This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
What does Wednesday have in store for us? Well, while I can't tell you everything your day will bring you, I can tell you that the NHL has three games on the docket. If you would like to use those games for daily fantasy purposes, here are some players that stand out.
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, EDM at FLA ($7,300): Talbot was given a rest Tuesday, allowing him (and his 2.53 GAA and .921 save percentage) to start against the Panthers on Wednesday. The Panthers have been hot recently, but the Oilers have been good as well, including being the better team overall, as they have a plus-19 goal differential to Florida's minus-5. Additionally, the Panthers have only scored 2.52 goals per game, compared to Edmonton's 2.83. Talbot is also on the cheaper end, which makes him more palatable as an option for your lineup.
CENTER
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS at PHI ($5,800): Kuznetsov has been excellent for well over a month. In his last 19 games, he's only been held without a point five times, and he's averaged 1.1 points per game in that span. Meanwhile, the Flyers have allowed 2.97 goals per game, and their netminders have a .895 save percentage collectively. Kuznetsov also gets the benefit of starting a high percentage (35.7) of his shifts in the offensive zone.
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at FLA ($5,800): The Panthers have been hot, but not because of particularly good defensive play. They've allowed 2.86 goals per game in February, and Roberto Luongo has a .875 save percentage in his last five starts. Draisaitl has averaged a healthy 3.4 fantasy points per game, including a whopping 20 power-play points. Florida does have a very good penalty kill, but Draisaitl has been so productive that you shouldn't be too concerned, especially considering that he's started 35 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
WING
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. EDM ($6,300): Huberdeau has been on fire since finally making his season debut, tallying eight points while registering 23 shots on net in seven games. He's also averaged 2:37 on the power play, and the Oilers rank a middling 14th in penalty-kill percentage. As previously mentioned, Edmonton is on the second night of a back-to-back and, even though Talbot will be starting, that could benefit Huberdeau a bit. He's the kind of player that doesn't need a great matchup to excel, so it's worth seeing if he can stay hot. He has averaged a massive 4.5 fantasy points per game, after all.
Marcus Johansson, WAS vs. PHI ($5,100): It's pretty clear that the Flyers offer the most appetizing matchup Wednesday. As mentioned, they've got one of the league's most generous defenses; the next-worst team in terms of goals allowed per game among those in action Wednesday is Florida at 2.71. Philly is also tied with Dallas for the worst team save percentage. For his part, Johansson has four multi-point games in his last six contests, and he's averaged 2.8 shots on net in those games.
Justin Williams, WAS at PHI ($5,100): Here's another way to take advantage of this matchup. Williams is part of a Capitals offense that has netted 3.34 goals per game, and the veteran has 18 goals to his own name. He's also averaged slightly more fantasy points per game than Johansson (2.7 to 2.6), although Johansson has been a little better recently. The Flyers' penchant for allowing goals has been established already. Williams is relatively cheap as well, giving him the chance to be a nice value option.
DEFENSEMEN
Oscar Klefbom, EDM at FLA ($5,000): The Panthers have allowed 31.6 shots on net per game, seventh-most in the NHL. That suits Klefbom well, as he's taken plenty of shots – 151 in 60 games. Since the beginning of January, he's averaged 2.9 shots on net per game. He's also blocked 98 pucks, so he adds some fantasy value on the defensive end too.
Sami Vatanen, ANA vs. BOS ($4,300): Though Vatanen only has 16 points, 11 of them have come on the power play, and he's averaged a whopping 3:00 per game with the extra man. While the Bruins' penalty kill has been quite good this season, they only rank 12th in the month of February. Additionally, the Bruins lead the league with 62.9 shot attempts per 60 minutes. Vatanen has 96 blocked shots in 52 games, and he should have plenty of opportunities to block the puck against Boston.
