This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There's no shortage of action tonight with 12 games on the docket. The games are skewed primarily to East Coast starts, with seven games at 7 p.m. ET. The rest of the action is reasonably spread out with two starts at 8 p.m., one at 9 p.m. and two at 10 p.m. There's plenty to choose from, so I'll highlight my preferred options.
SLATE PREVIEW
Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa all played Wednesday, so fatigue might be an issue for those squads tonight. Meanwhile, Winnipeg is starting the first half of a back-to-back set, which might influence the Jets' lineup decisions tonight.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at NAS ($7,900): Sorokin's first start back from a lower-body injury was a gem, as he posted a 44-save shutout victory over New Jersey on Tuesday. Sorokin has a 13-10-2 record, 2.44 GAA and .915 save percentage in 25 outings in 2025-26.
Joseph Woll, TOR at PHI ($7,700): Woll certainly hasn't been perfect, but he's on his way to another strong campaign with a 9-4-2 record, 2.69 GAA and .913 save percentage in 16 appearances. He's coming off a 4-1 win over Florida on Tuesday in which he stopped 31 of 32 shots.
Stuart Skinner, PIT vs. NJD ($6,900): Skinner is a streaky goaltender, and right now he's going through a strong patch after stopping 38 of 40 shots (.950 save percentage) across his past two starts. New Jersey ranks 30th in goals per game with 2.58.
VALUE PLAYS
Kaapo Kakko, SEA vs. MIN ($4,000): Kakko looked unimpressive over his first 14 outings of 2025-26, recording just a goal and three points over that span. However, he missed significant swaths early in the season, which probably played a role in that slow start. Now that he's gotten into a rhythm, Kakko has excelled with three goals and 11 points across his past 11 outings.
Bobby McMann, TOR at PHI ($4,900): McMann has five goals and nine points over his past nine outings, making this his hottest stretch of the season. It won't last, but playing alongside Auston Matthews ($7,800), as McMann's projected to do tonight, certainly should help extend the hot stretch.
Linus Karlsson, VAN at DET ($3,800): Karlsson has been excellent across his past eight games, providing five goals and eight points. He's projected to play alongside Jake DeBrusk ($5,200) and Elias Pettersson ($6,600) on the top line tonight, which is an ideal spot for the hot forward.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Hurricanes vs. Ducks
Sebastian Aho (C - $6,800), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $5,900), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $5,600)
Anaheim had such a good start to the campaign, but that's been almost completely erased by the squad's active seven-game losing streak (0-6-1). The Ducks have allowed four or more goals in six of those seven defeats and rank 32nd in goals allowed per game with 3.67, so this is a good night to take Carolina forwards.
That's especially true of the Hurricanes' top line, which has been red hot. Svechnikov is coming off a four-assist showing Tuesday and now has five goals and 17 points across his past 11 games. Ehlers also had a productive game Tuesday, collecting three assists, which gives him three goals and eight points over his past four appearances. Aho wasn't as notable Tuesday (one assist), but he does have eight goals and 17 points over his last 11 outings, so it's safe to say he's just as hot as his linemates.
Penguins vs. Devils
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,300), Bryan Rust (W - $6,800), Rickard Rakell (W - $6,000)
Even at the age of 38, Crosby is one of the best in the business. He's accumulated 24 goals and 47 points through 41 appearances this season, and he's on a seven-game scoring streak with five goals and 12 points in that span. He's easily the highlight of this line, but Rust is doing well too with 16 goals and 36 points in 39 appearances this campaign, including four goals and eight points over his last seven outings.
Rakell is a solid forward to round out this line. He's been limited to 21 games this season, which means a repeat of his 70-point showing from the 2024-25 regular season is firmly out of reach. Still, he's been fine when healthy, supplying six goals and 15 points this campaign, and he has a respectable two goals and three points across his past four appearances. Nothing eye-catching, but for the sake of getting the whole line while Crosby's hot, Rakell is worthy of consideration.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. OTT ($7,600): Makar is as good as they come with 12 goals and 48 points through 42 outings this campaign. He's been held off the scoresheet just once across his past five outings, collecting a goal and five points over that stretch.
Lane Hutson, MON vs. FLA ($6,800): Hutson continues to be red hot with three goals and 21 points over his past 14 outings, including three goals and seven points across his last five games. The 21-year-old is up to eight goals and 43 points in 43 appearances in 2025-26.
Noah Hanifin, VGK vs. CLM ($5,800): Hanifin missed time early this season, which has limited him to two goals and 16 points in 31 appearances. However, he's healthy now and performing well, supplying 10 assists, including five with the man advantage, across his past nine outings.
