The NHL has alternated busy and light schedules in recent weeks, and Wednesday is one of the light days. Between a robust Tuesday and a hefty Thursday, there is a Wednesday with only two games. Both start at 7:30 p.m. ET, so those of you on the West Coast may be out of luck when it comes to catching much puck. However, you can still get your NHL DFS lineups in ahead of time! Here are my recommendations.
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SLATE PREVIEW
We have two cases of a team that played Tuesday facing a team that did not. The Maple Leafs get to be at home, and they host the Rangers. However, Boston is on the road, and it visits Buffalo.
GOALIE
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. BOS ($8,000): Thank you, Buffalo, for adopting a proper goalie rotation after the Olympic break to make it easier to feel confident that Luukkonen will get the call Wednesday. Even though Tampa Bay got to him for seven goals March 8, in seven starts after the break, Luukkonen has a 2.01 GAA and .930 save percentage. The Bruins are a team that is above average at scoring goals but below average at getting shots on net, and the team is on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Vincent Trocheck, NYR at TOR ($5,700): It's hard to have much enthusiasm for stacking a Rangers line after they were collectively held to single-digit shots on net Monday against the Senators. However, the Maple Leafs are last in shots on net allowed per contest and playing their second game in as many days. Trocheck managed two of the shots on target New York had against Ottawa on Monday, and over his last 15 games he's notched 15 points.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Sabres vs. Bruins
Tage Thompson (C - $8,000), Alex Tuch (W - $6,000), Peyton Krebs (W - $3,200)
The Bruins have been heavily reliant on Jeremy Swayman. Boston is in the bottom five in shots on net allowed per game, but the team is effectively average in terms of GAA. Swayman, though, started Tuesday, and he made 31 saves on 34 shots. That leaves Joonas Korpisalo as the likely starter for this game, and he has a 3.30 GAA and .891 save percentage. With only four teams in action, and two of those teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, it seems to maks sense to grab a top line, spend that salary, and work around the margins with some of the other roster spots.
Thompson has matched his 72 points from last season, and he has his fourth season with over 35 goals in his last five campaigns. Also, after a couple seasons of topping out in the 240s, Thompson is going to get to 250 shots on net for the third time in his career. Tuch is one goal away from joining Thompson in the 30-goal club. That would mark the third time in four seasons where he's crossed that threshold. Tuch has also put 166 shots on net through 68 games, and the Bruins are in the bottom five in shots on goal allowed per contest. Krebs isn't on the same level as his linemates, but he has 33 points in 71 games. He also has three assists in his last four outings.
DEFENSEMAN
Owen Power, BUF vs. BOS ($3,700): Power is not the player his fellow first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin is, but he's been playing well as of late. Power has tallied nine points in his last 12 games. Additionally, his eight goals are a personal best, and he could get to 30 points for the fourth time in four seasons. Boston is, of course, on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and Korpisalo has an .891 save percentage over the last three seasons.
