This is the third day of the regular season, but it's our first "big" day. There are 14 games on the docket, spread out between starts at 7:00 p.m. ET (Chicago at Boston, the Rangers at Buffalo, Montreal at Detroit, Ottawa at Tampa Bay, Philadelphia at Florida, the Islanders at Pittsburgh), 7:30 p.m. (New Jersey at Carolina), 8 p.m. (Minnesota at St. Louis, Columbus at Nashville, Dallas at Winnipeg), 9 p.m. (Utah at Colorado) and 10 p.m. (Calgary at Vancouver, Vegas at San Jose, Anaheim at Seattle). That gives us plenty of roster options to comb through.
SLATE PREVIEW
With so many games scheduled, it should come as no surprise that some teams are playing in the second half of a back-to-back. Montreal, Boston, Calgary and Vegas might all feel some fatigue after also playing Wednesday. There aren't any teams in the opening part of a back-to-back because no games are scheduled for Friday.
GOALIES
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. PHI ($7,800): Bobrovsky stopped 17 of 19 shots en route to a 3-2 victory against Chicago on Tuesday, and it wouldn't be surprising if he improved to 2-0-0 after this clash. Philadelphia had a 33-39-10 record while ranking 24th in goals per game with 2.83, and this could be another rough season for the Flyers.
Scott Wedgewood, COL vs. UTA ($7,700): The Avalanche are leaning on Wedgewood because Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) is on the shelf, but that's an okay position for Colorado to be in in the short term. Wedgewood has found success with the Avalanche, posting a 13-4-1 record, 1.99 GAA and .917 save percentage across 19 regular-season appearances with them last year after being acquired by Nashville, and the netminder continued that success in Colorado's season opener Tuesday by turning aside 24 of 25 shots en route to a 4-1 win over LA.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. CAL ($6,600): It's surprising to see Demko this cheap. It's true that he had a 10-8-3 record, 2.90 GAA and .889 save percentage across 23 appearances with Vancouver in 2024-25, but his campaign was plagued by injuries. He's healthy going into 2025-26, which is more than could be said for last year, and he's a prime bounce-back candidate. If he performs anything like he did in 2023-24 (2.45 GAA, .918 save percentage), he won't stay this affordable for long.
VALUE PLAYS
Evgeni Malkin, PIT vs. NYI ($5,000): Malkin isn't the player he once was, hence his low price, but he still has something left in the tank. He still serves in a top-six capacity and features prominently on the power play. Malkin got two assists in Pittsburgh's season opener against the Rangers, and it wouldn't be surprising if that's the beginning of a strong start to the campaign for the veteran forward.
Elias Lindholm, BOS vs. CHI ($5,000): Lindholm got off to an encouraging start to the campaign by supplying a goal and an assist en route to Boston's 3-1 win over Washington on Wednesday. He's fallen short of the 50-point mark in each of the previous two regular seasons, but Lindholm has shown in the past that he's capable of more. Boston will give him every chance to rebound by positioning him on the top line and first power-play unit. Against a rebuilding squad like Chicago, he should do well.
Ivan Barbashev, VGK at SJS ($4,900): The first outing of Barbashev with Jack Eichel ($7,600) and Mitch Marner ($7,300) went well. While Vegas did lose its season opener against LA, Barbashev finished that came with a goal and an assist, with both Eichel and Marner also factoring in on each of those scores. You could consider taking the full line, but if you don't feel like doing that, Barbashev gives you some low-cost exposure to that extremely talented unit.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Mammoth
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $8,500), Martin Necas (W - $6,500), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $5,600)
MacKinnon figures to once again be among the league's offensive leaders this season, and he got off on the right foot by supplying two assists in Colorado's opener Tuesday. His linemates, who are good in their own right, got in on the action with Necas scoring two goals while Lehkonen recorded a goal and an assist.
They're certainly not a cheap trio, but they're a group that's well worth the investment.
Wild at Blues
Marco Rossi (C - $4,000), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $8,000), Matt Boldy (W - $6,800)
Minnesota's season opener might be a bit of a statement game for Kaprizov, who is playing on a freshly inked eight-year, $136 million contract. That's the biggest deal in the league, and it'll remain so for now after Connor McDavid passed on the opportunity to surpass it when he signed his team-friendly two-year, $25 million contract.
Kaprizov was limited to 41 regular-season games in 2024-25 due to injury, but he was fantastic when healthy, supplying 25 goals and 56 points. It would not be the least bit surprising to see him exceed the 50-goal and 100-point milestones this year, provided he stays healthy.
Rossi and Boldy are solid linemates for him. Rossi had 24 goals and 60 points during the 2024-25 regular season, and he might do even better this year at the age of 24. Kaprizov is the best player on this line, but Rossi might be the best value.
Boldy is another strong add after scoring 27 goals and 73 points across 82 regular-season appearances. He's also 24 years old, so it's plausible that we haven't seen his peak either.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. UTA ($7,000): Makar is almost always going to be a good grab. He had two assists, including one with the man advantage, in Colorado's 4-1 win over the Kings to begin the season, and Makar is likely to be a steady contributor throughout the campaign. The 26-year-old is looking to reach the 90-point mark for the third straight regular season.
Shea Theodore, VGK at SJS ($6,100): Theodore was held off the scoresheet in Vegas' season opener Wednesday, but I don't expect that to be a regular occurrence, so I'm recommending him again tonight. It helps that Vegas is up against the Sharks, who might take a meaningful step forward this year but still don't look impressive defensively. San Jose ranked last in goals allowed per game in 2024-25 with 3.78.
Tony DeAngelo, NYI at PIT ($5,500): DeAngelo has his flaws, but generating offense isn't one of them. When the Islanders took a chance on him during the 2024-25 campaign, he was able to score four goals and 19 points across 35 appearances. DeAngelo is projected to serve in a top-four capacity and on the first power-play unit, so it wouldn't be surprising if he exceeds the 40-point milestone this year.
