It's an unusually late-leaning slate of games for the NHL on Wednesday. Now, we still have a 7 p.m. ET start for DFS purposes, but five of the six games start at 9 p.m. ET or later. You can surely find some DFS contests just for those later games if you are a little late to get to selecting your lineups, but I'll be looking at all six games with these NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
The goaltending situation is straightforward, which is a little surprising given that both Tuesday and Thursday have robust schedules as well. No team is on the second day of a back-to-back, and the two teams on the first leg have goaltending situations I don't see as terribly significant in terms of quality differential.
GOALIES
Karel Vejmelka, UTA vs. PHI ($8,300): Over his last 11 starts, Vejmelka has a 2.00 GAA and .922 save percentage. On the year, the Mammoth have allowed 25.4 shots on net per game, which is actually the same as the Flyers. The difference, in addition to the Mammoth being at home, is that the Flyers' offense has only managed 25.9 shots on goal per game. Vejmelka may not face even 20 shots Wednesday.
Logan Thompson, WAS at VAN ($8,100): One of the best goalies in the NHL is facing the worst team in the NHL. That's an easy argument to wrap your head around. Thompson has a 2.38 GAA and .914 save percentage. The Canucks have averaged 2.55 goals and 27.0 shots on net per game and have started the "trade our good players" portion of the season. If the Capitals don't pick up a win, it'll be a real dropping of the ball.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex DeBrincat, DET at TOR ($7,500): DeBrincat has 26 goals in 50 games, which is impressive, but he's also put a whopping 174 shots on net. The native Michigander's propensity to put pucks on goal is key to this recommendation, as the Maple Leafs have allowed a league-high 31.5 shots on net per game. DeBrincat should have his opportunities to light the lamp.
Mathew Barzal, NYI at SEA ($6.400): Barzal has 11 points over his last 10 outings. He's also been about the only forward on the Islanders to have any juice on the power play. Barzal has averaged 3:36 per game with the extra man and has 11 power-play points. I note that because the Kraken are battling the Senators and Canucks to try and avoid being last in penalty-kill percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Avalanche vs. Ducks
Brock Nelson (C - $7,000), Ross Colton (W - $4,000), Victor Olofsson (W - $3,100)
Once Lukas Dostal could no longer keep the ship afloat, the Ducks' GAA started to soar. Anaheim has now allowed 3.57 goals per game, and it has a bottom-10 penalty kill as well. Colorado, of course, is the best team in the NHL, and it has an elite offense. The top line for the Avalanche is a little tricky to work around if you stack it, but the second line is easier to manage. In this matchup, I figure you're safe to try and save some salary.
Nelson has been on a tear, having tallied 21 points and 58 shots on net over his last 17 games. It helps he is the one member of this trio on the top power-play unit, as eight of those 21 points have come with the extra man. Colton has six points in his last 10 games, all assists. However, notably he's put five shots on net in each of his last three outings. Olofsson gets some power-play time, though he has largely not produced as of late. That being said, twice in his last four games he's tallied both a goal and an assist.
Mammoth vs. Flyers
Nick Schmaltz (C - $6,200), Clayton Keller (W - $6,900), Lawson Crouse (W - $3,900)
I noted earlier the Flyers have been good at preventing shots on net, so why recommend a Utah line? Well, because Dan Vladar is on injured reserve. Samuel Ersson has a 3.30 GAA and .860 save percentage. In his career he has an .884 save percentage in 130 appearances. With goaltending that bad, preventing shots can only take you so far. Thus, I am recommending the Mammoth's top line.
Schmaltz moving to center after Logan Cooley's injury has kept Utah's top line from falling off. On the season he has 44 point in 49 games, and he has lit the lamp in each of his last two outings. Even with poor puck luck limiting him to a 9.8 shooting percentage, Keller has managed 46 points in 49 games. That includes 14 power-play points, and the Flyers' penalty kill is just outside the bottom 10. Crouse has 11 points in his last 12 contests. He's also coming off a game with two assists and a goal on four shots on net.
DEFENSEMEN
Jakob Chychrun, WAS at VAN ($6,800): The Canucks have a league-high 3.65 GAA. Owing to injuries on the forward front the lines are a bit of a jumble, but by all means pony up to roster Chychrun on defense. Through 48 games he's tallied an impressive 18 goals on 159 shots on net. Also, since returning from a two-game absence, he's notched four points, nine shots on net and eight blocks shots. Yeah, Chychrun isn't slowing down.
Kevin Bahl, CGY vs. PIT ($2,600): Bahl has three assists in his last two games. Additionally, in Calgary's first game sans Rasmus Andersson, the former Devil logged a robust 23:28 in ice time. Sure, that game went into overtime, but that overtime lasted barely over a minute. Plus, remarkable given the team he is on, Bahl is a plus-12 on the season. The Penguins are middling at preventing shots, and I certainly do not trust either Stuart Skinner or Arturs Silovs (the likely starter Wednesday given the goalie rotation) in the long run.
