This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Wednesdays tend to be one of the NHL's lighter days, and tonight is no exception. There are just four games on the docket with two starting at 7:30 p.m. ET (Vancouver at Washington, Colorado at Chicago), one beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET (Florida at Utah) and one 10:30 p.m. ET start time (Calgary at Los Angeles). Sometimes a lack of options can make it hard to find value, so here are my FanDuel recommendations.
UPDATE: Wednesday's game between Los Angeles and Calgary has been postponed.
SLATE PREVIEW
Colorado is rested, but this is the first half of a back-to-back for the Avalanche, which might influence their lineup decisions tonight.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, LAK vs. CGY ($8,400): Kuemper is having a strong campaign with an 11-2-5 record, 2.22 GAA and .918 save percentage in 19 appearances. He's won his past three starts while allowing just four goals on 94 shots (.957 save percentage). As noted above, the Flames will be playing tired, and they're not the biggest of offensive threats even when rested – Calgary ranks 27th in goals per game with 2.63.
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL at CHI ($8,200): Blackwood has been outstanding since being acquired by the Avalanche from San Jose, posting a 7-1-1 record, 1.69 GAA and .938 save percentage across nine appearances. He has a good chance of continuing that strong showing against Chicago, who is 13-25-2 and tied for 30th in goals per game with 2.53. Just be sure to verify Blackwood is getting the start because there's a chance the Avalanche will save him for Thursday's tilt in Minnesota.
UPDATE: Wednesday's game between Los Angeles and Calgary has been postponed.
VALUE PLAYS
Phillip Danault, LAK vs. CGY ($5,000): Danault has recorded at least a point in each of his past six appearances, though he's on just a four-game scoring streak because he was absent December 22nd due to an undisclosed injury. Regardless, he's been effective for a while now, supplying three goals and 18 points across his past 26 outings after supplying just three assists over his opening 11 games this campaign. It's a shame he hasn't done anything offensively with the man advantage this year, but with so few options, compromises need to be made.
Quinton Byfield, LAK vs. CGY ($4,800): Byfield has been fantastic recently, supplying six goals and nine points across his past nine appearances. It'll be difficult for the tired Flames to contain him while he's hot. Do note that Byfield and Danault aren't projected to share the ice together, so taking both of them doesn't amount to a mini-forward line stack. For that…
UPDATE: Wednesday's game between Los Angeles and Calgary has been postponed.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Capitals vs. Canucks
Dylan Strome (C - $7,000), Alex Ovechkin (W - $8,700), Taylor Raddysh (W - $4,100)
Ovechkin wasn't expected to reach Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 goals until next season, especially after he missed 16 games from November 21st to December 23rd due to a fractured fibula, but with the way he's been playing…who knows? The 39-year-old has four goals and five points in six outings since returning from the injury, bringing him up to 19 goals and 30 points through 24 appearances in 2024-25.
That puts him just 22 markers behind Gretzky, and Ovechkin seems to be impatient about getting there. He's the clear highlight of this line, though Strome is also a nice grab right now. The 27-year-old center is on a four-game scoring streak (one goal, five assists), which gives him 12 goals and 45 points in 40 outings in 2024-25.
Raddysh hasn't recorded a point in his past four outings, though, and he has just four goals and 17 points through 40 games overall. If you can afford the upgrade, swap him out for Tom Wilson (W - $6,900), who has four goals and seven points across his past four outings. Although Wilson is playing on a different line at even strength, he's projected to share the ice with Ovechkin and Strome on the power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at CHI ($7,500): Makar is generally a reliable pick. He has 13 goals and 49 points in 41 appearances this campaign, putting him atop the defensemen scoring race. He didn't show up on the scoresheet during Colorado's 3-1 win over Florida on Monday, but it's rare for Makar to be held without a point in back-to-back games – it's happened just twice in 2024-25 (November 25th to November 27th and November 30th to December 3rd).
Devon Toews, COL at CHI ($5,400): Although Makar is unquestionably the better offensive defenseman, this is one of the rare times his defensive partner, Toews, is hotter. Toews has four goals and seven points across his past four outings. He's not going to keep this up, but he's providing great value for now.
