This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We've grown accustomed to three or four NHL games on a Wednesday, right? Not this time! There are a full seven games on the slate. You'll have a few more options, but that can complicate your decisions. Here are some recommendations to help you on that front.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are a few sketchy defenses on the ice Wednesday, but the one team on the second leg of a back-to-back definitely stands out. They may be at home, but the Blue Jackets are 31st in GAA and shots on net allowed per game. Buffalo is on the road, but the Columbus defense is likely to give it a warm welcome of sorts.
GOALIES
Stuart Skinner, EDM vs. ARI ($8,500): Skinner's play, combined with Jack Campbell's woeful play, has seemingly pushed Skinner into the primary role. The 24-year-old goalie's .916 save percentage is encouraging, even if he has a 2.93 GAA. I blame that in part on the fact the Oilers have allowed 33.6 shots on net per game, but the Coyotes have averaged a league-low 23.9 shots on goal per contest. This could be Skinner's lightest night of work this season.
Darcy Kuemper, WAS at PHI ($8,000): Now, this is incumbent on Kuemper returning from the upper-body injury that kept him from suiting up Monday. He's day-to-day, so it is definitely in the cards. Kuemper has a 2.56 GAA and .916 save percentage in his first season with the Capitals. The Flyers have only averaged 2.46 goals per game, so Kuemper would probably like to be healthy enough to catch this matchup. I'd be less confident in Charlie Lindgren, but I might consider him if Kuemper can't go.
Craig Anderson, BUF at CLM ($7,900): Unenthused about any other goaltending matchup, this is about trying to catch a win. Buffalo is a high-scoring team, and Columbus is battling Anaheim to be the league's worst defensive squad. The Blue Jackets are also in the bottom 10 in goals per game for good measure. Though Anderson will be on the road, the Blue Jackets are on a back-to-back. I could see decent numbers and a W from the veteran goalie.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at COL ($6,300): DeBrusk is in a new role this season. He's averaged 3:15 per game with the extra man, and he's tallied eight points on the power play. The Avalanche actually have the 22nd-ranked penalty kill, and over his last three starts, Alexandar Georgiev has a 4.39 GAA and .845 save percentage.
Alexander Barabanov, SAN vs. VAN ($3,400): Barabanov has a point in six of his last eight games. He also has seven power-play points this season. That's notable to me, because the Canucks have a bottom-five penalty kill, and they also don't have number-one goalie Thatcher Demko.
Andrew Mangiapane, CGY vs. MIN ($3,300): Mangiapane has six goals to go with five assists this season, but that's with a 12.2 shooting percentage. This is a guy with a career 16.6 shooting percentage, and a 17.5 shooting percentage over the last four seasons. The Wild don't allow a lot of shots, but Marc-Andre Fleury has a 3.04 GAA and .895 save percentage. I trust a guy like Mangiapane with a history of pinpoint shooting in a scenario like this.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sabres at Blue Jackets
Dylan Cozens (C - $5,100), Jack Quinn (W - $3,100), John-Jason Peterka (W - $2,900)
Buffalo's second line is young, and it is also on fire. These three represent a bright future to the Sabres, but also a promising present for DFS players. As I noted, the Blue Jackets are 31st in GAA and shots on net allowed per game. Joonas Korpisalo will be in net for Columbus one assumes, and he has a career .902 save percentage.
Cozens has three points in each of his last two games, and he had two points in the game before that. In fact, he's only been held without a point in one of his last eight outings. Maybe Cozens was helped by the return of Quinn. He's been back for eight games since missing a couple contests, and Quinn has five goals and four assists in that time. Peterka hasn't racked up multi-point games like his teammates, but he has at least one point six of his last seven games. He was also eventually moved onto the power play, as he's averaged 2:01 per contest with the extra man in his last 13 outings.
Capitals at Flyers
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $4,600), T.J. Oshie (W - $3,600), Sonny Milano (W - $2,800)
The Capitals tweaked things a bit by having Kuznetsov drop down to the second line to center these two. It's born some fruit already. Carter Hart started the season carrying the Flyers, but over his last 11 starts he has a 3.50 GAA and .877 save percentage. Philadelphia also has a bottom-10 penalty kill, and we know what Kuznetsov and Oshie can do with the man advantage.
Speaking of which, Kuznetsov has an assist in each of his last two games, both on the power play. He's also been plagued with a 4.7 shooting percentage, so his puck luck should be turning around. Oshie has been banged up this year, as per usual, but right now he is healthy and has five points in his last seven games. He's also coming off a night where he had a power-play goal and put eight shots on net. Milano, like Kuznetsov, has an assist in each of his last two games. In fact, over his last seven games he has five points.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS at PHI ($6,700): Carlson has played a whopping 4:37 per game on the power play, high even for him. He's also been putting plenty of pucks on net, with 77 shots on target in 21 games. Hart has a 3.50 GAA and .877 save percentage over his last 11 starts, so pucks on net from Carlson could pay off.
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. ARI ($5,000): Nurse has 14 points in 26 games. He also has 55 shots on net after having 203 in 71 games last year. The Coyotes rank 22nd in GAA, which is not good if better than expected, but they have still allowed 34.5 shots on net per contest. Nurse will have his opportunities it would seem.
Matt Benning, SAN vs. VAN ($3,000): Benning is helping to take some of the onus off Erik Karlsson in terms of producing from the back end. Over his last eight games he has six assists. The Canucks have a 3.85 GAA and have allowed 32.4 shots on net per contest, so even without much power-play time, Benning can contribute.
