The onset of the NHL playoffs looms just over the horizon. We're near the first teams hitting the 80-game mark. Wednesday won't add many games to the total, as only three contests are on the docket. The first one starts at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Interestingly, though Tuesday was quite busy, only one of these teams is on the second leg of a back-to-back. That would be the Oilers, who have to visit the Sharks.
GOALIE
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at NYR ($8,000): The Sabres are on the first leg of a back-to-back, so this could be Alex Lyon as well. Either way, I'd roster whomever gets the call. Luukkonen has played more, and played better, as of late, so with points likelier to come by Wednesday compared to Thursday, it would make sense for him to start. He has a .927 save percentage over his last eight outings, after all. The Rangers are just outside the bottom 10 in goals per game, but have managed a mere 25.3 shots on net per contest.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Aliaksei Protas, WAS at TOR ($4,400): It seems like the Maple Leafs are going to prove the most-porous defense in the NHL by a comfortable margin. Now, the Canucks have run away with being futile at goal prevention, but the Leafs have allowed more than two shots on net more per game than the closest competition. Naturally, Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals in shots on target, but Protas has 153 shots on net in 72 outings. He's also scored 24 goals after netting 30 last year.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Sharks vs. Oilers
Alexander Wennberg (C - $3,800), William Eklund (W - $4,000), Kiefer Sherwood (W - $3,800)
When you can stack against a team in the bottom eight in GAA that is also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, it's usually a good idea. Once I was locked in on the Sharks, the question became if a line not featuring Macklin Celebrini was viable for a stack. Celebrini is a remarkable player, but I was considering salary outlay. Fortunately, San Jose's second line is worthy of a stack in this matchup.
Wennberg is on a seven-game point streak. He also has 15 power-play points on the season, and the Oilers have a below-average penalty kill. Eklund has 14 power-play points, and he's finished with 16 in each of his two prior NHL campaigns. While he hasn't been hot for as long as Wennberg, he has two games with a goal and an assist in his last three contests. Sherwood has slowed down after joining the Sharks from the Canucks. He has five goals and four assists in 22 contests, but he has two points over his last three games.
DEFENSEMAN
Dmitry Orlov, SAN vs. EDM ($4,400): Jakob Chychrun has put more than 200 shots on net for the Capitals, so do keep him in mind if your salary cap allows for it. Orlov, though, is my recommendation at this position. He had a five-game point streak snapped in his last outing, but in that game he put at least three shots on net for the third time in a row. The former Capital (not to be confused with Chychrun the current Capital) also has 16 points with the extra man on the campaign. Edmonton, being shorthanded, on the second night of a back-to-back and locked into the bottom eight in GAA, is a matchup Orlov can use to get back on the score sheet.
