Good day, all! I didn't play any DFS lineups last night on the short slate, but I did catch the second and third periods of a very entertaining matchup between the Habs and Sens. Sometimes it's not the worst thing to take a night off — but you guys know I'm right back to the grind today.

We had a 13-gamer on Tuesday and a 14-gamer tonight. These big slates can be tough to navigate, but there are a few spots that I think could be optimal heading into this one.

Slate Preview

St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes

I'm not saying you need to full-on game stack this one, but there's definitely merit in playing either side, starting with St. Louis. The appeal begins with that top-line price of $14,000 (including Robert Thomas for now). At that number, you can comfortably pair a Blues top line that's been rolling with options like the Buffalo second line plus Rasmus Dahlin, the Edmonton second line with Evan Bouchard, or even a two-man Alex DeBrincat–Patrick Kane combo in a solid matchup. The Blues also might be catching Carolina at the right time. Over their last four games, the Hurricanes have allowed three goals three times and five goals once, despite giving up just 22.8 shots per game. St. Louis could be a sneaky, interesting road play tonight.

On the Carolina side, as shaky as the defense has been, the offense is absolutely humming. Over their last four, they're averaging five goals per game and 34.3 shots on goal. They havea fully correlated Sebastian Aho topline , and of course my DFS darling Logan Stankoven second line. The Blues have played well since the break, but the travel is starting to stack up: a West Coast trip, back home for that bizarre loss to the Islanders, and now right back on the road to Carolina. I fly from the Midwest to the Carolinas often — it's not a tough trip, but it does add up. It's another small checkmark in favor of the Canes at home. For me, I lean toward either of the top two Carolina lines, but on a slate this big, I can absolutely get behind dropping to the third line if you need the salary relief.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On a slate this large, things are going to get uncomfortable, which brings me to Pittsburgh. I have a personal rule about not stacking the Penguins — mostly because I've been burned one too many times. Sure, that might stem from an old Jake Guentzel–Sidney Crosby–Conor Sheary line falling flat, but maybe it's time to make amends. While Vegas doesn't take many penalties, Pittsburgh has been drawing plenty over the past month, and that's where they could slip through the cracks tonight. Add in Adin Hill's –6.26 goals saved above average over the past month, and suddenly this fully correlated top trio — Egor Chinakhov ($4,200), Rickard Rakell ($5,500), Bryan Rust ($4,200) — becomes very playable. We also just watched these teams meet two Sundays ago, when Pittsburgh absolutely waxed the Golden Knights 5–0. That's not nothing. I'm planning to build a couple of lineups tonight, and Pittsburgh is firmly in consideration as a lower‑rostered tournament play.

Nashville Predators

For whatever reason, when I scroll through tournament results, the Predators — and occasionally the Senators — always seem to carry higher roster percentages. I can't fully explain it, but it's usually enough for me to steer clear. That said… this is Vancouver we're talking about, and Nashville is rolling out a fully correlated top line tonight. It's a big slate with plenty of ways to build unique lineups, but I kept coming back to Nashville against a Canucks team that's 1–6–3 in their last ten with a –73 goal differential. For context, the next closest team (St. Louis) sits at –47. If you play DFS regularly, you already know that stacking against Vancouver has been a profitable approach, and in single‑entry, I might look for ways to pivot off what could become a popular spot. That said, in multi‑entry builds, a Predators stack makes plenty of sense in case they go off tonight.

Edmonton Oilers

I wanted to add one more spot tonight given the size of this slate, and that led me to Edmonton. It's a so‑so matchup on the road against Dallas for sure but the Edmonton offense has been good lately. In the Oilerslast eight games —nearly 28 shots per night and two games with 4+ goals —the give and take here is that the Stars have done an excellent job limiting shots and have already beaten Edmonton twice this season. What draws me in is the flexibility of stacks you can build around this team. Connor McDavid ($9,700) and Evan Bouchard ($6,500) both come in riding eight‑game point streaks, and you can turn that into a pricier stack by adding Leon Draisaitl ($8,700) while still having plenty of filler options on a slate this large. It's tough to play Edmonton without McDavid, but if you do go that route, a full second‑line stack —Draisaitl, Jack Roslovic ($2,900), and Vasily Podkolzin ($2,600) —openssome fun possibilities. For example, you can pair them with Colorado-1 against Seattle. Yes, the Avs struggled in Seattle back in December, but this is still the Avalanche top line we're talking about. You'll have to punt defense and goalie to make it work, but even in single‑entry, I feel pretty good about a Draisaitl line paired with Colorado's top unit.

Defense

For me, I don't think you need to spend more than $7K on defense tonight. Rasmus Dahlin ($6,700) and Evan Bouchard ($6,500) both have 12 points over the past month, making them strong upper‑tier options. Miro Heiskanen ($5,800) is a solid play, and Josh Morrissey ($5,600) gives you another reliable mid‑range choice. In the $4K range, Vince Dunn stands out — he's posted multi‑point games in three straight and offers a nice pivot off the pricier defensemen if you need to save salary. For cheaper options, I like Sam Malinski for Colorado — he's been doing a lot for that team lately — and Jeremy Lauzon ($2,500) if you're hunting for blocks.

Goalies

I only have four goaltenders on my list for tonight, starting with Jesper Wallstedt($8,400),drawinga Flyers team that struggles on the power play, giving him a real shot at a strong outing. I had Connor Hellebuyck circled yesterday, but only if he came in under $8K at home. At $8,300, he's still a perfectly fine play, but that price might be a touch too steep for me. If Anthony Stolarz ($7,800) gets the start, I can get behind him in multi‑entry builds. Toronto has been sputtering, but Stolarz has been steady enough that if he lands in one of my lineups, I'm comfortable with it. Right now, I'm leaning toward a Carolina-heavy approach, but if I pivot off the Canes and need a budget goalie to make an expensive stack work, Jordan Binningtonbecomes a viable salary‑saving option.

That's it for now, best of luck tonight!

For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.