This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Get ready to see a couple of series possibly end. There are four games Wednesday, and both Minnesota and Calgary are facing must-win games. You may not get to select their players for your DraftKings lineup again this year. On that note, here are some players you should definitely consider.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL vs. MIN ($7,900): It seems a little odd that Allen isn't the most expensive goalie Wednesday. After all, he's picked up three wins while posting a nigh-immaculate 0.91 GAA and .974 save percentage in this series. It's not just a hot few games for Allen, either. Since the beginning of March, he has a 1.66 GAA and .947 save percentage, and the Blues owned the league's best defense after the All-Star break (1.88 goals per game).
CENTER
Sean Monahan, CGY vs. ANA ($6,000): The Flames may be down three games to none, but their offense has not been the issue. They actually got John Gibson pulled in Game 3, and Monahan has had a particularly strong series. He's already tallied four points, all on the power play, and eight shots on goal. During the regular season, Monahan started 40.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he averaged 3:10 per game on the power play. The Ducks allowed 2.80 goals and 30.4 shots on net per game on the road, making this matchup look favorable, and Monahan and the Flames should be extra motivated with their backs against the wall.
Alexander Steen, STL vs. MIN ($4,800): While Devan Dubnyk had a fine regular season on the whole, he has just an .889 save percentage in his last 15 contests, although he's been solid in this series despite losing the first three games. The Wild's defense isn't quite as good on the road (2.76 goals and 33.0 shots on net per game), which is another point in Steen's favor. He has three points in this series already and he's seeing major power-play time against a Wild club that didn't look so good on the penalty kill down the stretch.
WING
T.J. Oshie, WAS at TOR ($6,700): Oshie has four points (all assists) in this series' first three games. That's unusual, as he was more of a sniper in the regular season, scoring a whopping 33 goals in 68 games. The Maple Leafs allowed 2.85 goals per game and also 32.6 shots on net per contest. Oshie has also averaged 3:44 per game on the power play in this series, and Toronto had the 20th-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break.
Jaden Schwartz, STL vs. MIN ($5,900): Schwartz has a point in every game of this series, and he's also tallied 13 shots on net in three games against the Wild. This is a continuation of a hot end to the regular season, as he has seven goals, seven assists and 49 shots on net in his last 14 contests. The Wild ended the regular season going in the opposite direction, as they allowed 2.94 goals per game after the All-Star break.
Rickard Rakell, ANA at CGY ($5,900): Rakell started 36.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he certainly made the most of his opportunities this season. He notched 33 goals in 71 games, and he's currently boasting a five-game point streak. Brian Elliott has now been in net for six straight losses, and he has a 2.92 GAA and .904 save percentage in his last 14 games. Unless he turns that around all of a sudden, this is quite the favorable matchup for Rakell.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS at TOR ($5,300): Carlson may not be the offensive dynamo Kevin Shattenkirk is, but he's averaged 3.1 fantasy points per game. He notched 180 shots on goal in 72 games, and he has 10 shots on net in this series. The Maple Leafs allowed the third-most shots on net per game this season (32.6), which means Carlson should have plenty of chances to put the puck on the net. Toronto also ranked third in shot attempts per 60 minutes (60.5), and Carlson registered 127 blocked shots this season.
Cody Ceci, OTT at BOS ($3,600): Consider Ceci the cheap defensive option who can be a surprisingly good fantasy force because of blocked shots. Ceci averaged 2.4 fantasy points per game, which is not bad for a player at this price. He did put 143 shots on goal in 79 games during the regular season, but this is about the blocks. Ceci got in front of 159 pucks this season, which isn't a huge total, but this is a matchup quite conducive to blocking shots. The Bruins averaged 61.3 shot attempts per 60 minutes, tops in the league. To that point, Ceci already has 13 blocked shots in this series.
