This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
After a busy 13-game slate Tuesday, there are just three contests scheduled for tonight. That leaves us with limited options, but I have some recommendations that might make it easier to build your FanDuel lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Arizona played in Seattle on Tuesday, so fatigue might be a factor for the Coyotes, who will play in Vancouver on Wednesday, starting at 10:30 p.m. ET. The other five teams are rested, and none of the six squads working tonight needs to worry about playing Thursday.
GOALIE
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. CHI ($8,200): There are no great options tonight in goal, but Binnington has a very favorable matchup ahead of him against Chicago, which ranks 32nd offensively with just 2.18 goals per game. I'd still be hesitant to pick him under normal circumstances because Binnington has allowed nine goals on 67 shots (.866 save percentage) over his past two starts, but the 30-year-old has been solid overall with a 28-20-4 record, 2.88 GAA and .911 save percentage in 55 appearances, so I still recommend him over tonight's option options.
VALUE PLAYS
Brayden Schenn, STL vs. CHI ($5,500): With 19 goals and 42 points in 78 contests, Schenn will finish well below his 2022-23 total of 65 points. The silver lining is that the 32-year-old is ending the campaign on a high note, supplying six goals and 11 points across his past 12 appearances. Chicago ranks 29th defensively with 3.47 goals allowed per game, so Schenn is in a good position to extend that run tonight.
Dakota Joshua, VAN vs. ARI ($4,500): Joshua has three goals and four points over his past five games, elevating him to 16 markers and 30 points through 59 appearances this season. He's averaged a somewhat modest 14:16 of ice time in 2023-24, but that's increased to 16:23 over his last five contests, and he's projected to serve in a top-six capacity tonight.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Golden Knights at Oilers
Jack Eichel (C - $9,700), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $7,800), Ivan Barbashev (W - $4,700)
While the Oilers have pretty much settled into the second seed in the Pacific Division, Vegas still needs to secure its postseason berth. The Golden Knights are currently sitting in the second wild-card seed, but they also have an opportunity to jump ahead of LA in the battle for the third spot in the Pacific Division, so Vegas should be highly motivated coming into tonight's action.
The Golden Knights will be counting on their top line to continue its recent dominance. Eichel is one of the hottest players in the league with 10 goals and 19 points across his past 14 games. That brings him up to 29 goals and 63 points in 58 appearances in 2023-24. Marchessault is on a roll too, collecting nine goals and 14 points over his last 14 contests. The 33-year-old has already established a new career high in goals (41) and is just eight points shy of his high-water mark of 75, which he established in 2017-18. In contrast to his linemates, Barbashev has been held off the scoresheet over his past two contests, but he does have a respectable 18 goals and 44 points in 77 outings, and he's cheap enough that you could grab him despite his recent struggles for the sake of rounding out the unit.
Do note that under normal circumstances, I would have given serious thought to recommending Edmonton's top line instead. However, Connor McDavid (C - $10,200), is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. It's still possible that he'll play Wednesday, but at the time of writing I don't have that information, so I'm forced to go off my instincts, which say that the Oilers will probably take this opportunity to rest him with the playoffs just around the corner. Although McDavid is in pursuit of the Hart Trophy, Edmonton's primary concern at this stage of the year should be to make sure their superstar forward is as close to 100 percent as possible.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. ARI ($7,800): Hughes is having an amazing campaign (17 goals, 88 points), and he's showing no signs of slowing down as the season draws to a close. The 24-year-old defenseman has five goals and 17 points over his past 15 contests, including four markers and six points across his last four outings.
Mattias Ekholm, EDM vs. VGK ($6,200): Ekholm is just one point away from his career high of 44 points, set in 2018-19, and with the way he's played recently, it wouldn't be surprising to see him hit that mark tonight. Ekholm has supplied five goals and 15 points over his past 11 appearances.
