We have three games ahead of us tonight as the first round continues Wednesday, so let's take a closer look at some of the best options available.
SLATE PREVIEW
Edmonton (-182) is regarded as a clear favorite over Anaheim (+150) going into Game 2, per FanDuel's moneyline. The Oilers earned a narrow 4-3 win against the Ducks on Monday, but Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet in that contest. It's rare to see Edmonton win without McDavid chipping in offensively, and it's fair to say the Oilers' fortunes won't be great in this series if Anaheim is able to successfully shut down McDavid.
Minnesota (minus-132) and Philadelphia (minus-118) are regarded as mild favorites over Dallas (plus-110) and Pittsburgh (minus-102), respectively. The pressure is on the Penguins to win tonight or fall behind 3-0, while the Minnesota-Dallas series is tied at 1-1.
GOALIES
Connor Ingram, EDM vs. ANA ($7,800): I don't love selecting Ingram, who was underwhelming during the regular season with his 16-10-3 record, 2.60 GAA and .899 save percentage in 32 appearances. Still, I do agree with the moneyline that Edmonton is the biggest favorite among tonight's matchups, so Ingram is your best chance at a win among the limited options.
Jesper Wallstedt, MIN vs. DAL ($7,600): Wallstedt is off to a strong start in the playoffs, going 1-1 while stopping 55 of 59 shots (.932 save percentage). With the series heading to Minnesota, I expect the Wild to have a strong game and take the series edge. Wallstedt was 18-9-6 with a 2.61 GAA and a .915 save percentage across 35 regular-season outings.
VALUE PLAYS
Porter Martone, PHI vs. PIT ($5,100): Martone is having a series to remember after scoring the game-winning goal in back-to-back playoff outings. He also had an incredible four goals and nine points across his final six regular-season appearances of 2025-26, so Martone is red hot going into Wednesday's action.
Vasily Podkolzin, EDM vs. ANA ($4,700): Podkolzin picked up two assists in Game 1 to help fuel Edmonton's victory, which was led by unusual sources of offense. Podkolzin pulled his weight offensively during the 2025 playoffs as well, providing three goals and 10 points across 22 appearances. He also set career highs during the 2025-26 regular season with 19 goals and 37 points across 82 outings. It also helps that he's projected to play alongside Leon Draisaitl ($7,800) on Wednesday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild vs. Stars
Ryan Hartman (C - $6,100), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $7,700), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $5,000)
Kaprizov has gotten off to a strong start in the 2026 playoffs with a goal and four points across two outings. It wouldn't be surprising if he has his best game yet with the series heading to Minnesota. His linemates are less impressive, but Hartman did have a goal and an assist in Game 1, and Tarasenko finished the regular season with a solid 23 goals and 47 points across 75 appearances, so it's worth taking the whole line if you agree that Kaprizov is likely to have a good night.
Penguins at Flyers
Sidney Crosby (C - $6,800), Bryan Rust (W - $6,800), Egor Chinakhov (W - $5,200)
It would make a lot of sense to go with Edmonton's top line of Connor McDavid (C - $8,100), Zach Hyman (W - $6,400) and Matt Savoie (W - $4,800). Even though that unit was held off the scoresheet in Game 1, McDavid is rarely contained for long. That's the logical pick. Recommending the Crosby line is more of a feels selection.
While the 2026 playoffs aren't expected to be the end of the road for Crosby, there's no guarantee that the long-time trio of him, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will still be together for 2026-27. Against that backdrop, and with a 2-0 series deficit, I don't think Crosby is going to go down against his long-time rivals, the Flyers, without putting up more of a fight. I suspect Crosby is going to have a bounce-back performance after failing to record a point over the opening two games of this series, and I think his linemates will reap the benefits of that big night.
Crosby certainly showed that he has something left in the tank during the regular season, finishing with 29 goals and 74 points across 68 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. ANA ($7,000): Bouchard was the best defenseman offensively during the 2025-26 regular season, finishing with 21 goals and 95 points across 82 outings. He was held off the scoresheet in Game 1 of the first round, but he should still go on to have an impactful series against the Ducks.
Brock Faber, MIN vs. DAL ($6,000): Faber collected a pair of goals in Game 2 after registering an assist in the first-round series opener. He also finished the regular season with career highs in goals (15) and points (51) across 80 outings.
