This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are no NHL games on American Thanksgiving. Fret not, because there are 15 (yes, 15) NHL games Wednesday. That means a ton of options for your DFS lineups, so perhaps now more than ever some recommendations would benefit you. I have you covered. Here are my Draftkings DFS suggestions.
SLATE PREVIEW
Only two teams aren't playing Thursday. The Utah Hockey Club is off after playing Tuesday, while the Oilers, for whatever reason, got to have both days off. That leaves us with three teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Montreal and Vancouver, as Canadian teams, are working hard before the holiday, with Boston rounding out the trio.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL at CHI ($8,500): After a five-game stretch of stellar play, Oettinger struggled on the road against the Hurricanes. Even so, the Stars netminder has a 2.43 GAA and .912 save percentage on the season. Chicago is not the threat Carolina is. The Blackhawks have averaged a mere 2.33 goals and 26 shots on net per contest.
Joey Daccord, SEA vs. ANA ($8,400): Daccord came out of nowhere to post a 2.46 GAA and .916 save percentage last season, grabbing the top goalie job for the Kraken. Though the franchise changed head coaches, Daccord remains in that role. He's been even better this season with a 2.28 GAA and .922 save percentage through 15 outings. The Ducks have managed only 2.50 goals and 27.1 shots on goal per game, so Daccord has a good chance to bolster his numbers on the road.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. BOS ($7,800): After getting a game off, Patrick Roy and the staff did us a solid by announcing early that Sorokin would be in net Wednesday. The Russian netminder has a 2.252 GAA and .917 save percentage. Meanwhile, not only are the Bruins on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, but their offensive futility has already gotten a head coach fired. Surprisingly, Boston is down in the bottom three in goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Bryan Rust, PIT vs. VAN ($6,200): The Penguins have had a disappointing campaign, and Rust has not been immune. Since returning from injury, though, he has two goals and two assists in eight games, and he's playing on the top power-play unit. Maybe this matchup will benefit him. The Canucks are closing out a back-to-back, and Kevin Lankinen started Tuesday. That means Arturs Silovs, who has a career .883 save percentage, will likely be in net.
Anders Lee, NYI vs. BOS ($5,100): Lee lit the lamp in his last game, snapping a four-game pointless streak. He now has eight goals and six assists on the season. He has also put 74 shots on net through 22 contests. The Bruins, as noted, are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Joonas Korpisalo has been good this year, but the 30-year-old has a career .901 save percentage, so I doubt that continues.
Connor Zary, CGY at DET ($3,600): Zary has a three-game point streak, with a power-play point in each of his last two outings. The fact he's averaged 2:36 per game with the extra man is key to this recommendation, as the Red Wings have the league's worst penalty kill.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Kraken vs. Ducks
Matty Beniers (C - $4,500), Jared McCann (W - $6,400), Andre Burakovsky (W - $2,800)
The Ducks have given up 33.7 shots on net per game. They also have a bottom-five penalty kill. Lukas Dostal has saved the day for the Ducks, but John Gibson has been playing more recently and is projected to start Wednesday. Gibson has a 3.35 GAA and .900 save percentage over the last six seasons with the Ducks. He hasn't finished a season with a save percentage higher than .904 in that time. Seattle's top line hasn't necessarily excelled, but I still like this matchup for a stack.
Beniers has 10 points through 22 games. He's also averaged 2:32 per contest on the power play. This matchup is beneficial to him on that front. McCann is one of the Kraken players who has had a good year offensively. The leading goal scorer every season of Kraken history, McCann has nine goals on 54 shots on net and has added 13 assists. Burakovsky has nine points on the season, but he's also been unlucky. His 3.3 percent shooting rate will assuredly improve.
Blue Jackets vs. Canadiens
Sean Monahan (C - $5,700), Kirill Marchenko (W - $4,900), Dmitri Voronkov (W - $3,600)
The Canadiens are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. How could this matchup get more enticing? How about Cayden Primeau starting for the Habs? He has a career .887 save percentage. Through eight outings this year he has a 4.59 GAA and .842 save percentage. That makes it a prime time to stack Columbus' first line.
Monahan has been red-hot recently, as he has nine points in five games. On the year he has 20 points in 20 contests, and that's with a sustainable 12.1 percent shooting rate. Marchenko has been a beneficiary of Monahan's strong play, as he has two points in each of his last two games. The Russian has also put 24 shots on net over his last seven contests. Voronkov wasn't playing with the Jackets when the season began, but he's joined the lineup, moved to the top line and has played quite well. The 24-year-old has five goals and two assists in his last eight games.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. MON ($7,500): Last season, Werenski was mostly able to stay healthy. e managed 11 goals on 202 shots on net and added 46 assists. This season has gone even better for the defenseman. He has 20 points in 20 games and has a whopping 76 shots on net. As noted, Primeau has a 4.59 GAA and a .842 save percentage for Montreal this year.
Shea Theodore, VGK at COL ($6,100): Theodore has four points in his last three games. That gives him 17 points in 21 games, seven of them coming with the extra man. While the Avalanche suppresses shot attempts, the team has otherwise struggled defensively. Colorado has a 3.77 GAA and a bottom-five penalty kill.
Brady Skjei, NAS vs. PHI ($3,600): Skjei started the season well, then went cold, but he's rounded back into form. He has two points and 12 shots on net over his last five games. With Samuel Ersson hurt, the Flyers have had to turn to Ivan Fedotov in net. He has a career .862 save percentage.
