The World Series is taking a day off, but the NHL is gearing up for a busy night. There are 11 games on the docket with four starting at 7 p.m. ET (Buffalo at Boston, Calgary at Ottawa, Dallas at Tampa Bay, Nashville at Philadelphia), one at 7:30 p.m. (the Islanders at Carolina), three at 8 p.m. (Vancouver at St. Louis, Pittsburgh at Minnesota, Chicago at Winnipeg), one at 9 p.m. (the Rangers at Edmonton), one at 10 p.m. (New Jersey at San Jose) and one at 10:30 p.m. (Detroit at Los Angeles).
SLATE PREVIEW
All 22 teams playing Thursday are going into tonight's action after getting Wednesday off. The Islanders and Detroit are gearing up for the first half of a back-to-back set, which might influence those squads' lineup decisions tonight.
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark, OTT vs. CAL ($7,900): Ullmark has been inconsistent in 2025-26, recording a 4-4-1 record, 3.44 GAA and .858 save percentage across nine outings. He's a risk given that track record, but the 32-year-old is talented enough to bounce back. Thursday's game is an ideal opportunity for him. The Flames are 2-8-1 and rank last in goals per game with 2.09.
Dan Vladar, PHI vs. NAS ($7,800): Vladar has recorded no more than two goals in any game this season, resulting in a 3-2-0 record, 1.81 GAA and .932 save percentage in five appearances. Nashville is a favorable opponent for him – the Predators are tied for 29th in goals per game with 2.45.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CHI ($7,500): Hellebuyck has gotten off to a strong start to the campaign with a 2.26 GAA and a .926 save percentage in eight appearances. Hellebuyck's 5-3-0 record leaves a touch to be desired, but the Jets are a great team, so his record should end up being great this campaign – it wouldn't be surprising if he exceeds the 35-win milestone for the fourth consecutive regular season.
VALUE PLAYS
Jackson Blake, CAR vs. NYI ($4,900): Blake seems set to shatter his rookie finish of 34 points in 80 regular-season outings during the 2024-25 campaign. He already has two goals and seven points through nine appearances this year. His goal-scoring pace might pick up as the season progresses – his 6.9 shooting percentage is well below his 12.1 pace from a year prior.
Trevor Zegras, PHI vs. NAS ($4,800): Zegras is one of the top performers who costs under $5,000, supplying two goals and nine points through nine outings this year. He's been a steady contributor too, being held off the scoresheet just twice this season, and he's looked good on the man advantage with four power-play points.
Evander Kane, VAN at STL ($4,700): Taking Kane right now is one of the riskier bets, but he's certainly due for his first big night with Vancouver. He's been limited to four assists in 11 appearances this season, but what's really stood out to me is his complete lack of goals. Kane isn't an elite goal scorer but he is typically a steady one. It's not like he's gotten shy about firing the puck either. His 26 shots put his pace this season a bit below his average, but it's not a huge decline. He's also taken the most shots out of all forwards without a goal. A breakthrough is likely on the horizon.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Devils at Sharks
Jack Hughes (C - $7,900), Jesper Bratt (W - $7,300), Ondrej Palat (W - $3,900)
The Sharks have struggled to keep the puck out of their net this season, allowing a league-worst 4.60 goals per game, so now seems like an ideal time to take New Jersey skaters. That said, Hughes would be a nice forward to grab even if the opposition wasn't favorable. He has an outstanding nine goals as well as five assists through 10 appearances this year, including three goals and five points across his active three-game scoring streak. Bratt is a good complement to him with his four goals and 12 points in 10 outings this year.
You might want to skip Palat, however. He has just one point (an assist) through 10 outings, and his best regular-season output over the previous three seasons was 31 points in 2023-24. If you can afford the difference, Timo Meier (W - $6,500) is a far better option. Meier has three goals and nine points through 10 outings this year. He won't play with Hughes and Bratt at even strength, but the three should share the ice with the man advantage.
Penguins at Wild
Sidney Crosby (C - $6,700), Bryan Rust (W - $5,600), Filip Hallander (W - $3,400)
Age doesn't seem to have slowed Crosby. The 38-year-old already has eight goals and 15 points in 11 appearances this year and has managed to find the back of the net in six of his past seven outings. Meanwhile, Rust is red hot, recording three goals and six points over his past four outings. The 33-year-old Rust missed the first two games of the campaign and was slow to get going once he returned, but that's well behind him now.
The 25-year-old rookie Hallander has been comparatively quiet with a goal and four points through 10 appearances. However, he's recorded an assist in each of his past two outings, so he might be worth taking a chance on given his favorable assignment and low price point.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. NYR ($6,300): Maybe it was the added pressure that came with his new four-year, $42 million contract, maybe it was some initial trouble finding his rhythm or maybe it was just bad luck, but whatever the case, Bouchard opened the campaign with a six-game point drought. For other blueliners, that wouldn't be a big deal, but so much of Bouchard's value relies on his offensive production. Fortunately, that initial slump is well behind him now. The 26-year-old has a goal and six assists across his active five-game scoring streak.
Jake Sanderson, OTT vs. CAL ($6,100): Sanderson took a big step forward during the 2024-25 regular season by recording 57 points in 80 appearances, and he might best that career high this year. The 23-year-old already has two goals and 10 points through 11 outings, including six points with the man advantage.
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. CHI ($5,600): Morrissey will enter tonight's action on a three-game scoring streak. He's collected six helpers over that stretch, bringing him up to eight assists in 10 appearances this year. Although Morrissey was off to a slow start before his active point streak, he's a good candidate to surpass the 60-point mark for the fourth straight regular season.
Erik Karlsson, PIT at MIN ($3,000): Karlsson might not be the absolute best offensive defenseman anymore, but even at the age of 35, he's still a fantastic blueliner, which makes his current price point a steal. He has nine assists through 11 appearances this campaign. He's been limited to one helper with the man advantage, but he's averaging 2:50 of power-play ice time, so he should see an increased pace of production in that area as the campaign progresses.
