FanDuel NHL: Wednesday Targets

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Published on April 20, 2022

SLATE PREVIEW

We'll be treated to four games Wednesday night, starting at 8:30 p.m. EDT between the Stars and the Oilers. Three more games will kick off at 10 p.m. EDT. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, all four games have a 6.5 O/U, meaning we should be in for a great deal of action. The Avalanche (-380) are by far the largest favorites of the night. The Oilers (-155), Blackhawks (-175) and Golden Knights (-130) are the other favorites.

All advanced statistics are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.

GOALIES

Darcy Kuemper, COL at SEA ($8,400): Kuemper has been a stud on the road of late, posting a .948 save percentage and a 2.00 GAA away from Denver. He's the obvious chalk, as the Avalanche are (-380) the largest favorites on the slate, and the Kraken have averaged just 2.33 goals over their last nine games.

Jake Oettinger, DAL at EDM ($7,400): Frequent fliers to this article will know that I'm all-in on Oettinger on the road, where he has a .927 save percentage and a 2.30 GAA over the last 16 games. The Oilers are a high-end offensive team, especially lately, but the Stars rank 10th in the league over the last month with a 2.44 xGA/60 at even strength. I'm excited for the value here.

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Nick Schmaltz, ARI vs. CHI (C - $6,200): Schmaltz has been a bit up and down lately, but he has 23 goals and 52 total points through 57 games. He'll have a good chance to get back on track against his former team, as the Blackhawks rank 24th in the league with a 75.5 penalty-kill percentage and their goalie Kevin Lankinen has a 3.66 GAA this year.

Mark Stone, VGK vs. WSH (W - $5,800): Stone hasn't posted a point in four games since returning from injury, but we shouldn't worry too much. The 29-year-old is still skating on the top line and the top power play. Capitals netminder Ilya Samsonov has posted an .873 save percentage and a 3.31 GAA over the last 12 games.

Nicklas Backstrom, WSH at VGK (C - $4,800): Backstrom is having a down year overall, but he still has 29 points – 14 on the power play – through the last 42 games. It's key that he's lining up on the top power play, too, because he's feeding Alex Ovechkin, who has put up 48 total goals this season. The duo matches up against the Golden Knights' 21st-ranked PK (77.5 percent).

Dominik Kubalik, CHI at ARI ($4,100): Kubalik has posted six points over eight games, and averaging two shots in that stretch provides a solid floor for fantasy managers. The matchup rarely gets better than facing the Coyotes. His ability to convert on the power play, where he has nine points this year, raises his ceiling even further.

LINE STACKS

Blackhawks at Coyotes

Dylan Strome (C - $5,600), Alex DeBrincat (W - $7,700), Patrick Kane (W - $8,700)

The Blackhawks rank 31st over the last month with 2.21 xGF/60 at even strength. The Coyotes are the only team worse, ringing in at a 2.12 mark. Karel Vejmelka has struggled immensely of late, posting an .880 save percentage and a 4.61 GAA over the last 13 games, too. Meanwhile, this line has combined for 85 goals this year. They're worth the high salary.

Capitals at Golden Knights

Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $7,400), Alex Ovechkin (W - $9,600), T.J. Oshie (W - $4,900)

There's no need to dive into Ovechkin's season too much; he has 48 goals and 39 assists through 74 games in his age-36 serason, including 29 points on the power play. Kuznetsov has been his best setup man with 18 power-play assists in addition to 23 total goals. The opportunity is intriguing, as Robin Lehner has posted a mediocre .904 save percentage over the last eight games, and he Golden Knights rank 21st this year with a 77.5 penalty-kill percentage.

DEFENSE

Cale Makar, COL at SEA ($7,300): Makar will probably play around 28 minutes because Devon Toews (undisclosed) is out of the lineup. The 23-year-old has a whopping 26 goals and 83 points through 72 games, and he has averaged more than three shots per game thus far. With 33 points on the power play, Makar matches up well against the Kraken's 26th-ranked PK (75.4 percent).

Vince Dunn, SEA vs. COL ($4,800): Dunn has recorded 13 points over the last 16 games, and he has registered 22:43 of ice time per game in that stretch while playing on the first defensive pairing and first power-play unit. The 25-year-old is living up to his second-round pedigree with the expansion franchise, and he'll be a sneaky play against the Avalanche, who rank 19th in the league with a 78.9 penalty-kill percentage.

Caleb Jones, CHI at ARI ($3,900): Seth Jones ($6,200) is a far better option, but his little brother Caleb is a fine option, as well. Caleb skates on the power play and hasn't stacked up many points, but the Coyotes provide an opportunity that is difficult to pass up, ranking last in the league with a 73.2 penalty-kill percentage.

Ryan Suter, DAL at EDM ($3,800): Suter keeps on rolling at 37 years old, posting six points through the last 11 games while logging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game, including time on the power play. The Oilers rank 20th this season with a 78.5 penalty-kill percentage, and their struggling defense can't cover up their inconsistent goaltending.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Jordan Mazzara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Mazz30 Yahoo: Mazz30 DraftKings: Mazz30.