This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
As we near March, we have a light Wednesday for the NHL. Of course, that's the norm. There are three games on the slate, with the first starting at 7 p.m. ET. It's a fine opportunity for some DFS success nevertheless. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
No team is on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Canucks and Jets are on the first leg, but given the matchups on both days for both teams, I'm expecting the No. 1 netminder to tend goal on both fronts.
GOALIES
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL vs. NJD ($8,200): Blackwood faces his first NHL team in a good place. Since being moved to the Avalanche, he's posted a 2.17 GAA and .921 save percentage. These teams are fairly even offensively, but Colorado is slightly better, and Colorado is also at home. I like Blackwood's chances of scoring a win against his former team Wednesday.
Darcy Kuemper, LOS vs. VAN ($7,800): It's not surprising that the Canucks have fallen into the bottom 10 in goals per game, as they were fighting regression toward the mean for a long time. Vancouver has managed a mere 25.5 shots on net per contest. Los Angeles has only allowed, hey, 25.5 shots on net per game. So I guess we can expect Kuemper, who has a .917 save percentage, to face 25-and-a-half shots Wednesday night, a workload he can handle at home.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Artturi Lehkonen, COL vs. NJD ($6,200): Leading up to the 4 Nations break, which was not a break for Finland's Lehkonen, the winger had five goals and two assists in eight games. Since returning to NHL action, he has an assist and four shots on net through two contests. Skating next to Nathan MacKinnon is also, obviously, the place one wants to be on this team. Jake Allen is the lead goalie for the Devils with Jacob Markstrom out. He does have three shutouts in his last eight games, but he's allowed three goals in each of the other five games. Also, he has a .900 save percentage over the last five seasons.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Kings vs. Canucks
Quinton Byfield (C - $5,800), Kevin Fiala (W - $6,800), Alex Laferriere (W - $4,900)
While this is the Kings' third line, it's more like a traditional second line, while the Kings' second line is more akin to a third line. Logistical designations aside, all three of these Los Angeles skaters have been in good form as of late. Kevin Lankinen does have a 2.52 GAA, but he also has a .907 save percentage. The 29-year-old has a career .905 save percentage, so it's really just about getting shots on him. I'll take a shot on these three doing that given the options available.
Byfield just had four assists against the Golden Knights, and he put three shots on net as well. Though he doesn't have a goal in his last eight games, he has three outings with multiple assists in his last six contests, and also three games with at least three shots on target. Fiala has been on fire, tallying nine goals and seven assists in his last 14 games. He's also a prolific shooter of the puck and has tallied 161 shots on goal through 54 contests. If anybody is going to get a few pucks on Lankinen, it's Fiala. Since returning from a brief absence, Laferriere has five points in 10 games. He's notably been shooting a lot more as well, tallying 29 shots on net over his last eight outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG at OTT ($5,800): Morrissey returned from his illness to score a goal and put four shots on net in the Jets' last game. He now has 47 points on the season, including 18 with the extra man. Morrissey's success with the extra man (which goes back four seasons now) is encouraging here, as the Senators have a below-average penalty kill.
Devon Toews, COL vs. NJD ($5,300): The dynamic duo of Toews and Cale Makar are back at it. Sure, Toews is very much the Robin to Makar's Batman, but he has 28 points through 55 games and has been a 50-point player in each of the prior three campaigns. Toews also scored a goal and put four shots on net in Colorado's last game. The Devils do have a top-five penalty kill, so the fact zero of Toews' points have come with the extra man is actually a point in his favor.
