This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sandwiched between a 12-game slate yesterday and another 12 contests Thursday, we have an exceptionally light night ahead of us. The Rangers will host the Blue Jackets at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the only other action of the night will be the Blues playing in Edmonton at 8:30. There's not much to choose from, but I still have some recommendations that might help.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Blues played Tuesday in Winnipeg, so they might be fighting fatigue as well as the Oilers tonight. The other three teams featured Wednesday are rested, but Columbus also has a contest Thursday, which might factor into the squad's lineup decisions.
GOALIE
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. CLM ($8,400): Shesterkin has looked great recently, winning his last six starts while stopping 212 of 223 shots (.951 save percentage). He's having a somewhat rough campaign overall by his standards, posting a 25-12-1 record, 2.70 GAA and .909 save percentage across 38 games, but the 28-year-old is a top-tier goaltender, so his latest rebound has the potential to morph into a strong finish to the season.
VALUE PLAY
Brandon Saad, STL at EDM ($4,000): Saad has been held off the scoresheet just once over his past six games, providing four goals and five points in that span. While his 17 goals and 26 points through 58 contests in 2023-24 is nothing to get excited about, he's still worthy of selection while he's hot, especially on a night with limited options.
Mattias Janmark, EDM vs. STL ($3,700): Janmark has four goals and 10 points through 45 outings this season, so he hasn't been much of an offensive force, but the 31-year-old is enjoying a strong stretch with three goals and four points over his past five games. He typically serves in a bottom-six capacity but is projected to play on the second line Wednesday alongside Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, which bolsters his value.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Oilers vs. Blues
Connor McDavid (C - $10,100), Leon Draisaitl (C - $9,300), Zach Hyman (W - $8,800)
Edmonton is projected to use McDavid and Draisaitl together at even strength tonight, which makes for a scary combination. McDavid is going into Wednesday's action on a seven-game scoring streak in which he's registered 14 assists, bringing him up to 21 goals and 91 points across 54 outings this year. Draisaitl has been rolling too with five goals and 13 points over his past eight appearances. The 28-year-old is up to 29 markers and 73 points through 56 games in 2023-24.
Hyman isn't a superstar like his projected linemates, but he's great at collecting goals when working alongside high-end talent. He already has 38 tallies through 55 contests this season, including an incredible 12 goals over his last 16 outings.
If you need a winger to compensate for this unit featuring two centers, then you could consider Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $7,600), who has four goals and eight points over his last seven games as well as 16 markers and 52 points in 55 contests this year. Nugent-Hopkins is also projected to feature on the first power-play unit alongside McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, Edm vs. STL ($7,500): Easily the hottest defenseman available tonight, Bouchard has four goals and 12 points over his past eight appearances. He's one of the league's top blueliners with 15 markers and 56 points in 56 outings this campaign.
Ivan Provorov, CLM at NYR ($4,700): When I'm recommending a goaltender, I try to avoid highlighting skaters from the opposing team, but on a night like this, that's not always practical. There aren't many defensive options I like tonight, especially in the discount range, but Provorov is at the start of what could be a hot streak with a goal and an assist over his past two contests, and he's been decent overall, providing five goals and 26 points through 57 games.
