This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are five NHL games on the slate for the final Wednesday of January. For a Wednesday, that's a solid number of matchups. The first pucks drop at 7:00 p.m. ET. Here are my NHL DFS recommendations to help you maximize your lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
Zero teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Three teams are on the first leg, but both Flyers goalies are bad and the Kings have maybe the best defense in the NHL. The Wild going with Marc-Andre Fleury on Wednesday and saving Filip Gustavsson for Thursday might mean something, though I don't necessarily envision that happening.
GOALIES
Karel Vejmelka, UTA vs. PIT ($7,900): There's a good chance Vejmelka gets the win. He's at home, and the Penguins have a 3.60 GAA. Beyond that, the Czech goalie could have strong numbers himself. Vejmelka has a 2.47 GAA and a .912 save percentage on the year. The Penguins are only slightly below NHL average at 2.88 goals per game, but with Evgeni Malkin out, the team takes a hit on the offensive front.
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. VAN ($7,800): Sure, the Predators have averaged 2.69 goals per contest, but they started the year very slow offensively and so that represents a recent uptick in offense. Also, Thatcher Demko has a .867 save percentage since returning from injury. The Canucks are headed the other way in terms of goals per game, as they are now down to 2.84. That's because they've managed a mere 25.4 shots on net per contest. Thus, I'll take Saros at home.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jonathan Marchessault, NSH vs. VAN ($6,300): I mentioned Nashville improving offensively, and Demko having a .867 save percentage, so it only makes sense to look to the team from the Music City. Though Marchessault had a 10-game point streak end in Nashville's last game, he put eight shots on net. He's still in the groove. I would not be surprised to see him back on the score sheet yet again. He's been held without a point only twice in his last 20 contests.
Timo Meier, NJD vs. PHI ($5,900): Meier just scored his first goal in 12 games. While he was held without a goal for a minute there, he had six assists in that time. He has 15 goals on the season. Scoring on the Flyers has proven quite easy, as they have a 3.33 GAA on the campaign.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Hockey Club vs. Penguins
Logan Cooley (C - $5,400), Clayton Keller (W - $6,500), Nick Schmaltz (W - $5,000)
As previously mentioned, the Penguins have a 3.60 GAA. Only the Sharks, with a 3.62 GAA, are worse. That puts Pittsburgh in undesirable company from a defensive perspective, especially since no other team is even sitting above 3.50 GAA at this point in the season. With Dylan Guenther out, Utah's top line is the clear choice for a stack.
Cooley has taken a real step forward in his sophomore season. He had 44 points as a rookie and has 42 points through 49 games this year. Though Cooley has been held without a point for three games after a five-game point streak, he's put 11 shots on net across that trio of outings. Keller's point streak remains extant and is now up to seven contests. That has him up to 54 points in 48 games. Meanwhile, Schmaltz just had an eight-game point streak end. He has 39 points this season, but his 9.3 shooting percentage gives him more room for improvement. I'll also note these three guys are all on Utah's top power-play unit.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton, NJD vs. PHI ($5,700): Hamilton has three goals and three assists over his last five games, giving him 34 points on the season. He's also put 148 shots on net through 52 contests, a significant number for a defenseman, and not a surprise coming from Hamilton. The Flyers have been good at preventing pucks on net, but they lack talent in goal – bottom-eight 3.33 GAA.
Michael Kesselring, UTA vs. PIT ($3,800): Mikhail Sergachev keeps being on the verge of returning, and he keeps not returning. If that happens again, Kesselring will presumably see over 20 minutes of ice time again and play on the top power-play unit. That uptick has helped Kesselring tally four points in his last eight games. Even if Sergachev does return, the Penguins have a 3.60 GAA, so this matchup is still a good one to target.
