This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The NHL was quiet for New Year's Day, save for the lone match between Los Angeles and New Jersey, but things are back in full swing tonight with 12 games on the docket. Here are my FanDuel recommendations for this busy night of hockey.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Rangers are the coldest team in hockey right now after dropping 15 of their past 19 games. Their situation got even worse when Igor Shesterkin was placed on injured reserve (IR) due to an upper-body issue. It's best to avoid New York until the squad shows some signs of turning a corner.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Avalanche are on a five-game winning streak and have captured nine of their past 11 outings. They've come a long way since their rough 0-4-0 start.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. ANA ($8,200): Hellebuyck is coming off a 22-save shutout against Nashville on Monday, which marked his fifth perfect game of 2024-25 and his seventh consecutive win. It's just the latest in what has been a stunning campaign for the 31-year-old netminder. He has a 24-5-1 record, 2.00 GAA and a .930 save percentage in 30 outings. Meanwhile, Anaheim ranks 31st in goals per game with 2.47.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL at SJS ($8,100): It's a distant memory now, but Vasilevskiy had a mixed start to the campaign, posting a 3.13 GAA and a .871 save percentage across his opening six appearances. He's had the occasional rough patch since then but has averaged out to be one of the league's top netminders with a 13-7-1 record, 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage over his past 21 outings. He's got a good chance of adding to his win total against the 11-23-6 Sharks.
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL vs. BUF ($8,000): Addressing their goaltending issues was a big part of the Avalanche's revival. Blackwood started the season stuck behind the rebuilding Sharks, but he's thrived in Colorado since being acquired on December 9th. Through six starts with his new squad, Blackwood is 5-1-0 with a 1.85 GAA and a .936 save percentage.
Joseph Woll, TOR at NYI ($7,600): Woll stopped 30 out of 31 shots en route to a 3-1 victory against the Islanders on Tuesday. With Anthony Stolarz (knee) unavailable, there's a good chance Woll will be asked to best the Islanders again. Woll's having a strong season with an 11-6-0 record, 2.48 GAA and .913 save percentage through 17 outings.
VALUE PLAYS
Bobby Brink, PHI at VGK ($4,600): Brink has been a steady presence recently, collecting five assists over his past six outings. Although none of those points came with the man advantage, he does have some potential to start factoring there, given that he's averaged 2:09 of power-play ice time across his past 14 appearances.
Kaapo Kakko, SEA vs. VAN ($4,500): The trade from the Rangers to Seattle might prove to be very advantageous to Kakko. He was quiet in his opening four games with the Kraken, being limited to a goal in that span, but the 23-year-old might be settling in after registering two assists and firing five shots in Seattle's 5-2 victory over Utah on Monday. Although Kakko struggled to move out of the third line with the Rangers, he's now serving in a top-six capacity and the first power-play unit.
Justin Brazeau, BOS at NYR ($4,400): Brazeau has been streaky this campaign, so he's worthy of consideration during hot streaks like the one he's enjoying now – the 26-year-old has collected three goals over his past four appearances. As noted above, the Rangers have been struggling terribly and are now without their best goaltender, so this is a good opportunity for Brazeau and the Bruins.
Noah Cates, PHI at VGK ($4,300): Cates hasn't traditionally been a major offensive force, so it didn't raise many eyebrows when he provided just five points (one goal) over his first 24 games in 2024-25. He's found a groove, though, supplying six goals and nine points across his past 10 appearances. This run of success is unlikely to last, but he's providing good value for now.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings
Sean Monahan (C - $6,800), Kirill Marchenko (W - $7,300), Dmitri Voronkov (W - $5,900)
The Blue Jackets weren't a team projected to do well this campaign, but they've had some good stretches, and their offense has been the key to that.
Marchenko has come into his own this season. The 24-year-old is already at 42 points in 38 appearances, which matches his career high from 2023-24, and he only seems to be getting better after supplying six goals and 15 points over his past nine outings. Voronkov, who is also 24 years old, is similarly red-hot with six goals and 12 points across his last eight games – he's been held off the scoresheet just once in that span.
Monahan is the veteran of this trio and has been having one of the best seasons of his career with 13 goals and 36 points across 38 games. He's just as hot as his linemates, contributing four goals and 11 points over his past six appearances.
Avalanche vs. Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,100), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,500), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $6,500)
Columbus' top line provides excellent value, but if you just want the best regardless of price, there's a strong argument to be made Colorado offers that. MacKinnon leads the league's scoring race with 61 points (14 goals) in 38 games, and Rantanen ranks third with 54 points (21 markers) in 38 appearances. Lehkonen has been limited to 26 outings due to injury, but he's been a great member of this unit when healthy, supplying 14 goals and 20 points.
The trio is hot too. MacKinnon is on a five-game scoring streak (one goal, 11 points), Rantanen has contributed at least a point in 11 straight outings (six goals, 19 points) and Lehkonen has four goals over his past two appearances.
As long as you can afford to take this line, there's plenty of reason to do so.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. BUF ($7,500): Even at his high price point, Makar isn't hard to recommend. He has 11 goals and 46 points across 38 appearances, which gives him the lead in the blueliner scoring race. Buffalo ranks 26th in goals allowed per game with 3.34, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Makar add to his offensive totals tonight.
Zach Werenski, CBJ vs. DET ($7,200): Similar to Makar, Werenski has been a standout option this campaign, contributing 11 goals and 40 points across 38 outings. He did have a rare quiet patch from Dec. 15-21 in which he had just one point (a goal) over four appearances, but he's collected eight assists over four contests since then.
Jakob Chychrun, WAS vs. MIN ($6,400): Chychrun has two goals and four points over his active three-game scoring streak. That run has been the latest in what's been a strong campaign for the 26-year-old. He has 11 goals and 25 points through 32 outings overall.
Noah Hanifin, VGK vs. PHI ($5,300): Hanifin went through a seven-game scoring drought from November 27-December 12, but that's well behind him with three goals and six points over his past eight games. His offensive production has come and gone in 2024-25, so he's only worth grabbing during hot streaks like the one he's presently going through.
