This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
On Wednesday, two teams are going to be eliminated. Before that happens, though, you can put together a DraftKings lineup involving the four teams in action. With that in mind, here are some players to consider for your lineups Wednesday, which may be your last chance to use them.
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, EDM at ANA ($7,600): Talbot has a few rough starts recently, but he still has a 2.51 GAA and .924 save percentage in the playoffs -- not the most spectacular of postseason numbers, but John Gibson has had plenty of struggles of his own. Additionally, the Oilers only allowed 2.68 goals and 29.1 shots on net on the road during the regular season. Edmonton's already won two road games in the series, and almost won a third before a last-minute collapse, so Talbot could definitely pick up a win Wednesday, and you're getting priced in.
CENTER
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS vs. PIT ($6,100): Kuznetsov started 37.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone this season, second-most of any Capital. After tallying 59 points this regular season, he's added 10 more power-play points, and he currently has a four-game point streak going. Marc-Andre Fleury had a 3.02 GAA and .909 save percentage during the regular season, and he has a 3.17 GAA and .910 save percentage in his last nine contests.
Ryan Kesler, ANA vs. EDM ($5,800): Kesler has averaged 3.3 fantasy points per game, and he's tallied five points in this series. He's also notched 19 shots on goal in his last five games, and the Oilers have given up 34.6 shots on net per contest in the postseason. Kesler averaged 3:17 per game on the power play during the regular season, notching 20 points with the extra man, and penalty killing is among Edmonton's greatest weaknesses.
WING
Rickard Rakell, ANA vs. EDM ($5,900): Rakell has had an even better campaign than Kesler, as he's averaged 3.5 fantasy points per game. Part of that is that he gets to be a more offensively oriented player, as he started 36.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone during the regular season, fifth-most among Ducks. Rakell has kept the strong play going on this series, as he currently has a four-game point streak, and he's notched 26 shots on net in his last five contests.
Patrick Maroon, EDM at ANA ($5,000): As mentioned earlier, the playoffs have not gone well for Gibson, who has a 3.00 GAA and .903 save percentage. In his last outing, he was pulled after allowing three goals on a mere six shots. Maroon's coming off a 27-goal regular season, and he has seven points in this series while loving life on the top line with Connor McDavid.
Marcus Johansson, WAS vs. PIT ($5,000): As previously noted, Fleury has a 3.17 GAA and .910 save percentage in his last nine games, which is in line with his lackluster regular season. Johansson started 36.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he averaged 3:13 per game on the power play, tallying 19 points with the extra man. After totaling 58 points this season, Johansson has added eight more in the playoffs.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS vs. PIT ($5,000): After allowing 32.6 shots on goal per game during the regular season, third-most in the NHL, the Penguins have given up 35.8 shots per contest in the postseason. That includes giving up seven shots to Carlson in Game 6. Additionally, the Penguins attempted 58.8 shots per 60 minutes, sixth-most in the league. That should give Carlson, who had 127 blocked shots in 72 games, plenty of opportunities to get in front of the puck, especially with desperate moments sure to be in plentiful supply Wednesday.
Kris Russell, EDM at ANA ($3,900): Speaking of blocked shots, Russell had 213 in 68 games, which led the league, and he's added 48 more in the playoffs. His offense has also ticked up a bit recently, as Russell's notched four points in his last four games. Andrej Sekera is out, and Oscar Klefbom is banged up, though he's probably going to play. With both of those guys missing in Game 6, Russell played 3:15 on the power play. If that happens again, he'll be one of the sneakiest sources of DFS value on the slate.
