This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Welcome to the penultimate night of the regular season. There are six games on the docket, beginning with two 7 p.m. ET starts (Carolina in Montreal, Anaheim in Winnipeg), followed by games at 7:30 (Detroit at New Jersey), 8 (Dallas at Nashville), 10 (Vegas at Vancouver) and 10:30 (Edmonton at San Jose). Here are my FanDuel recommendations for Wednesday's action.
SLATE PREVIEW
Anaheim, New Jersey and Vegas are each playing in the second half of a back-to-back, so fatigue might be a factor. In addition, the Golden Knights and the Devils are already locked into their respective playoff spots, so both clubs will probably be resting some veterans. Detroit and Carolina will also play Thursday, which might influence those squads' lineup decisions. That's especially true of the Hurricanes, which is another team already locked into a playoff position and consequently more likely to healthy scratch players who typically have prominent roles.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. ANA ($8,100): It's possible Hellebuyck will get the game off ahead of the playoffs, but he already rested Sunday, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him get the nod in the Jets' regular-season finale. It would be an opportunity for him to cap off an amazing regular season against the Ducks, who rank 29th in goals per game with 2.67. Hellebuyck has a 46-12-3 record, 2.02 GAA and .924 save percentage across 62 appearances in 2024-25.
Sam Montembeault, MON vs. CAR ($7,200): Outside of Hellebuyck, I'm not in love with tonight's goaltending options, so I'll take a chance on a cheap option in Montembeault. He's had a rocky campaign with a 30-24-7 record, 2.83 GAA and .901 save percentage in 61 outings this campaign, but Montreal is entering its regular-season finale with its playoff spot still on the line, while Carolina has nothing left to play for until the postseason. For that reason, Montreal should give this matchup its all.
VALUE PLAYS
Michael Bunting, NAS vs. DAL ($5,500): Nashville has nothing left to play for, but Bunting is trying to end a disappointing campaign on a high note. He has two goals and five points across his past four outings. If he can manage to record two more points, then he'll hit the 40-point milestone for the fourth straight season. Bunting is also one marker shy of reaching 20 goals for the third time in his career.
Ivan Demidov, MON vs. CAR ($5,200): The 19-year-old looked great in the KHL this campaign, supplying 19 goals and 49 points in 65 regular-season appearances with SKA St. Petersburg, and then showed he can produce at the NHL level too by supplying a goal and an assist in his Canadiens debut Monday. Demidov logged a healthy 16:56 of ice time, including 2:59 with the man advantage, in that game, and he should get a similar workload in the Canadiens' final game of the regular season.
Alex Iafallo, WPG vs. ANA ($4,700): Iafallo is riding a four-game scoring streak (two goals, four points) going into Wednesday's action. He has a modest 15 goals and 31 points in 81 appearances in 2024-25, but keep in mind, he's averaged just 13:13 of ice time this campaign. By contrast, the 31-year-old has logged 18:00 per game over his past four outings. It's possible Iafallo will be a healthy scratch for the Jets' regular-season finale, but he's a member of the supporting cast and played a full 82 games in 2023-24, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him continue to play a significant amount while some other Winnipeg forwards are rested.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sharks vs. Oilers
Macklin Celebrini (C - $7,700), Will Smith (W - $5,900), Nikolai Kovalenko (W - $3,500)
With so many teams likely to scratch top players tonight, I'm going for some less conventional recommendations. For example, Edmonton probably won't ice anything close to its best. On defense, we already know Edmonton will be missing Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) and John Klingberg, but it's likely that Darnell Nurse will be suspended ahead of the matchup, while Evan Bouchard might be a healthy scratch. Troy Stecher (undisclosed) and Jake Walman (undisclosed) are also questionable. The result is that Edmonton will have a challenging time limiting the Sharks' scoring chances.
That's good for San Jose's young core. This game doesn't mean anything for the Sharks, but the team has been out of the playoff hunt for a while, so that's nothing new. Celebrini has still made this season one of cautious optimism with his 25 goals and 63 points in 68 appearances, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him add to those offensive totals as he competes for the Calder Trophy. Smith is also having a solid rookie campaign with 18 goals and 45 points in 73 outings, so he's worthy of consideration if you're taking Celebrini.
You might want to skip Kovalenko, though, who has just 20 points (seven goals) in 56 appearances. If you can afford the upgrade, Tyler Toffoli (W - $6,700) has 30 goals and 54 points in 77 outings, including two goals and four points across his past four appearances. The 32-year-old Toffoli is projected to play alongside Celebrini and Smith on the power play.
Canadiens vs. Hurricanes
Nick Suzuki (C - $7,900), Cole Caufield (W - $7,200), Juraj Slafkovsky (W - $6,100)
With the stakes high for Montreal, I'm looking for the Canadiens to have a strong game, and that would likely involve a good showing from the top line. Suzuki and Caufield have been the cornerstones of the Canadiens' attack this campaign. Suzuki has 29 goals and a career-high 87 points in 81 appearances, while Caufield has set personal bests in goals (37) and points (69) across 81 outings.
Slafkovsky hasn't been quite as impressive as that duo, but the 21-year-old is still a useful part of this line. He's collected 18 goals and 50 points in 78 appearances this season, and he'll establish a new career high if he gets at least one point Wednesday.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. VGK ($6,300): Despite being limited to 67 appearances due to injuries, Hughes has provided 16 goals and 76 points this campaign. He's continued to dominate down the stretch with two goals and 16 points across his past 17 outings. I also considered recommending Evan Bouchard ($6,200) as a high-end option from the blue line, but, as already noted, I'm concerned Bouchard will be a healthy scratch. However, if that ends up not being the case, then Bouchard would be another great option.
Brady Skjei, NAS vs. DAL ($5,100): Skjei won't match his 47-point showing from 2023-24, but he has surpassed the 30-point mark (10 goals, 23 assists) for the fourth straight campaign. The 31-year-old blueliner seems set on ending the season strong with five helpers across his past four games.
