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Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.com
Wednesday’s three-game NHL slate is stacked with stalwart defensive teams.
Most of the six teams in action are some of the best in the league at supressing fantasy points. Forwards against the Los Angeles Kings have averaged a collective 13.58 fantasy points per game (remember, that’s divided up among all 12 forwards) so far this season, which is the lowest total in the league to date.
The Winnipeg Jets are also way down there in limiting forwards, ranking 30th with 14.15 fantasy points against per game (FPAPG). The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders both stifle opposing defenders, ranking 30th and 26th in FPAPG versus defense.
As for goaltenders, the Kings rank 29th in goaltender fantasy points allowed and the Detroit Red Wings rank 26th.
It’s overall an evening of hockey that may not have a lot of fantasy points to go around unless game flows break down the anticipated structure.
The FPAPG ranks suggest solid nights out of Cam Talbot, Drew Doughty and maybe Alex Ovechkin or Semyon Varlamov. We’ll see how it plays out.
The NHL gets busy again on Thursday with 12 games and has another four scheduled on Friday. The Jets, Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Capitals, Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens will all play twice before the weekend begins, with Caps in a back-to-back set Wednesday-Thursday, and the Oilers and Habs rolling in separate back-to-back sets on Thursday-Friday.
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Stock up
Zach Benson, W, Buffalo Sabres (98.1% available): Even with fellow youngster Jack Quinn making his season debut, Benson is still finding ways to the top of the Sabres depth chart. He’s been playing in Jeff Skinner‘s usual spot next to Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson, and has posted 10.4 fantasy points across his past five games. Even when Skinner returns to the lineup, the Tuch-Thompson-Skinner trio is less of a lock this season with the struggles Thompson has had, so there is still room for Benson to find his niche.
Yegor Chinakhov, W, Columbus Blue Jackets (96.8% available): Who had the Blue Jackets down for a nine-spot on Tuesday? The Russian line continues to build momentum for the Jackets, as Chinakhov and Kirill Marchenko are now heavily into startable territory for fantasy. The third Russian, Dmitri Voronkov, is still just in a support role at the moment, but adding Chinakhov or Marchenko to lineups is fair play. They are both crushing it since Dec. 8.
Thomas Harley, D, Dallas Stars (88.3% available): He’s done so without much fanfare, but Harley trails only Quinn Hughes for goals by defenders this season. Now, Harley doesn’t have the assists to make him a go-to fantasy play, but his eight goals, increasing power-play role and modest-to-good blocked shots have him in starting territory.
Stock down
Jamie Benn, W, Dallas Stars (32.0% available): As goes the Dallas Stars power play, so goes Jamie Benn. At this time last season, he had collected 14 points on special teams to fuel his 13 goals by Dec. 20. This season, however, Benn has but eight points on special teams resulting in five goals. If the Stars PP wakes up (looking at you, Jason Robertson!), then Benn will be fine to keep in lineups. But he can be safely stored away or even rotated into free agency until that happens.
Timo Meier, W, New Jersey Devils (11.0% available): This is a very extended slump for Meier, who may just be one of those players who struggles when he isn’t carrying the team on his shoulders. A superstar for fantasy with the Sharks, we just haven’t seen the same level of production with the Devils. Things are coming to a head now for fantasy managers wondering why they’ve started him for 4.7 fantasy points total in the past nine games. Meier is not even on the top power play of late. Certainly bench him and I’m not blinking too much about dropping him in 10-team fantasy leagues.
Streamer specials
David Savard, D, Montreal Canadiens (66.9% available): He’s playing big minutes, blocking all the shots coming his way and the Blackhawks make up part of this mid-week schedule for the Canadiens. Savard is a great stream start heading into the weekend.
Dylan Strome, C, Washington Capitals (47.7% available): The Islanders and Blue Jackets rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in average fantasy points allowed to opposing forwards. That’s not one, but two good matchups for Strome and company.
Gabriel Vilardi, C, Winnipeg Jets (55.5% available): His availability has sunk seven percent since Monday’s lookahead as he scored yet another goal. Keep rolling with him in what should be two better-than-you-might-expect matchups against the Red Wings and Boston Bruins.
Darcy Kuemper, G, Washington Capitals (83.4% available) or
Charlie Lindgren, G, Washington Capitals (82.3% available): I mean, both goaltenders are playing well and both are readily available. I might try to target the Islanders matchup on Wednesday rather than the Blue Jackets on Thursday, as I’m a little gun shy of Columbus after they shelled the Sabres Tuesday.
Karel Vejmelka, G, Arizona Coyotes (95.8% available) or
Connor Ingram, G, Arizona Coyotes (40.1% available): I don’t know how to read the tea leaves and know who is up next, but whoever it is might get another shutout against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. The Coyotes share the league lead with four shutouts and the Sharks lead in most times shut out at five. This feels like Connor Ingram’s turn, but there are some inconsistencies in the turn order.
Source: www.espn.com