This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are nine games taking place in the NHL on Wednesday, starting at the usual time of 7:00 p.m. EDT. Tuesday was an unusual day in the league, as all five games were the second legs of a back-to-back. Of course, since the NHL doesn't do three games in three days, even in a compressed season like this, you know there are no teams on a back-to-back Wednesday. We've got rested teams, some good offenses, some questionable defenses, and all these recommendations...
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NAS at CLM ($7,600): Saros has had to carry the Predators at time this season, but he's been able to handle his business most of the time. The 26-year-old has a 230 GAA and .928 save percentage in 34 outings. Columbus has been collapsing down the stretch and has nothing to play for now. The Jackets have scored 2.32 goals per game, but in April they were down to 1.93.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. WPG ($7,500): Markstrom has been up-and-down this year, but recently he's been red hot for the Flames. The Swede has a 1.72 GAA and .930 save percentage in his last 10 starts. Meanwhile, the Jets have been reeling recently, having lost seven games in a row. A hot goalie against a struggling team? I like that math.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. ANA ($7,300): Remember when Binnington wowed us as a rookie and helped lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup? The netminder has never quite been able to live up to that. That being said, a 2.68 GAA and .910 save percentage aren't terrible. Plus, Binnington has looked better recently, as he has a 2.45 GAA and .923 save percentage. Also, being at home against the Ducks is a good place to be, as the Ducks have managed a mere 2.19 goals per contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mark Stone, VGK at MIN ($7,800): Stone is absolutely tearing it up. He's had a multi-point game in seven of his last 11 contests. Stone has been so incredible he's practically matchup proof and one of those players where you don't worry about salary so much. On top of that, though, I wanted to recommend Stone because this matchup might not be as daunting as you would imagine. Cam Talbot has a 4.62 GAA and .835 save percentage over his last three starts. Stone might be catching him at a good time.
David Perron, STL vs. ANA ($6,300): Perron has a five-game point streak and has notched 50 points in 50 games. At this point it's no fluke, and Perron is maybe one of those guys now that we all call underrated so much it's basically impossible for him to actually be underrated. However you rate him, his skills are clear, and so is the fact the Ducks have a 3.15 GAA.
Michael Bunting, ARI vs. LOS ($3,500): In limited action with the Coyotes, Bunting has started a whopping 71.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. He's also on Arizona's top line and has tallied nine goals in only 18 contests. Jonathan Quick got banged up Monday, so Cal Petersen will likely be in net. However, recently that hasn't been a good thing for the Kings. Over his last 10 games he has a 3.58 GAA and .858 save percentage.
Joonas Donskoi, COL at SAN ($3,400): Donskoi has had trouble scoring recently, but he's been getting a ton of power-play time that will hopefully snap him out of it. Over his last 10 games he's averaged 4:16 with the extra man. The Sharks have a 3.42 GAA, highest of any team in action Wednesday, so if Donskoi is going to get back on track this could be the day.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Predators at Blue Jackets: Ryan Johansen (C – ($4,700), Filip Forsberg (W - $7,300), Eeli Tolvanen (W - $4,800)
I mentioned earlier the Jackets have been collapsing down the stretch, and they basically waved the white flag at the trade deadline. That is true both on offense and on defense. The Blue Jackets have a 3.26 GAA and have allowed 32.3 shots on net per contest. In April, they had a 3.71 GAA and gave up 34.0 shots on goal per game. Johansen hasn't had the best season, but he has Forsberg back on his wing now. He also had two points in his last game, which happened to come against Columbus. You know who also had two points in that game? Forsberg, who has put 123 shots on goal in 36 contests. Tolvanan is a bit of a post-hype sleeper as well, as the former touted prospect has 22 points in 37 games, including 12 with the extra man.
Canadiens at Senators: Nick Suzuki (C - $4,900), Tyler Toffoli (W - $6,900), Joel Armia (W - $3,600)
The Senators have been defensive sieves for a few years now. They had one of the highest GAAs last year and had the highest GAA for most of this year. A couple teams have passed them now, but a 3.40 GAA is far from impressive. This is still a strong matchup for the Habs, and I am going with their second line here. Suzuki's sophomore season has built off an under-the-radar rookie campaign nicely. He's averaged 18:07 in ice time and he's got a six-game point streak going on which includes two games with three points. The bit early in the year was that Toffoli was only beating up on his former team the Canucks, but he's scored a goal in seven of his last eight contests, and none of them have been against the Cancuks. That gives him 28 goals on the season. Armia is, perhaps, not on the same level, but getting moved up to the second line means more opportunity. He's averaged 16:25 in ice time over his last seven games, and he's been moved onto the power play for his last three outings, which really boosts his potential value.
DEFENSE
Cale Makar, COL at SAN ($5,800): Makar has already become a proven commodity, as he has 39 points in 38 games after having 50 points in 57 as a rookie. Yes, the Avalanche make it easy for him to get points. He's started 62.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, more that the vast majority of forwards, and has averaged 4:25 per game with the extra man. Makar has a three-game point streak, and all those games happened to come against the Sharks. I can easily see that become a four-game streak.
Jeff Petry, MON at OTT ($5,400): The Senators have a 3.40 GAA, so why not add a defenseman to your line stack? Petry has 40 points for the fourth season as a row, and he's hot right now. The 33-year-old has a five-game point streak, and he's even picked it up from there. Two games ago he had two points, and in his last game he notched three points versus the Maple Leafs.
Ryan Ellis, NAS at CLM ($4,400): Ellis is back, and he's started 57.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, effectively tying him for third on the team on that front. Since returning from his lengthy absence, the blue liner has eight points and 28 shots on goal in 12 games. He also contributes on the other end of the ice with 23 blocked shows. As I mentioned earlier, the Blue Jackets had a 3.71 GAA in April, and it's not like they were playing particularly well before that. On the season they have a .904 save percentage.
Alex Goligoski, ARI vs. LOS ($3,900): Jakob Chychrun is now the star for the Arizona defense, but Goligoski gets to play with him on the team's top pairing. He's averaged 23:02 in ice time and seems to benefit from playing with an offensive star. Goligoski actually has eight points in his last 11 games, and he's active in the defensive zone as well with 102 blocks in 53 contests. With Cal Petersen's struggles recently (.858 save percentage in his last 10 games) this is a chance to save some salary but get a defenseman with upside.
