This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's an awfully light day of NHL action Wednesday. There are only two games on the slate, but daily fantasy hockey contests press on. So, despite the limited options available, here are my lineup recommendations.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. MON ($7,300): Three of the top seven highest-scoring teams are playing Wednesday (Montreal is the odd-team out). That makes this choice pretty easy. Grubauer has struggled this season, but he's never had a save percentage worse than .918 in a full season. He's going to get better, and it could start against Montreal.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. PIT ($7,600): Backstrom is having another stellar season, as he has 10 goals and 30 assists through 32 games. He's also averaged 3:55 on the power play, notching 16 points with the extra man. The Penguins have a 3.21 GAA, although Casey DeSmith has put up much better numbers than that. However, Pittsburgh has also given up 32.9 shots on net per contest, and Backstrom's skills largely transcend matchup.
Carl Soderberg, COL vs. MON ($4,400): Soderberg has shown that it's not all just one line for the Avalanche, as he has 22 points this season. That includes eight points on the power play. As for the Canadiens, they have a 3.26 team GAA, which is bottom 10 in the NHL.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT at WAS ($7,700): Kessel is pricier, but with three of the top offensive teams in the league in action, you are going to see a lot of players with hefty price tags Wednesday. I think Kessel will end up being worth it, though. He's tallied 36 points in 33 games, including 14 on the power play. The Capitals have the 27th-ranked penalty kill, so Kessel's success with the extra man could easily come into play.
Bryan Rust, PIT at WAS ($4,400): Rust got off to a slow start, but he has five goals and an assist over his last four games. Maybe he won't keep that up, but he's skating on Pittsburgh's top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, which can't hurt. Braden Holtby struggled last season, and this year he hasn't been much better, as he has a .910 save percentage on the year. However, over his last six starts he has a 3.31 GAA and .889 save percentage.
Brett Connolly, WAS vs. PIT ($4,400): Connolly has started 52.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third highest among Washington forwards. He's also been quite hot recently, as he has a point in six of his last seven games. If Casey DeSmith is in net for the Penguins, this won't be the greatest matchup, but if they use Matt Murray, that's a very different scenario. Murray has a 3.95 GAA and .883 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Jeff Petry, MON at COL ($4,600): Petry has been just fine even with Shea Weber back in the lineup. The 31-year-old has eight points and 26 shots on net in his last eight contests. Colorado has a 3.09 team GAA and has given up an average of 32.0 shots on goal.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. MON ($4,300): Girard hasn't scored in a while, but he's staying active offensively. Over his last nine games, he's put 18 shots on goal and has 12 points overall this season. Plus, he's averaged 2:08 per game on the power play, tallying seven points there. As previously noted, the Canadiens have a 3.26 GAA. On top of that, though, they have the 24th-ranked penalty kill.
