There are two games ahead of us tonight. Buffalo will host Montreal for the opener of that second-round series, while Vegas will look to build off its 1-0 lead over Anaheim in Game 2.
SLATE PREVIEW
Buffalo versus Montreal is likely to be a fairly even series if FanDuel's moneyline is any indication. However, the Sabres (minus-128) are projected to have a slight edge over Montreal (plus-106) in Buffalo. By contrast, Vegas (minus-162) is seen as a significant favorite over Anaheim (plus-134).
GOALIES
Carter Hart, VGK vs. ANA ($7,900): Hart has the best chance to earn a win out of the goaltenders available tonight. He's on a four-game winning streak during which he's posted a 2.12 GAA and a .921 save percentage. As noted above, Vegas is seen as being a clear favorite against Anaheim going into Game 2 on Wednesday.
Jakub Dobes, MON at BUF ($7,500): Buffalo is a difficult team to play against, but so are the Lightning, and Dobes did great against them in the first round, going 4-3 with a 2.03 GAA and a .923 save percentage. He also did well against the Sabres in the 2025-26 regular season with a 2-0-0 record, 2.00 GAA and .943 save percentage across two starts.
VALUE PLAYS
Ivan Barbashev, VGK vs. ANA ($5,500): Barbashev is going into Wednesday's action on a seven-game scoring streak in which he's collected three goals and seven points. He was also effective during the 2025-26 regular season, finishing with 23 goals and 61 points in 82 outings.
Alex Newhook, MON at BUF ($4,300): There isn't much in the way of truly low-cost forwards who are available tonight, but you can give Newhook a shot. In addition to missing a big chunk of the regular season, he was also inconsistent offensively in 2025-26, but he's also capable of having bursts of high-end offensive production, as demonstrated by his run from Oct. 20-Nov. 8 of five goals and 10 points in nine outings. He might be heating up offensively after scoring the series-winning goal over Tampa Bay in Game 7 on Sunday, which was his second point across his past three appearances.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Golden Knights vs. Ducks
Mark Stone (W - $6,900), Mitch Marner (W - $6,800), Brett Howden (W - $5,200)
Marner is on a four-game scoring streak and is up to three goals and nine points across seven playoff outings this year, which gives him tremendous value at not too high a price. Howden is red hot as well, entering Wednesday's action amid a four-game goal-scoring streak in which he's found the back of the net five times.
Weirdly, Stone is the coldest part of this unit with two goals and five points in seven playoff outings this year. Those numbers aren't anything bad, but it's less than what you'd expect from him, especially after the 33-year-old finished the regular season with 28 goals and 73 points in 60 appearances. Stone is never one to count out, though, so don't be surprised if he has a big game.
It is a touch awkward that no one on this line is listed as a center. If you can afford the increased price, you could consider swapping out Stone for Jack Eichel (C - $8,000), who is projected to be on a different line but is having a strong postseason with a goal and nine points in seven outings.
Canadiens at Sabres
Nick Suzuki (C - $7,300), Cole Caufield (W - $7,400), Juraj Slafkovsky (W - $5,900)
The Montreal-Tampa Bay first-round series ended up being a goaltending duel, with four of the games finishing with a 3-2 score and just four total goals being scored between the two teams over the final two games of the series. Consequently, Montreal's top line doesn't have good playoff numbers so far this year, with the exception of Suzuki, who still managed to accumulate a goal and six points across seven appearances.
Still, this line has huge potential going into the second round. All three of these forwards finished the regular season with more than 70 points, and Suzuki ranked sixth with 101 points. Meanwhile, Caufield finished the regular season second in goals with 51.
Don't sleep on this line just because Tampa Bay did a decent job of limiting the damage.
DEFENSEMEN
Lane Hutson, MON at BUF ($6,200): Hutson was an important part of Montreal's success in the first round, scoring two goals and six points, including three with the man advantage, across seven appearances. He was similarly effective in the 2025-26 regular season, collecting 12 goals and 78 points in 82 outings.
Noah Hanifin, VGK vs. ANA ($4,400): Hanifin has been a solid discount option in the playoffs, contributing five assists in seven appearances. That's an extension of a productive stretch he had at the end of the regular season in which he accumulated five assists across eight outings.
