This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Wednesdays can be light days in the NHL, but the five games we have this week is not too shabby in terms of providing DFS options. The All-Star break is closing in, but before that breather we have some hockey action to enjoy, and some DFS lineups to set. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There is only one team on a back-to-back Wednesday, and that is the Canucks. They are on the road in Seattle. Vancouver has a new head coach, but has been terrible defensively all season, so Rick Tocchet or not, this is a matchup that provides a lot of opportunity as far as I am concerned.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at OTT ($8,000): Sorokin would probably like to face fewer shots, but he's held his own regardless. The Russian netminder has a 2.44 GAA and .922 save percentage. Ottawa does put a lot of pucks on net, but has averaged 2.87 goals per game, which ranks a mere 25th in the NHL.
Stuart Skinner, EDM vs. CLM ($7,700): Skinner has faced a lot of shots, but his Oilers teammates have scored goals at the third-best pace in the league, so at least he has to be happy with his offensive support. Plus, Skinner is usually able to manage in net, as he's managed a .915 save percentage. Columbus scores and allows goals at a bottom-five level, so Skinner should be able to cruise to a win Wednesday at the very least.
VALUE PLAYS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. CLM ($8,400): The Oilers are as top heavy as any team, but that doesn't mean you can't find some fantasy value. Nugent-Hopkins, for example, has 57 points in 48 games, including 29 points on the power play. Spending time on the ice with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is never a bad thing. The Jackets have a 3.89 GAA and have given up 35.1 shots on net per contest, so this matchup is one to target even if you can't really bargain hunt with the Oilers.
Boone Jenner, CLM at EDM ($7,000): There are a few top goalies and elite defenses in action Wednesday, so those matchups are to be avoided. The Oilers, at the very least, have a defense that has allowed 32.1 shots on net per contest. Jenner had racked up 113 shots on goal through 36 games, and he has a goal in each of his last two games.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Kraken vs. Canucks
Matty Beniers (C - $6,500), Jordan Eberle (W - $6,300), Daniel Sprong (W - $6,100)
This is the current layout of Seattle's top line, and interestingly all three guy have been playing on the top power-play unit as well. The Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill for the second season in a row, and they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Even if Bruce Boudreau is gone, the players on the ice remain the same.
Beniers has been held without a point for four games in a row, but prior to that he had multiple points in five out of seven contests. The rookie has 36 points in 46 contests, so I imagine he can get back on track in a matchup like this. Eberle has scored 10 goals on exactly 100 shots on net, but he also has 25 assists to his name. He also has eight points in his last 10 contests. Sprong has actually been the best of these three guys on the power play. He has five goals and five assists with the extra man, even though he hasn't spent all season on the top power-play unit.
Islanders at Senators
Brock Nelson (C - $7,300), Anders Lee (W - $6,600), Kyle Palmieri (W - $4,900)
The Senators have a 3.30 GAA and have given up 31.7 shots on net per contest, but somehow things feel worse there. That probably comes down to the goaltending recently. Cam Talbot has a .905 save percentage, but he's actually been better than Anton Forsberg. Over his last 10 outings, Talbot has a 3.57 GAA and .884 save percentage. Right now, the Senators are looking like a favorable matchup, so I am looking toward the Islanders' second line.
Nelson has a three-game point streak, giving him 42 points through 49 games. He also has 17 goals even though his 12.1 shooting percentage is below his career percentage of 14.0. Lee has 17 goals off of 134 shots on net, including two goals in his last game. Over the last month he has seven goals and three assists in 16 contests. Palmieri just returned from injured reserve, but he got right to it, picking up an assist and three shots on net. He has 10 points in 22 games this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. VAN ($6,200): Dunn has averaged 2:42 per game on the power play and notched nine points with the extra man, so clearly I want him against the league's worst penalty kill. However, Dunn has managed 16 points over his last 13 games even though only two of them have come with the extra man. That's just another reason to be glad to have Dunn in your lineup against the Canucks.
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. CLM ($6,100): While the Blue Jackets have been mediocre, instead of bad, on the penalty kill, I still like Barrie in this matchup. He's averaged 3:20 per contest with the extra man and has tallied 21 of his 32 points with the extra man. Edmonton has the league's best power play. I am not afraid of a penalty kill just because it is merely below average instead of terrible.
