This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are three games on the Wednesday slate as Dallas and Tampa Bay are tired teams. The Lightning are coming off a 4-1 win over Chicago and travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild. Dallas dropped a 3-2 decision to LA and go across the city to face Anaheim. New Jersey is in Detroit in the early game. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at MIN ($8,400): Vasilevskiy is back to his old self. The perennial Vezina Trophy candidate has won his last three straight and has not allowed more than three goals in his last 12 games. Vasilevskiy is 16-9-1 with a 2.42 GAA and a .921 save percentage this season. His peripherals are better than last season when he had a 2.49 GAA and .916 save percentage. Vasilevskiy will face the Wild, who are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and have averaged 3.14 goals per game this season, 18th best in the NHL.
Scott Wedgewood, DAL at ANA ($8,100): Wedgewood is expected to see his first action in eight games Wednesday as the Stars play the second-game of back-to-back contests in California. They were upended by the Kings on Tuesday, losing 3-2 and will try to make amends in Anaheim. Wedgewood is 6-4-3 with a 3.03 GAA and a .910 save percentage and will take on the Ducks, who are second-worst in NHL scoring, averaging 2.24 goals per game, while allowing a league-high 4.11 goals per contest.
VALUE PLAYS
Sam Steel, MIN vs. TB ($4,700): Steel has the plumb job of centering the Wild's top line, between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. It has paid off for the former first-round pick as he has eight assists in his last eight games. Overall, Steel has six goals and 16 points in 36 games this season, closing in on his career highs of six goals and 22 points.
Ryan Hartman, MIN vs. TB ($4,500): Hartman had a pair of goals in his last game, to give him four goals and nine points in 15 games this season. Hartman has missed 21 games this season with an upper-body injury and it looks like he is rounding into form. Hartman had 34 goals and 65 points last season, easily the best season in his NHL career. He sees second line power play time and is on the third line with Matthew Boldy and Frederick Gaudreau on what is one of the top third lines in the league.
Robby Fabbri, DET vs. NJ ($3,000): This will be Fabbri's first game of the season as he has finally recovered from offseason knee surgery in July. Fabbri had 17 goals in 56 games last season, including six on the power play. He is the lowest priced player available and will start the game on the third line with Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist and will also see second unit power play time. If you are looking for an inexpensive player to fill out your roster, take a chance on Fabbri.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Stars at Ducks
Jason Robertson (W-$10,100), Roope Hintz (C-$8,700), Joe Pavelski (C-$7,400)
Robertson is tied for third place in NHL scoring with 55 points and his 26 goals are fourth overall, behind only Connor McDavid, Tage Thompson and Alex Ovechkin. He is on an eight-game points streak with three goals and 12 points and will look to extend it against Anaheim. Hintz is on a six-game points streak with six goals and nine points, giving him 19 goals and 44 points in 37 games, while Pavelski has points in five of his last six games, and has 12 goals and 38 points in 39 games. The trio are one of the best in the NHL and face the worst defensive team in the NHL as the Ducks have allowed a whopping 158 goals in just 38 games.
Devils at Red Wings
Jack Hughes (C - $9,500), Nico Hischier (C -$8,200), Tomas Tatar (W - $5,500)
Hughes leads the Devils with 21 goals and 42 points in 37 games as the 21-year-old continues to show why he was drafted first overall in 2019. Hughes has 13 goals in 16 games since Thanksgiving and has chipped in with seven assists. Hischier has been almost as good, scoring 16 goals and adding 18 assists in one less game, and has scored in each if his last three games after going the previous six contests without lighting the lamp. Tatar gives you value as he has only nine goals and 22 points, but has two goals and six points in his last five games. All three are on the first power play, while Hughes will center the second line during even-strength situations.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at ANA ($6,500): Heiskanen is well on his way to a career season, as he has six goals and 30 points in just 36 games. His career best was last season with 36 points in 70 games, but he was not 100 percent for a good portion of the year as he was dealing with mononucleosis. He has already set a career high in power play points with 16, and is showing why he was the third-overall pick in the 2017 Draft. He had three assists earlier in the season in his lone game against the Ducks.
Mathew Dumba, MIN vs. TB ($4,000): Dumba has four goals and six assists this season, scoring against the Blues in his last game. Dumba is well-priced and did have one assist in two games against the Lightning last season. There are not a lot of good choices on the blueline during the three-game slate and Dumba should be the best of the inexpensive bunch.
