This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
The slate for Wednesday is short but sweet, with plenty of interesting matchups to whet the whistle. As always, we'll check out the interesting storylines and DFS steals to help make you a winner.
Featured Matchups
Penguins (PP: 3, PK: 25) at Canadiens (PP: 9, PK: 23), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Matt Murray (14-4-1, 2.53, .916), Carey Price (21-8-4, 2.29, .922)
Key Injuries:David Desharnais (knee), Brendan Gallagher (hand), Andrei Markov (lower body), Greg Pateryn (ankle), Matt Cullen (foot),Brian Dumoulin (jaw), Kris Letang (lower body)
Two potent power-play units will be on display at Bell Centre when the Pens and Habs do battle. This could also be an Eastern Conference Finals preview, too. If you like offense, Pittsburgh games have been right up your alley. Since Dec. 20, eight of the past 11 games for the Penguins have had a total of at least seven goals. That includes an All-Star-like 8-7 overtime win over the Capitals in their most recent outing. Murray yielded seven goals in that win over the Caps, and he has been dinged for 19 goals over his past 204:09. The No. 9 power-play unit of Montreal doesn't figure to do Murray any favors. And the Pens are just 1-5 in their past six road games, so that doesn't bode well for Murray, either. On the flip side, the Canadiens are 17-6 in their past 23 on home ice. However, Price is still not a great fantasy play since he'll have the unenviable task of trying to shut down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who rank 1-2 in scoring in the Eastern Conference.
Bruins (PP: 23, PK: 2) at Red Wings (PP: 30, PK: 14), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Tuukka Rask (22-10-3, 2.03, .923), Petr Mrazek (9-11-4, 3.19, .893)
Key Injuries:Matt Beleskey (knee), Colin Miller (lower body), Kevan Miller (concussion), Johan Franzen (concussion), Darren Helm (shoulder), Jimmy Howard (knee), Niklas Kronwall (groin), Brendan Smith (knee), Joe Vitale (concussion)
A pair of Original Six teams renew acquaintances, and that's always special. Speaking of special, the Bruins have been just that on the road, posting a 13-8-5 mark away from New England, while posting a sub-.500 record on home ice. The B's are also a perfect 5-0 in their past five against Atlantic Division squads, while the Wings have won just six of their past 22 against divisional foes. Boston has dominated this series in recent years, going 12-2 in their past 14 meetings, and 4-1 in their past five trips to Motown. That's music to the ears of fantasy owners of Rask, who was pulled in his matinee appearance Monday against the Islanders. Rask blanked the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena back on Oct. 29, stopping all 24 shots he faced in a 1-0 win. Another low-scoring game might be in the offing, as each of these teams struggle on the man advantage. Gustav Nyquist is a solid mid-tier DFS value, as he enters play with two goals and five points over his past three outings. Thomas Vanek also enters on a six-game points run and is easy on the budget.
Sharks (PP: 22, PK: 13) at Kings (PP: 21, PK: 9), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Martin Jones (22-14-2, 2.25, .916), Peter Budaj (20-12-3, 2.09, .917)
Key Injuries:Jonathan Quick (groin), Tyler Toffoli (lower body), Dylan DeMelo (wrist), Joonas Donskoi (upper body), Tomas Hertl (knee)
These Golden State rivals tangle in SoCal, and lately it has been the Sharks swimming away with two points in recent battles. San Jose is 7-3 in the past 10 in this series, and 6-1 in their past seven trips to Staples Center. Jones will be amped up to return to face his former mates, and he is 2-1-1 with a stellar 1.76 GAA in four starts against L.A. this season, posting a .937 save percentage. Jake Muzzin could make life tough for his former backstop teammate, as he has finally come out of hibernation to post three goals and five points over his past five games. As such, he is a sharp DFS play at a mid-level price. Tommy Wingels is likely to draw in for the injured Donskoi. Wingels could be a low-priced value after posting three assists and eight penalty minutes in five games against the Kings in 2015-16.
Other Matchups
Coyotes (PP: 24, PK: 27) at Jets (PP: 18, PK: 26), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Mike Smith (8-12-5, 2.84, .918), Ondrej Pavelec
Key Injuries:Dave Bolland (back), Max Domi (hand), Brad Richardson (leg), Ryan White (lower body), Ben Chiarot (illness), Marko Dano (lower body), Patrik Laine (concussion), Tyler Myers (lower body)
He's back! Pavelec was placed on waivers prior to the season, but with Michael Hutchinson and Connor Hellebuyck scuffling in the crease, bench boss Paul Maurice turns to the veteran looking for a spark. Pavelec could be a low-priced steal in daily play against a poor Coyotes offense averaging just 1.5 goals per game over the past six outings. However, the Coyotes did record a 4-3 home win against these same Jets last Friday. Arizona is 0-6 in their past six visits to MTS Centre, though. Mark Scheifele is your best bet for offense, as he has three goals and five points over the past four outings. Arizona's Brendan Perlini scored twice against the Jets in that Jan. 13 win, and he picked up an assist in Edmonton on Monday. He is a DFS salary saver with some upside.
Panthers (PP: 25, PK: 6) at Oilers (PP: 13, PK: 18), 9:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:James Reimer (7-6-3, 2.61, .916), Cam Talbot (23-12-6, 2.42, .918)
Key Injuries:Andrew Ference (hip), Darnell Nurse (ankle), Iiro Pakarinen (leg), Tyler Pitlick (knee), Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed),Nick Bjugstad (lower body), Jonathan Huberdeau (achilles), Alex Petrovic (ankle)
Optimus Reim is expected to protect the Florida nets in Edmonton, a tall task against an Oilers team entering on a three-game win streak. Connor McDavid leads the NHL in scoring with 51 points, and will be a nuisance for the netminder all evening. McDavid certainly won't be the only concern, as Leon Draisaitl has lit the lamp in three of his past five outings, posting five points and a plus-3 during the span. Florida's Vincent Trocheck has been piling up the points lately, too. He buried two goals in Calgary Tuesday night, and he has multi-point efforts in four of his past five.
Recommended Pickup
Alex Burmistrov, C, WPG - Burmistrov made his Arizona debut last time out after resolving visa issues, tallying an assist on the team's lone goal in Edmonton Monday. For seasonal play, he is only worth scooping up as a speculative pick in deeper formats. However, he could be a DFS sleeper, playing with a little extra fire, as the No. 1 pick of the Jets in 2010 was unceremoniously dumped by Winnipeg on Jan. 1. Sure, it isn't Shane Doan returning to Winnipeg, and most likely won't pay much mind to the reunion, but it will surely mean something to Burmistrov.
