This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL is back! Sure, Jets-Canucks isn't quite as exciting as USA-Canada, but it's time to get back to business as usual. Wednesday sees the NHL return with eight games, the first starting at 7 p.m. ET. Hey, at least game times are easier to manage now, right? Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Obviously, none of these teams have played in a while, but some of these players have been quite busy. To that end, the Jets have already announced Eric Comrie will start in net Wednesday. A few teams are in the first leg of a back-to-back, and the ones who can make goalie decisions that really matter to me are Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. Although, I imagine the Lightning will start Andrei Vasilevskiy on Wednesday. He's had to sit around for a while, since Russia wasn't allowed to compete in the Olympics.
GOALIES
Casey DeSmith, DAL vs. SEA ($8,200): Apparently Jake Oettinger needs time off after his busy Olympics. DeSmith has been tapped to start Wednesday, but he's no slouch. Over the last two seasons DeSmith has a 2.49 GAA and .913 save percentage as Oettinger's backup. Seattle has managed a mere 25.4 shots on net per game, so DeSmith might not be too busy down in Dallas.
Adin Hill, VGK at LOS ($7,600): Hill looked good in his last start before the break, and Akira Schmid couldn't even beat out an Elder Millennial who has spent his career in Europe at the Olympics. My guess is Vegas will have Hill be the guy as much as possible. This is a good matchup to return with. The Kings are in the bottom five in goals per game, and they won't have Kevin Fiala the rest of the way.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at NJD ($7,400): Luukkonen is expected to be able to return from his lower-body injury after this time off. He was playing well before that, as the Finn has a .916 save percentage over his last 11 outings. Jack Hughes may be an American hockey hero, but he returns to a Devils team that has managed only 2.51 goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jason Robertson, DAL vs. SEA ($7,700): You may have heard Robertson didn't make the Olympic roster, but that's water under the bridge for American hockey fans now. Robertson, though, was on fire before the break. He also has a whopping 27 power-play points on the season. His history of success with the extra man is good, as the Kraken have the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
Elias Pettersson, Van vs. WPG ($5,100): Connor Hellebuyck's well-earned day off is to Vancouver's benefit. Comrie has a 3.07 GAA and .892 save percentage. Pettersson is one of the only players left standing for the Canucks, and he has 34 points in 49 games.
Vasily Podkolzin, EDM at ANA ($3,400): Podkolzin had an assist in each of the last two games before the break. Things might be different now, but he was skating with Connor McDavid. Meanwhile, the Ducks have a 3.48 GAA, which is bottom five in the NHL.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Jets at Canucks
Adam Lowry (C - $2,900), Gabriel Vilardi (W - $5,200), Cole Perfetti (W – $3,800)
The Canucks are last in GAA, last in penalty-kill percentage, and in the bottom eight in shots on net allowed per game. Vancouver got out ahead in terms of tearing the roster down, and this stands as the worst team in the NHL at the moment. As such, I think you can save some money on a stack by going with the Jets' second line over the first line. Plus, two of these guys are on the top power-play unit.
Lowry is mostly around for defense and leadership. However, he has two good wings next to him now, and he has three assists in his last five games. Vilardi has his fourth 20-goal season in a row. He also has 16 power-play points in 56 games. Perfetti, recently moved to the top power-play unit, has nine points in his last 14 contests. He's also put at least three shots on net in each of his last four outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. EDM ($5,000): LaCombe had 14 assists in 15 games prior to heading off to the Olympics to not see any ice time. He's averaged 24:30 per contest in ice time and played a top on the top power-play unit. The Oilers have a 3.29 GAA, and they are relying on Tristan Jarry turning things around soon.
J.J. Moser, TAM vs. TOR ($3,300): Moser has been skating with Darren Raddysh as the top pair for the Lightning, and, with Victor Hedman's age and Olympic injury, that will likely continue to be the case. While Moser hasn't been as productive as Raddysh, he has 19 points and is a plus-39. The Maple Leafs have a 3.39 GAA, but they also have allowed 31.6 shots on net per game.
Logan Stanley, WPG at VAN ($2,700): Unfortunately for Josh Morrissey, he was injured during the Olympics and is on injured reserve. Neal Pionk is also out week-to-week for good measure. That leaves Stanley, who has nine goals and nine assists, and will probably see more power-play time than he's used to. He also gets to come back from the break against a Vancouver team with a 3.65 GAA.
