This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's another exciting 12-game slate of NHL action as we barrel toward the end of the grueling regular season and get ready for the playoffs. There are plenty of huge games with postseason implications, so you can expect feistiness, hard hits and plenty of penalty minutes from some. That's great news for DFS purposes. There are also a handful of potential mismatches on tap, at least if you believe the sharps in Vegas are on point -- and they usually are.Let's get started.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL vs. VAN ($8,300): Allen has a rather high price tag, but he's going to be worth every cent against a beleaguered Vancouver team limping to the finish line. The 26-year-old netminder has won six of his past seven starts while yielding two or fewer goals in seven of his past eight appearances. He looked more like Tim Allen at the beginning of the season, and fans of the Notes were wishing they had Brian Elliott back. Since the Blues changed coaches, though, Allen has been a Vezina-quality tender.
CENTER
Alexander Steen, STL vs. VAN ($4,800): Steen slid up to the top scoring unit in Tuesday's win against Colorado when Paul Stastny left with a lower-body ailment. It appears Steen will remain alongside Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko on the No. 1 line with Stastny deemed week-to-week. That makes Steen a tremendous value at this price, as it will not take much production for him to return value.
Jonathan Toews, CHI vs. DAL ($7,200): The Stars' defense and goaltending have been dismal over their past four road outings, as the opposition has scored 17 times, or 4.25 goals per game. Toews and the Blackhawks should see ample scoring chances. Chicago has 15 total goals in four previous outings against Dallas this season, and Toews has accounted for three of those goals -- one on the power play -- with five points despite playing in just three of the aforementioned matchups.
WING
Richard Panik, CHI vs. DAL ($5,200): Panik has scored in back-to-back games, paying big dividends at a mid-tier DFS price. The good times should continue to roll for the Slovakian winger against a Dallas team with a minus-37 goal differential, fourth-worst in the Western Conference.
Conor Sheary, PIT at OTT ($6,600): Sheary has a goal with five assists over his past three outings, and he's managed four goals and 14 points in 10 outings since making his way back from an upper-body ailment. As long as Sheary continues to skate on a line with Sidney Crosby, he's fantasy gold, and he comes with a relatively reasonable price tag, considering how hot he's been.
Jeff Skinner, CAR at MON ($5,600): Skinner has been single-handedly carrying the Hurricanes lately, lighting the lamp in three straight games with a total of five goals in that span. He's also producing at better than a point-per-game clip over his past 10, turning on the lamp eight times while chipping in with three helpers. My 6-year-old's favorite NHLer has been performing well regardless of the competition, so don't let a matchup with Carey Price at Bell Centre dissuade you from rolling with Skinny.
DEFENSE
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. ARI ($5,300): Ekblad was scoreless in Tuesday's return from a concussion, and he hasn't made his way onto the scoresheet in six straight outings overall. He's too talented to stay this cold for long, and facing the defensively challenged Coyotes will bring out the best in the rearguard. Arizona ranks 29th in goal differential at minus-55. He should be a nice contrarian play as he snaps that ugly point drought.
Oscar Klefbom, EDM at COL ($5,300): Klefbom generates a rock-solid fantasy floor with his prolific shot blocking. He has 27 blocks over the past 10 outings, and at half a point each in DraftKings, that's almost like starting out with an automatic point. Klefbom logs plenty of time on the man advantage, and that's good news against the league's 24th-ranked penalty-kill unit. With his heavy shot and Colorado's poor goal differential, Klefbom is a good mid-tier value.
