the man advantage, over that span.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Stars at Ducks
Roope Hintz (C - $7,000), Jason Robertson (W - $7,400), Logan Stankoven (W - $5,300)
Robertson's quiet start to the season is long behind him now. Although he was limited to five goals and 15 points across his opening 26 appearances, the 25-year-old has been playing at an elite level over his past 26 games, supplying 14 goals and 35 points. That includes four goals and eight points over his active five-game scoring streak.
He's easily the highlight of this line, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him continue his success when the Stars face Anaheim, which ranks 21st in goals allowed per game with 3.10. Hintz has also been providing good value recently, contributing three goals and eight points across his past five appearances, so it's worth it to pair them together.
Stankoven has been quiet, though. He was limited to an assist over eight games from Jan. 16-31. He did find the back of the net Sunday, so perhaps Stankoven has turned a corner, but you might want to consider skipping him and just taking the other two members of this line.
Avalanche at Canucks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,100), Martin Necas (W - $7,800), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $6,900)
Vancouver has left plenty to be desired defensively, ranking 22nd in goals allowed per game with 3.13. Up against the Avalanche's top line, which could spell major problems for the Canucks.
MacKinnon leads the league's scoring race with 80 points (20 goals) in 54 appearances and has been held off the scoresheet just once over his past 10 appearances, collecting five markers and 12 points in that span. He's working alongside Necas after the latter was acquired from Carolina on Jan. 24. Necas seems to be doing well with his new teammates, providing a goal and five points over his past four outings.
Lehkonen is a solid winger to round out this line. He has 21 goals and 30 points in 42 appearances this campaign, including three markers and four points over his past five outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at VAN ($7,400): Makar has six goals and eight points across his past eight appearances. That puts him just one goal away from reaching 20 for the third time in four seasons. He's also up to 58 points in 54 outings, which is good for second among defensemen in the scoring race, behind only Hughes, who as noted above, is questionable Tuesday due to an undisclosed injury.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at STL ($6,900): Bouchard has been a steady offensive contributor for the Oilers – you'd have to go back to Nov. 14-18 to find the last time he was held off the scoresheet for more than two straight games. The blueliner has a goal and five points over his last five outings, giving him nine goals and 40 points across 52 appearances in 2024-25.
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. CAR ($6,600): Morrissey provided two goals Saturday, bringing him up to four points (two assists) across his past three appearances. He's up to seven goals and 46 points in 54 outings overall.
Tony DeAngelo, NYI vs. VEG ($5,200): DeAngelo has gotten off to a decent start with the Islanders, providing a goal and three points over his opening five outings. Interestingly, he doesn't have a power-play point yet, but he's averaging 2:46 with the man advantage, so it shouldn't be long before he starts contributing on special teams.
