Tuesday's Opening Night schedule has three games on tap, including one getting underway at 5:00 p.m. ET, one beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET and one starting at 10:30 p.m. ET. All game lines and odds below come courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
Florida (vs. Chicago), NY Rangers (vs. Pittsburgh) and Colorado (at Los Angeles) have the higher implied goal totals for Tuesday's slate. The Over/Under for all three matchups is 5.5 goals.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. PIT ($8,100): Shesterkin might be the safest option between the pipes on Opening Night, because he's a superb netminder with a favorable matchup. He went 3-1-0 against the Penguins last season with a 2.02 GAA and a .933 save percentage. Despite some ups and downs in 2024-25, he got off to a solid start in October, stopping 204 of 221 shots for a 4-2-1 record.
Spencer Knight, CHI at FLA ($7,000): Knight has the potential to be a solid bang-for-the-buck option for Tuesday night against his former team. The Panthers will be missing key forwards Aleksander Barkov (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin), but should still put plenty of pucks on net for Knight to stop.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at LAK ($8,500): MacKinnon began the 2024-25 campaign with a 13-game point streak, generating six goals, 19 helpers and 48 shots. He also had three tallies and nine assists on the power play during that stretch. MacKinnon assisted on four markers and posted five shots on goal in two meetings with the Kings last season.
Connor Bedard, CHI at FLA ($6,000): Bedard had three multi-point performances in his first five outings last season, collecting one goal, six assists and 17 shots over that span. He checks in with a great price tag and considerable offensive upside for Tuesday's opener.
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at LAK ($4,400): Landeskog made his long-awaited return to action in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He earned one goal, three assists and 10 shots in five games. The 32-year-old forward could be a tremendous value play in his first regular-season appearance since March 10, 2022.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Rangers vs. Penguins
J.T. Miller (C - $6,300), Mika Zibanejad (W - $6,300), Will Cuylle (W - $3,800)
After being acquired from Vancouver, Miller compiled 13 goals, 35 points and 55 shots in 32 games with the Rangers. Zibanejad struggled for parts of the 2024-25 campaign but heated up down the stretch, collecting five goals and 13 points in 10 outings. He should improve his offensive totals this season. Cuylle burst onto the fantasy scene last year as a physical force, and his point production should leap forward in 2025-26 with an increased role.
The Rangers could do some damage on the scoresheet in Tuesday's opener. The Penguins allowed the fourth-most shots per game (30.1) and the third-most goals per game (3.50) last season.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at LAK ($7,500): Makar netted 30 goals and piled up 92 points over 80 games during the 2024-25 regular season. He had five tallies on 38 shots and 18 assists across a 13-game point spree to begin the year. Makar supplied three helpers and one shot on target in two games versus the Kings last campaign.
Adam Fox, NYR vs. PIT ($6,500): Fox accounted for two goals, one assist and nine shots in four games versus the Penguins last season. He had a productive start to the 2024-25 campaign with eight assists (four on the power play), six shots and seven blocks in his first seven outings.
