This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are four NHL games on Wednesday, and a couple of them even sorta, kinda have playoff implications! Of course, the in-league logistics related to the day's schedule don't really matter to DFS players. Maybe the Ducks and Blackhawks are well out of it, but you can mine DFS success from those teams. The first pucks drop at 7:30 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Though Tuesday and Thursday both have busy schedules, there are no teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Wednesday. Only two teams are on the first leg, and with how Casey DeSmith has played this year, the Dallas goaltending situation is such that it doesn't matter to me who starts Wednesday. The same is true for the Oilers, but for the opposite reason.
GOALIES
Lukas Dostal, ANA vs. BOS ($8,000): Both of these teams have averaged 2.64 goals per game. However, the Bruins have been worse at getting pucks on goal, having managed a mere 26.7 shots on net per contest. Plus, they are shorthanded compared to how they looked earlier in the season. The Ducks are at home, and Dostal does have a .907 save percentage, which is decent. It's actually better than anything the Bruins can offer up in net as well.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. VAN ($7,900): The Islanders and Canucks remain on the fringes of the playoff race, so this game is truly important for both of them. Fortunately for the Islanders, Sorokin has been in form as of late. Over his last 11 starts he has a 2.43 GAA and .922 save percentage. Vancouver has averaged 2.79 goals per game, which has it at the top of the bottom 10, but they actually rank 31st in shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Alex Killorn, ANA vs. BOS ($4,300): Killorn has tallied six goals in his last 11 games, including one in each of his last two contests. Right now he is skating on the first line and the top power-play unit as well. I mentioned Boston's goaltending woes. Joonas Korpisalo having a tough season is perhaps not surprising, but Jeremy Swayman has a 3.12 GAA and .892 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Devils at Blackhawks
Nico Hischier (C - $7,400), Timo Meier (W - $7,600), Erik Haula (W - $4,300)
The Blackhawks are in the bottom three in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest. Now, you might be wondering about the Spencer Knight of it all. Well, over his last six starts he has a 3.34 GAA and .885 save percentage, so he has not been a panacea for Chicago. The Devils don't have Jack Hughes for the rest of the season, but their offense is able to chug along thanks in part to how good this line has been recently.
Hischier has his second 30-goal season of his career, and he's done that in only 66 games this time around. He's also on a seven-game point streak wherein he's tallied four goals and four assists. Meier has taken a slight step down from last year, his first full season with the Devils, but he has 22 goals and 25 assists, so he hasn't exactly been lackluster. Plus, he's in form right now. Over his last 15 games he has seven goals and 51 shots on net. Perhaps owing to his current linemates, and also some luck I'm sure, Haula has six points in his last seven contests. He's lit the lamp in each of New Jersey's last three outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN at NYI ($7,100): Hughes may have won another Norris if not for injury, as he has 67 points in 57 contests. Though the Canucks are far from home, and though Sorokin has been playing well, I would still shell out for Hughes' salary in this matchup. It all comes down to special teams. Hughes is the best defenseman on the power play in the NHL. He's averaged 3:41 per game with the extra man and has 25 power-play points. The Islanders have the 30th-ranked penalty kill, and Sorokin playing well can't entirely make up for that.
Luke Hughes, NJD at CHI ($5,300): All Hughes brothers, all the time! With Dougie Hamilton out, Hughes has averaged 23:41 per game in ice time over his last 16 contests. In that time he has 14 points with the extra man. Chicago has averaged 31.4 shots on net per game, and with Knight having an .885 save percentage over his last six games, that doesn't bode well for the team. It does bode well for Hughes, though.
