It's a nice, light evening of NHL action Wednesday. There are four games on the slate, but two of them are on TNT at least. The first game Wednesday is at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
The goaltending situation is straightforward. No team is on the second leg of a back-to-back, and no team with a chasm between Goalie A and Goalie B is on the first leg of a back-to-back. Offensively, the options are on the lower end team-wise, but there are some opportunities. Plus, I mean, the Oilers aren't going to be middling in goals per game all season…right?
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. NYR ($8,000): The Rangers just put it on the Predators and good for them. They are now all the way up to…31st in goals per game. I do think the Broadway Blueshirts will rise to mediocre by the time the season is over, I don't fear mediocre offenses when it comes to Vasilevskiy. The future Hall of Famer (and congrats to the recent Hall class, by the way) started a bit slow, but he has a 2.11 GAA and .919 save percentage over his last eight starts.
Karel Vejmelka, UTA vs. BUF ($7,800): My second goaltending option came down to which scuffling goalie facing a questionable offense I wanted. Vejmelka is at home, and I trust him a bit more than Stuart Skinner. Okay, a lot more. Plus, Vejmelka benefits from the fact the Mammoth have only allowed 24.0 shots on net per game. The Sabres and the Flyers have both averaged 2.67 goals per game, and while the Sabres have put more shots on goal, I'll still go with Vejmelka.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. EDM ($5,600): Konecny has gotten into a groove. He's on a seven-game point streak and he's put 22 shots on net in that time. Stuart Skinner has been horrendous as of late, posting a 3.48 GAA and .864 save percentage in his last seven starts. Oh, and the Oilers kind of have to ride with him, because Calvin Pickard has an .836 save percentage this season.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Mammoth vs. Sabres
Barrett Hayton (C - $4,000), Dylan Guenther (W - $6,600), JJ Peterka (W - $4,200)
The Sabres have allowed 31.5 shots on net per game, and their 3.27 GAA will likely rise now that Alex Lyon's save percentage is down to .911 after he allowed four goals in three of his last four outings. The Mammoth's second line didn't produce many points on a recent road trip, but there is still reason to like this line up to stack.
After having 20 goals and 26 assists last season, Hayton only has two goals and two assists this season. However, his 9.1 shooting percentage should improve, and he's put 12 shots on net in his last four games. Guenther started the season hot, so he has six goals and seven assists through 16 contests. He's put 11 shots on target over his previous four outings. Peterka will be getting a shot against his old team, which is part of why I wanted this line. He has four goals and six assists with Utah, and he notched eight shots on net in his last four games. Another reason why I wanted this line is clearly they were active over that road trip even though they weren't productive.
DEFENSEMEN
Jake Walman, EDM at PHI ($5,000): Walman started the season hurt but he still has 10 points on the season in only 11 games. Now, his 18.8 shooting percentage is going to regress heavily, but he's also coming off a three-point outing. I don't believe in the Flyers' GAA because, simply put, I don't believe in Dan Vladar. He came into this season with a career .894 save percentage. He's not going to sustain his .917 save percentage.
Cam York, PHI vs. EDM ($4,200): York's enjoying the Rick Tocchet era (or at least the "not John Tortorella" era). He's been given a sizeable role, as he's averaged 24:49 per game in ice time and he's responding with nine points and 25 blocked shots in 12 games. York should have the opportunity to block shots against a team like the Oilers, but he's also facing a team with a 3.47 GAA.
