Welcome to the start of the 2025-26 campaign! There are three games on the docket for Tuesday. It starts with Florida hosting Chicago and the Rangers hosting Pittsburgh, with each of those clashes beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The final game of the night will be Colorado playing in LA, starting at 10:30.
SLATE PREVIEW
At -300 on FanDuel's moneyline, the Panthers are the heaviest favorites of the night in their tilt against Chicago (+240). FanDuel's Over/Under for each of the three games is 5.5 goals, but the over (-115) is more probable in the Chicago-Florida game compared to Pittsburgh-Rangers (-134) and Colorado-LA (-134).
GOALIES
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. CHI ($8,400): There aren't many goalie options tonight, but Bobrovsky is about as good a bet as you can get under the circumstances. The two-time Stanley Cup champs should best the rebuilding Blackhawks in the season opener. Bobrovsky had a 33-19-2 record, 2.44 GAA and .906 save percentage across 54 regular-season appearances with the Panthers last year.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. PIT ($8,100): Shesterkin is coming off a rough campaign in which he posted a 27-29-5 record, 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage across 61 outings. However, those underwhelming numbers are the fault of the Rangers rather than him, based on Shesterkin's plus-21.6 goals saved above expected last year, per Moneypuck. If the Rangers rebound this year, which is a reasonable expectation given the talent they still possess, then Shesterkin should enjoy a bounce-back campaign.
VALUE PLAYS
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at LAK ($5,000): When Nichushkin is healthy, he's fantastic value. He recorded 66 goals and 134 points across 150 regular-season outings over the past three seasons. To put that in perspective, that's an average of 36 goals and 73 points per 82 games, which is stunning production relative to his price point. You could consider pairing him with his projected linemate, Gabriel Landeskog ($4,400), who is also capable of significantly outperforming his price.
Will Cuylle, NYR vs. PIT ($3,800): Cuylle had 20 goals and 45 points in 82 appearances with the Rangers last year, and it wouldn't be surprising if the 23-year-old takes another step forward in 2025-26. It helps that he's projected to open the season on the top line alongside J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. The Penguins are also likely to struggle this year as they remain in the awkward position of not quite embracing a rebuild while also lacking a roster likely to compete for a playoff spot.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Rangers vs. Penguins
Vincent Trocheck (C - $5,800), Artemi Panarin ($7,700), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $4,100)
The Penguins ranked 29th in goals allowed per game last year (3.50), and Pittsburgh isn't likely to better this year. While Pittsburgh isn't devoid of interesting young players — Ville Koivunen ($4,900) is a get example, and another potential value play — the Penguins' top players weren't good enough to save them in 2024-25, and that core is only getting older.
Against that competition, the Rangers should start the campaign well. They'll have extra motivation after underperforming badly last season. Panarin should lead the charge for New York and has extra motivation going into the final season of his seven-year, $81.5 million contract. Panarin has recorded over 20 goals and 85 points in each of his past four campaigns.
Trocheck and Lafreniere don't come with as impressive resumes — they finished 2024-25 with 59 and 45 points, respectively — but they have the potential to do well this campaign, which makes them decent grabs based on their current cost.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at LAK ($7,500): Makar is about as close to a sure thing as you'll find among blueliners. He had 30 goals and 92 points in 80 appearances in 2024-25, which was the third time he's surpassed the 85-point mark over the past four regular seasons. Still just 26 years old (27 on Oct. 30), Makar should continue to be one of the league's top defensemen for years to come.
Seth Jones, FLA vs. CHI ($5,000): This will be Jones' first game against the Blackhawks since they traded him to Florida during the 2024-25 campaign. While there presumably isn't any bad blood there — the trade made sense for all involved — Jones is likely to provide great value regardless. He's set to get top-four minutes and plenty of power-play ice time against the Blackhawks, who are still very much in their rebuild.
