After a relatively quiet Wednesday, the NHL is back in full swing tonight with 14 games on the docket. That gives us plenty of options to consider, so let's dive into it.
SLATE PREVIEW
Washington and Philadelphia are both playing in the second half of a back-to-back set tonight, so fatigue might be a factor working against those squads. Meanwhile, Edmonton and St. Louis are set to play Friday in addition to Thursday, which might influence those teams' lineup decisions tonight.
GOALIES
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. PHI ($8,200): Gustavsson has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his past five outings, posting a 1.21 GAA and a .960 save percentage in five outings this campaign. The Flyers have averaged 2.81 goals per game, which ranks 25th in the league.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. NYR ($7,900): Hellebuyck has a 16-17-9 record, 2.74 GAA and .902 save percentage in 42 outings in 2025-26, so this is far from what we're used to out of him. Still, the 32-year-old netminder has been more hit than miss recently, allowing 10 goals on 136 shots (.926 save percentage) across his past five outings. The Rangers are also a favorable adversary, given that they rank 26th in goals per game with 2.75.
Lukas Dostal, ANA at TOR ($7,200): Dostal has been solid for a while now, posting a 13-2-0 record, 2.60 GAA and .904 save percentage across his past 15 outings. There's a good chance he can keep that going against the Maple Leafs, who have collapsed offensively, posting a record of 0-6-2 while averaging 1.88 goals per game across their past eight matches.
VALUE PLAYS
Sean Monahan, CLM at FLA ($5,000): Monahan has been held off scoresheet just once over his past six outings, giving him two goals and six points in that span. The 31-year-old has 12 goals and 33 points in 60 appearances this season.
Yegor Chinakhov, PIT at VGK ($4,700): Sidney Crosby (lower body) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension) are still unavailable, but Chinakhov is stepping up for the Penguins. He's provided a goal and five points while averaging 19:55 of ice time across Pittsburgh's past three games.
Teuvo Teravainen, CHI at UTA ($4,300): Teravainen has three goals and eight points across seven outings in 2025-26. He's up to 13 goals and 31 points in 57 appearances this season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sabres vs. Capitals
Ryan McLeod (C - $5,200), Jason Zucker (W - $5,000), Jack Quinn (W - $4,600)
Buffalo's second line is a great discount option tonight. Quinn is coming off the best game of his career, in which he scored a hat trick and registered an assist. He's up to 15 goals and 43 points in 65 outings this campaign. McLeod had three assists in that 6-3 victory over San Jose on Tuesday, and he's been a consistent offensive presence for a while. The 26-year-old center has collected a goal and 17 points across his past 16 outings. Zucker is hot as well. He's on a three-game goal-scoring streak and has five goals and seven points over his past five outings.
Blue Jackets at Panthers
Adam Fantilli (C - $6,000), Kirill Marchenko (W - $6,900), Cole Sillinger (W - $4,100)
Marchenko is on a six-game scoring streak in which he's collected four goals and nine points, which makes him one of the hottest forwards in the league. He has 24 goals and 56 points in 58 appearances this season. Fantilli is on a roll, too, with five goals and 10 points in his past nine outings. That gives him 18 goals and 45 points in 64 appearances this campaign.
By contrast, Sillinger has been held off the scoresheet across his past eight games, and he has six goals and 26 points in 63 outings in 2025-26. You could consider swapping him out for Monahan, who was previously mentioned in the Value Plays section.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, MIN vs. PHI ($7,100): Hughes has been great all campaign with six goals and 64 points in 59 outings between Vancouver and Minnesota in 2025-26. He's been even better recently, supplying a goal and 11 points over his active seven-game scoring streak.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. WAS ($6,800): Dahlin is one of the hottest players in the league with two goals and 12 points across his past six games. That's elevated him to 13 goals and 60 points in 61 outings in 2025-26.
Philip Broberg, STL at CAR ($4,800): Broberg found the back of the net against the Islanders on Tuesday, which extended his scoring streak to four games (one goal, four points). He's a nice defenseman to grab while he's hot if you're looking for an affordable option.
