This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There is only one game in the NHL on Wednesday, so the Blackhawks-Wild game is getting folded into Thursday's DraftKings slate. Keep in mind that if you sign up for an NHL contest Wednesday, you'll be playing both Wednesday and Thursday's schedule. Let's find some players to target for this two-night fantasy extravaganza.
GOALIE
Carey Price, MON at ARI ($8,200): Arizona has been a bit better at home than on the road, but the Coyotes still only have a 11-13-2 record on their own ice. They sit at the bottom of their division, whereas the Canadiens are atop the Atlantic. The Coyotes have struggled everywhere, as they rank 29th in goals per game and 28th in goals allowed per contest. Even if Price wasn't a former Hart winner having another strong season, his chances of picking up a victory would be high. Considering Price's credentials, you have to love the odds of him being worth the price here. All this holds true even though he had a bad game against Colorado on Tuesday; if the Habs decide to give Price a night off, Al Montoya makes for a fine option also.
CENTER
Claude Giroux, PHI vs. NYI ($6,300): Giroux has been scuffling a bit after the All-Star break, but there's reason to believe those struggles will be short-lived. After all, he still sports 41 points, including a whopping 22 on the power play. The Islanders rank 19th in penalty-kill percentage, so Giroux's man-advantage prowess could come in handy. Additionally, while Thomas Greiss is having a good season, he's also given up 10 goals in his last two games.
Kyle Turris, OTT vs. DAL ($5,500): Turris has only taken 110 shots on goal in 51 games, which is a decent but not terribly impressive total; still, it hasn't stopped him from averaging 3.3 fantasy points per game. Additionally, over his last eight games, he's improved to the tune of 26 shots on net, a clear increase in output. He's also averaged 3:51 a night on the power play in that span, which could pay dividends against the Stars' league-worst penalty kill.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT at COL ($6,200): The Penguins have averaged the most goals per game in the NHL, while the Avalanche have given up the most goals per game, so you won't find a bigger mismatch out there. Kessel has been a major part of Pittsburgh's offensive success, as he has 50 points in 51 games, including 23 on the power play. On top of all the Avs' other issues, their penalty kill ranks 25th.
Mike Hoffman, OTT vs. DAL ($5,700): As previously mentioned, the Stars' penalty kill ranks dead last in the NHL, and they won't find defending easy against Hoffman, who has 17 power-play points, including 11 goals. Indeed, Dallas has allowed 3.17 goals per game on the whole, so Hoffman won't necessarily need power-play production to have a good fantasy day.
Josh Bailey, NYI at PHI ($4,900): Bailey has quietly enjoyed an excellent run of play recently. Over his last 12 games, he's notched six goals and eight assists while putting 36 shots on net. The Flyers have allowed 2.96 goals per game, and Steve Mason only has a .900 save percentage. There's no reason to think they'll be the team that cools Bailey down, so he could be a real steal at this price.
DEFENSEMEN
Justin Schultz, PIT at COL ($5,100): At this point, it's probably unnecessary to pontificate at length about Schultz's breakout season. His scoring has never slowed down, and his minutes have only increased. Only twice in his last 22 games has he played fewer than 20 minutes, and one of those times he played 19:46. You don't need a ton of minutes to succeed against the lowly Avs (who have allowed 3.41 goals per game), but it's good to know that Schultz has become such a key cog in Pittsburgh's potent offense.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SAN at BOS ($4,200): It remains to be seen how the firing of Claude Julien affects the Bruins, but we do know that Tuukka Rask has allowed at least three goals in his last five games. However, Vlasic isn't here entirely for his offensive output, as he has a relatively modest 18 points and 86 shots on goal in 49 games. Instead, it's his 100 blocks that are most intriguing. The Bruins have taken 34.5 shots on net per contest, so Pickles should have plenty of opportunities to add to that block total. At his very reasonable price, that could be enough to make him return value.
