Welcome back to the Friday Night WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article! We made it to TRADE DEADLINE DAY! Deals are going to be flying every which way until the 3 pm deadline, and once the dust settles, we will have a small 5-game slate! Tonight’s 3/3 NHL slate begins at 7:00 pm ET. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!
3/3 NHL Stack Report
1. Edmonton Oilers 1 (Hyman-McDavid-Ryan)
— There is no way he can be ignored. He’s scored two goals per game over his last FIVE games. Over that time, he also registered six assists for a whopping 16 points over his last five games. He is simply unreal, and his linemates have benefitted from his crazy production, with Hyman registering two goals and two assists over his last four games. Tonight, the Oilers are coming into tonight’s matchup as sizeable favourites mainly due to their implied total of 3.7 goals, tied for second on the slate. Their opponents in the Jets have been sliding as of late. They have dropped their last four games, and this is a real advantage for the Oilers to create some breathing room in the standings as the Oilers and Jets sit 1 and 2 in the Western Conference Wild Card slots. Realistically, I would recommend playing McDavid and anyone who is on the ice with him. I would recommend that against any team, but especially against the Jets, given how they’ve been performing as of late. (I’d recommend a stack of Hyman-McDavid-Ekholm)
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Mattias Ekholm
2. Carolina Hurricanes 1 (Svechnikov-Aho-Jarvis)
— The Carolina Hurricanes have featured in many Between the Benches articles, and for good reason too. They’re first place in the Metro Division, second place in the NHL and have won five of their last seven games. (They lost their last two games by one goal) It seems as though they always have good matchups on Fridays too. Last Friday, they were recommended against the Ottawa Senators and blanked them 4-0, with everyone on the top line getting on the score sheet (including defenseman Brent Burns). Tonight, the Canes have an even better matchup against the Arizona Coyotes. The Canes are coming into tonight with the highest implied total of 4.1 goals, and that is due to the fact that the Canes are a top 10 offence coming up against a bottom five defence. For example, the Canes are registering 3.34 goals a game on average (compared to the Yotes’ 2.67 goals), while the Yotes are allowing 3.49 goals against per game (compared to the Canes’ 2.58 goals against). With the stats as significant as they are, it’s clear why the bookmakers are favouring Carolina so heavily in tonight’s game. The Canes’ top line all see power play time, with Aho and Svechnikov appearing on the top unit and Jarvis lining up with the second power-play unit. Aho also leads the Canes in goals, with Svechnikov coming in third place. Realistically, the Canes are a reliable play that has some affordability compared to the top line. Although I would recommend the Oilers’ top line first, the Canes top line is a good alternative, especially if you want to be different in DFS GPP Tournaments.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Brent Burns
Honorable Mention(s): Seattle Kraken 1 (McCann-Beniers-Eberle)
3/3 NHL Goalie Tracker
Best (Goalies to Roster)
- Stuart Skinner
- Frederick Andersen
Honorable Mention(s): Adin Hill
Worst (Goalies to Target)
1. Elvis Merzlikins
Honorable Mention(s): John Gibson
3/3 NHL Wild Card Targets
Dawson Mercer
– Dawson has been extremely impressive as of late, and I felt as though I couldn’t leave this article without mentioning what he’s been able to put together lately. Mercer has embarked on a seven-game goal streak, which included four multipoint games for a total of nine goals and five assists over his last seven games. His impressive production has also seen his time on ice increase from an average of 15 minutes to around 18 minutes of ice time and has seen him take up a leading role on the Devils’ second power-play unit. The Devils have a tough matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights but have still been given a 3.1 implied goal total, and I would think that if the Devils manage to score three, Mercer will definitely get involved on the scoresheet. (Good small stack with Tomas Tatar)
Honorable Mention(s): Mike Matheson, Josh Anderson, Jared McCann, Mattias Ekholm, Martin Necas
Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)
Center – Connor McDavid
Winger – Jared McCann (or Anthony Duclair if he plays)
Defenseman – Mattias Ekholm
Goalie – Stuart Skinner
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