With the Olympics behind us, it's time for the NHL campaign to resume. We're picking things up with an eight-game slate. Let's get back into the swing of things with today's recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Tampa Bay (minus-235) is seen as the biggest favorite tonight against the visiting Maple Leafs (plus-190), according to FanDuel's moneyline. Toronto had some momentum with a three-game winning streak going into the Olympic break, but the Maple Leafs' 27-21-9 record still puts them six points out of a playoff spot, while Tampa Bay sits atop the Atlantic Division at 37-14-4. Dallas (minus-170) and Washington (minus-162) are also considered to be significant favorites against Seattle (plus-14) and Philadelphia (plus-134), respectively.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL vs. TOR ($8,100): As noted above, Tampa Bay is considered a heavy favorite going into tonight's match, and Vasilevskiy is a big part of that. The 31-year-old goaltender has dominated this campaign with a 27-7-3 record, 2.11 GAA and .919 save percentage in 37 appearances in 2025-26.
Casey DeSmith, DAL vs. SEA ($8,000): Jake Oettinger won't get the start tonight after being with Team USA for the Olympics, but DeSmith has been a strong understudy this campaign. The 34-year-old DeSmith has an 11-4-5 record, 2.37 GAA and .911 save percentage in 21 outings in 2025-26. Seattle has been middling with a 27-20-9 record and ranks 23rd in goals per game with 2.88.
VALUE PLAYS
Mavrik Bourque, DAL vs. SEA ($4,400): Bourque has 11 goals and 22 points in 57 appearances in 2025-26 while averaging 14:23 of ice time, including 1:00 with the man advantage. However, he could see his role increase dramatically while Mikko Rantanen (lower body) is unavailable, which would boost the 24-year-old Bourque's short-term value.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WAS vs. PHI ($3,600): Dubois missed 47 games due to an abdominal injury, but he returned for the final game before the Olympic break, supplying a goal and an assist. He had 20 goals and 66 points across 82 regular-season outings in 2024-25, so he could be a nice source of offense down the stretch if he stays healthy.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Jets at Canucks
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,100), Kyle Connor (W - $7,400), Alex Iafallo (W - $4,000)
The Canucks were in free fall before the break, going 1-14-3 while allowing an average of 4.11 goals per game. This team has no shortage of issues, and the break likely isn't going to be a cure-all, so tonight is a good time to take Jets forwards.
It helps that Winnipeg's duo of Connor and Scheifele have been great, supplying 64 and 68 points, respectively, across 56 appearances in 2025-26. Iafallo contrasts that with just nine goals and 20 points in 56 outings, but he has the benefit of being affordable if you want to round out the line. Alternatively, you could grab Gabriel Vilardi (W - $5,700), who has 21 goals and 50 points in 56 appearances. Vilardi should play alongside Connor and Scheifele on the top power-play unit.
Capitals vs. Flyers
Dylan Strome (C - $6,300), Alex Ovechkin (W - $6,000), Aliaksei Protas (W - $5,300)
Recommending lines for tonight is complicated by the quick turnover between the gold-medal game and resumption of the NHL season, which might lead to some star players from Team Canada and Team USA not participating in Wednesday's action, and even if they do, fatigue might be an issue after traveling from Italy.
By contrast, Ovechkin is well rested, which should be particularly beneficial for him at the age of 40. The all-time leading goal scorer is having another age-defying campaign with 22 goals and 48 points through 59 appearances. He'll be supported by Strome, who has 16 goals and 47 points in 57 outings. Protas is a step below his linemates in terms of offensive production, but his 19 goals and 38 points in 56 appearances are fine relative to his price.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM at ANA ($7,400): Bouchard wasn't part of Team Canada for the Winter Games, so the 26-year-old is well rested going into tonight's action. Although the Olympic team opted not to take him, he certainly has made plenty of fantasy managers happy with his 15 goals and 63 points through 58 appearances with the Oilers in 2025-26.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at NJD ($6,700): Team Sweden fell short in the Olympics, but Dahlin stepped up with a goal and five points through five outings. He was also red hot going into the Winter Games with four goals and 13 points across his past seven appearances with Buffalo.
Victor Hedman, TBL vs. TOR ($5,000): If you feel like taking a risk, Hedman has been limited to 21 outings with Tampa Bay in 2025-26, but he's one of the league's best offensive defensemen when fully healthy. The risk here is that he might not be 100 percent. Although Hedman is expected to play tonight, he spent Sweden's 2-1 overtime defeat to Team USA in the Olympic quarterfinals on the bench due to a lower-body injury, which is the latest issue in what's been an injury-riddled campaign for him.
