This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's a blip of an NHL slate for Wednesday. There are only two games on the docket, the first starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Two games are more than zero, so here are your NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
No team is on the second leg of a back-to-back. Anaheim is on the first leg of one, but I don't think the goaltending situation offers much in the way of difference. Yes, I don't believe in Lukas Dostal.
GOALIE
Linus Ullmark, OTT vs. ANA ($8,200): Well, Ullmark did once win a Vezina Trophy, and maybe he is rounding into form. Over his last four starts, he has an 1.96 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Granted, it has been an easy slate, but this is also an easy matchup. The Ducks have only managed 2.42 goals and 27.5 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Drake Batherson, OTT vs. ANA ($5,500): Batherson has "only" four goals over his last 15 games, but he has 12 assists in that time. The Ducks have allowed 32.8 shots on goal per contest. Batherson is third on the team in shots on target. Anaheim also has a bottom-10 penalty kill, and Batherson has 13 power-play points in 27 games.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Rangers at Sabres
Mika Zibanejad (C - $6,300), Chris Kreider (W - $5,300), Reilly Smith (W - $4,000)
The Sabres have a 3.25 GAA, which is bottom-10 in the NHL. Now, if Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in net, he has a 2.82 GAA, but with a .902 save percentage. Additionally, he has a 4.14 GAA and .861 save percentage over his last four starts. While Zibanejad and Kreider are always together, the third player on their line often changes, but right now it's Smith.
Zibanejad has 20 points in 27 games, and that's with an 8.8 percent shooting rate. He has a career 13.1 percent shooting rate, so that should change. It also doesn't hurt that the Swede has averaged 2:55 per game with the extra man. Oddly, Kreider only has one assist this season, but he has 10 goals through 24 outings. He's also put 69 shots on net. His 14.5 percent shooting rate is sustainable for him. In his first season as a Ranger, Smith has 14 points, but playing on this line might be helping him. He has two goals and 11 shots on net over his last three games.
DEFENSEMAN
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. ANA ($4,800): I mentioned Batherson is third on the Senators in shots on net per contest. Chabot, though he's a defenseman, is second. He's put 65 shots on net through 27 games. Yet, he only has one goal. Even for a defenseman, a 1.5 percent shooting rate is quite low. He's stayed productive with 12 helpers. As I noted, the Ducks have allowed 32.8 shots on goal per game, so Chabot should have plenty of opportunity.
