This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are five games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, which is actually at the higher end for what is the norm on this particular day of the week. Plus, the first games start at 7:30 p.m. ET, so you get a little extra time to get your DFS lineups in. Now, onto the recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
No team is on the first leg of a back-to-back, and only one team is on the second leg of a back-to-back. However, that team is the Ducks, and they are visiting the Canucks. That looks good for Vancouver.
GOALIES
Kevin Lankinen, VAN vs. ANA ($8,400): Lankinen only has a .904 save percentage, but he has a 2.57 GAA. It's not just that the Ducks are on the road playing the second night of a back-to-back. Anaheim is below average at putting pucks on net, but it is in the bottom four in goals per game. That quartet is close to one another, but has fallen behind the rest of the league on the scoring front.
Linus Ullmark, OTT at CHI ($8,200): The goals have been getting past Ullmark, but that's largely been because he's been facing so many shots. In five of his last six outings he's had a save percentage of .902 or higher. Facing Chicago, Ullmark may not be terribly busy. The Blackhawks have managed a mere 24.7 shots on net per game, lowest in the NHL.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kevin Fiala, LOS vs. STL ($7,400): Fiala has tallied 177 shots on net through 58 games. He's also tallied 15 points with the extra man. The Blues have a bottom-five penalty kill, so power-play time for Fiala could pay off with gusto, especially since he has 14 total points over his last 15 outings.
Filip Chytil, VAN vs. ANA ($5,800): The Canucks don't have the offensive output in the lineup to make for a great stack. However, this matchup is too good to avoid. The Ducks are in the bottom six in shots on net allowed per game and penalty-kill percentage, and are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Chytil has taken to Vancouver well since being traded. He has six points in nine games, but has also put 27 shots on net.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Senators at Blackhawks
Shane Pinto (C - $5,200), Michael Amadio (W - $4,600), Ridly Greig (W - $4,400)
Yes, stacking Ottawa's top line would be great. If you can work it out, salary wise, go for it. I just thought I'd go with another option that can save you a bit of salary in this matchup. You know, sometimes you can find a nice bottle of sparkling wine for 12 bucks if you don't feel like splurging for champagne. Oh yeah, the Blackhawks rank 30th in both GAA and shots on net allowed per game. Spencer Knight isn't going to fully turn things around, and he may not even take the No. 1 role from Petr Mrazek.
Pinto has three goals in two games since returning from injury. Prior to that injury he had eight points in 10 games as well. Amadio has been getting it into gear a bit. He has four goals and an assist in his last nine contests. Greig had a five-game point streak back before Pinto's injury. He may only have two points since then, but in his last outing he also put five shots on net.
DEFENSEMEN
Jake Sanderson, OTT at CHI ($6,500): You know, maybe we should have seen Sanderson's star turn at 4 Nations coming. In the eight games before the break he had 10 points and 25 shots on net. Since getting back to action with the Senators, Sanderson has been even better. He has five points, 13 shots on target, and 12 blocked shots in four games. The shooting success stands out given that Chicago has allowed 31.9 shots on net per outing.
Tyler Myers, VAN vs. ANA ($4,400): Quinn Hughes is banged up and considered day-to-day, and his salary is quite high, so consider Myers in this matchup. He's not the offensive dynamo his teammate is, but Myers has eight points and 21 shots on net over his last 12 games. The Ducks are in the bottom three in shots on goal allowed per contest, and playing on a second leg of a back-to-back, they may be more porous than usual.
