This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Monday's scheduled game between Nashville and Tampa Bay was postponed, so the first regular-season contests of 2024-25 to be played in North America will take place today. The action will start at 4:30 p.m. ET with Seattle hosting the Blues. Florida will then begin its defense of the Stanley Cup at 7:00 p.m. ET with a home game versus Boston. Tuesday's action will conclude with Utah's inaugural contest, which will be at home against the Blackhawks, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET.
SLATE PREVIEW
Keep in mind that because of the 4:30 p.m. start time for the St. Louis-Seattle game, you'll need to get in your picks earlier than normal if you want to participate in the main slate. FanDuel also offers an 'After Hours' option that includes just the two evening contests.
GOALIES
Jordan Binnington, STL at SEA ($7,900): The Kraken ranked 29th offensively last season with 2.61 goals per game. Seattle may do better this season if the 20-year-old Shane Wright comes into his own and Chandler Stephenson, who was signed to a seven-year contract from Vegas over the summer, gels with his new teammates, but this is still a favorable opening assignment for Binnington. The Blues goaltender went 2-0-0 while stopping 63 out of 67 shots (.940 save percentage) across two starts against Seattle last season.
Connor Ingram, UTA vs. CHI ($7,600): Be sure to verify who is starting in net for Utah because at the time of writing, it's not a foregone conclusion it'll be Ingram, but he certainly looked great in the preseason by stopping 67 out of 71 shots (.944 save percentage) over three games while Karel Vejmelka surrendered 10 goals on 81 shots (.877 save percentage) across three appearances. Of course, preseason stats shouldn't be taken with a pinch of salt, but Ingram was a strong contender to draw the Opening Night start even before training camp began. Coupled with his excellent preseason, he seems like the probable starter. If that's the case, he'll face the rebuilding Blackhawks, who should be better than the squad that managed a league-worst 2.17 goals per game in 2023-24, but likely still has a ways to go before they're a contender.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Guenther, UTA vs. CHI ($5,500): Selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, this could be a big season for Guenther. He already gave hockey fans a taste of what he could do last year, providing 28 points (10 goals) in 29 regular-season games in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners and another 35 points (18 markers) across 45 outings with the Coyotes. He figures to spend the full 2024-25 campaign in the NHL while serving on the top six and first power-play unit.
Evan Rodrigues, FLA vs. BOS ($4,400): Rodrigues earned his place in hockey history by scoring four goals and seven points across seven games in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals to help elevate the Panthers above the Oilers. The 31-year-old typically isn't that kind of offensive force – he finished the 2023-24 regular season with 12 goals and 39 points across 80 outings – but if you're looking for a discount option on a day when there's not a lot to choose from, Rodrigues is worthy of consideration. He's projected to serve on the second line and see some time on the power play.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Utah Hockey Club vs. Blackhawks
Barrett Hayton (C - $4,000), Clayton Keller (RW - $7,000), Nick Schmaltz (W - $6,000)
If Hayton wasn't mentioned here, he would have been selected over Rodrigues for one of the Value Plays slots. The 24-year-old Hayton is coming off a rough 2023-24 campaign in which he recorded just three goals and 10 points in 33 outings with Arizona while being shelved from Nov. 18-Jan. 27 as well as from March 12 through the remainder of the campaign due to injuries. Hayton's low price point is easy to understand given that context, but he's projected to be in a prime position on Utah's top line and first power-play unit.
Keller figured to lead the line after providing 33 goals and 76 points in 78 appearances with Arizona in 2023-24 – his second straight campaign above the 30-goal and 75-point marks. Schmaltz was also strong with the Coyotes last season, recording 22 goals and 61 points across 79 games.
The trio faces Chicago, which struggled mightily on defense last year, ranking 29th while allowing 3.52 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at FLA ($6,500): While Florida certainly isn't the easiest of opponents, McAvoy did well against the Panthers last season, scoring three goals and four points across four regular-season games. He's also a pretty reliable blueliner in general, collecting over 45 points in each of the past three campaigns, including 12 goals and 47 points across 74 regular-season outings in 2023-24. It also helps that he's a good source of blocks – 159 last season – which gives him some added value in FanDuel's scoring system.
Philip Broberg, STL at SEA ($3,600): Broberg has just two goals and 13 points in 81 career regular-season games with Edmonton, but he averaged a mere 12:42 of ice time over that span. Now with St. Louis, which will be without Torey Krug (ankle) for 2024-25, Broberg is projected to serve on the second pairing and second power-play unit. That could lead to the 23-year-old showing off some of his offensive prowess – he had five goals and 38 points in 49 regular-season contests with AHL Bakersfield in 2023-24.
