There's a big game Wednesday, and of course it's the Ducks against the Bruins. What, you thought it was Oilers-Capitals? There are four games on the schedule, including those two, with the first puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
One team is on the second leg of a back-to-back, with the Flames visiting the Sabres. Also, shout out to the Wild, who named Jesper Wallstedt the starting goalie for Wednesday early.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at MIN ($8,200): The Hurricanes haven't been as good as usual defensively or on the penalty kill, though they still have only allowed 26.2 shots on net per game. Kochetkov has only made four starts this season as he started the season injured, but he has an 1.70 GAA and .926 save percentage. Somewhat surprisingly, the Wild are in the bottom 10 in goals per game a quarter of the way through the season.
Colten Ellis, BUF vs. CGY ($7,700): The tricky thing with the Sabres is that they have three goalies who all are seeing playing time. Ellis, a rookie, has made three of the last four starts, so maybe for now he's the guy. It's hard to know what to expect, as he's made four career starts, two very good and two subpar. I'm willing to take a shot on Ellis (or whoever starts for Buffalo) because of the opponent. The Flames are comfortably last in goals per game, and they are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Troy Terry, ANA vs. BOS ($5,200): Leo Carlsson has gotten a lot of love, and there are other promising young players on the Ducks. However, let's not overlook Terry, who has stuck it out through some tough times in Anaheim. Terry, who skates next to Carlsson, has 21 points in 19 games, and he's tallied at least 20 goals in each of the last four seasons. The Bruins have started the season surprisingly well, just like the Ducks, but not defensively. Boston is in the bottom 10 in GAA and shots on net allowed per game.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Sabres vs. Flames
Tage Thompson (C - $8,000), Alex Tuch (W - $5,600), Josh Doan (W - $3,800)
Calgary, as noted, is on the road for the second day of a back-to-back. It is the only team for which that is true. The Flames started Dustin Wolf on Tuesday, leaving Devin Cooley to play Wednesday. Cooley has played surprisingly well this season, but he's 28 and he has played in 11 total NHL games. In his six appearances prior to this season he posted an .870 save percentage. On top of that, the Flames have a below-average penalty kill. While only one of these guys has been playing on Buffalo's top power-play unit, I still like this trio for a stack.
As a guy with two 40-goal seasons to his name, Thompson is not one to need a lot of matchup help delivering offense. He has nine goals and eight assists this season, but he's also put a whopping 75 shots on net through 19 games. If Thompson stays healthy, he might get to 300 for the first time. Tuch is no slouch, with two seasons with exactly 36 goals since joining the Sabres. He has seven goals this season, and he's also added nine helpers on the campaign. Jettisoned by the vestiges of his father's former franchise, Doan has climbed up the depth chart for the Sabres this season (though helped by injuries to others, admittedly). Still, Shane's son has 12 points, and five times in his last 10 games he's put at least three shots on net.
DEFENSEMEN
Jakob Chychrun, WAS vs. EDM ($5,700): Chychrun has a season with 200 shots on net to his name, so we know he can drive offense toward the goal for a defenseman. He's been doing that with gusto as of late, with 34 shots on target in his last eight outings. The former Coyote is also on a four-game point streak for good measure. I think Edmonton's continued adherence to the status quo in net has officially reached the levels of hubris this season. Thanks almost entirely to the woeful play of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, Edmonton has a 3.48 GAA.
Bowen Byram, BUF vs. CGY ($3,300): Rasmus Dahlin is the star of the show on the Buffalo blue line, but Byram is no slouch. I've also heard rumors of some guy named "Owen Power" but he seems to be a myth. Byram is on a four-game point streak, and he's put multiple shots on net in each of his last five games. With a Flames team in town that played in Chicago on Tuesday, I could see Byram making a five-game point streak a reality.
