This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are five games scheduled for tonight, and the action skews a bit towards the West Coast. There are starts at 7:00 p.m. ET (Philadelphia at Detroit) and 7:30 (Toronto at Dallas), but the other three outings (Florida at Minnesota, Vancouver at Utah, Winnipeg at Anaheim) all begin at 9:30 or later.
SLATE PREVIEW
Winnipeg is playing in the second half of a back-to-back set, so the Jets might be tired going into tonight's tilt. Meanwhile, Vancouver also has a game Thursday, which might influence the Canucks' lineup decisions tonight.
GOALIES
Alex Lyon, DET vs. PHI ($7,700): Verify who is starting for the Red Wings because Lyon (lower body) is set to be available tonight, but at the time of writing, Detroit hasn't named a goaltender. If Lyon does play, though, it could be a good night for him. He was solid before getting hurt with a 2.74 GAA and a .911 save percentage through nine appearances. The Flyers rank 21st in goals per game with 2.90.
Thatcher Demko, VAN at UTA ($7,500): Demko needed some time to find his rhythm after missing the start of the campaign due to a knee injury, but after two rough starts, he seemed to stabilize against Colorado on Monday, stopping 30 out of 31 shots en route to a 3-1 victory. If Demko has shaken off the rust, he won't be this cheap for much longer – the netminder posted a 35-14-2 record, 2.45 GAA and .918 save percentage in 51 regular-season outings in 2023-24.
VALUE PLAYS
J.T. Compher, DET vs. PHI ($4,800): Compher is on a three-game point streak in which he's collected four assists, and he also has seven helpers over his past eight outings. The power play hasn't been a major part of Compher's game this year – four of his 14 points have come with the man advantage. He's averaged 1:24 of power-play ice time – but he is projected to serve on the top unit Wednesday, which is a nice bonus if you plan on picking up the veteran forward.
Kiefer Sherwood, VAN at UTA ($4,600): Sherwood traditionally hasn't been a major goal scorer – his 11 markers this campaign is already a new career high – but goals have come in bunches for him in 2024-25. He had a run of three goals and six points across seven outings from October 19th to November 5th, a three-game goal-scoring streak from November 17th to November 23rd and a pair of markers across two games from December 6th to December 8th. We'll see if he'll have another short run of success after collecting a hat trick Monday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild vs. Panthers
Marco Rossi (C - $5,600), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $8,800), Mats Zuccarello (W - $5,800)
The Wild are missing starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson (lower body), so they might need a bit more from their forward corps than usual. Fortunately for Minnesota, its top line is up to the task.
Kaprizov is the main selling point of this trio with 22 goals and 47 points across 30 appearances in 2024-25. He's recorded two goals in each of his past two outings as well as nine markers and 13 points across his past 10 outings. He'll be aided by Zuccarello, who missed 13 games from November 16th to December 12th due to a lower-body injury. He has supplied three assists in two outings since returning. Rossi rounds out this unit with 11 goals and 25 points – nothing amazing, but it's solid production for his price.
Red Wings vs. Flyers
Dylan Larkin (C - $6,200), Lucas Raymond (W - $6,500), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $4,800)
Raymond has had no trouble finding the back of the net recently, accumulating 10 goals and 14 points over his past 12 appearances. Larkin isn't on nearly as long of a hot streak, but he has collected four assists across his last four games, giving him 12 goals and 24 points across 30 outings in 2024-25.
The downside of this trio is Tarasenko, who has had a rough campaign with four goals and 12 points over 29 outings. On the plus side, he's an inexpensive option if you want to round out the line.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN at UTA ($7,100): Hughes has been one of the league's top defensemen this campaign with seven goals and 35 points across 30 appearances in 2024-25. He's not dependent on the power play to get points, but that is a noteworthy part of his game. He has a goal and 13 assists with the man advantage.
Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. WPG ($5,200): LaCombe is coming off back-to-back multi-point showings in which he accumulated two goals and four points. That gives the 23-year-old blueliner four markers and six points across his past six appearances. LaCombe has averaged 18:50 of ice time. His role is expected to grow further after Cam Fowler was dealt to St. Louis.
