Joel Bartilotta 
Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of Between the Benches. On this final day before the NBA makes its return, the NHL has blessed us with just 3 games on its calendar. Not ideal for NHL DFS, but it is what it is and we do have some solid games to work with.
Let’s dig in and see if we can make some money.
NHL DFS Goaltending
Jaxson Stauber ($6.9K DK/$7k FD) vs. Dallas Stars – Risk it or biscuit right? That’s my mentality on a short slate and tonight is no different. Coming into this game, the Stars’ offense has been nonexistent. Over their last 5 games, the Stars have scored just 9 goals for an average of less than 2 per game. That’s just not good. Stauber has so far looked competent in the NHL. He’s 4-1 with a 2.76 GAA. He’s risky, but for his price, I really like him tonight.
Karel Vejmelka ($7.2k DK/$7.2k FD) vs. Calgary Flames– Sticking with the risky theme, I’ll look to Vejmelka also tonight. I suspect that the Flames will be popular tonight and I’ll want to go against the grain. Arizona gives up a ton of shots, so even if Vejmelka gives up a couple of goals, he’ll still end up making value. He struggled against the Kings the other night, but look for him to rebound tonight.
NHL DFS Stacks
Chicago 1 (Kane, Domi, Kurashev) + McCabe vs. Dallas
As we inch closer to the trade deadline, we’ll obviously want to monitor Patrick Kane’s status. He’s at risk of being traded at any moment and could be scratched tonight for that reason. That said, if Kane plays tonight he’ll be in my lineup. He’s more than likely down to his last few games as a Blackhawk and he’s trying his hardest to up his value.
Over his last 3 games, Kane has been the Kane of old. He’s registered 15 shots, 5 goals, and 2 assists. He just missed goal number 6 last night by about a tenth of a second. This line has really gelled of late and I’ll look to pair Kane with Max Domi. Over his last 5 games, Domi has 7 assists and a goal for 8 points. He’s averaging close to 2 points per game over that stretch and is just $4.3k on DK tonight. He should easily make value if he continues to play like he’s playing.
Dallas 1 (Hintz, Robertson, Pavelski) + Heiskanen vs. Chicago
I know I recommended Stauber tonight, but if you are fading him you should consider the top line for Dallas. Have the Stars been struggling to score goals? Yes, they have. Has this top line also been struggling? Yes, they have. This line has too much talent to continue their struggles and the Chicago Blackhawks just aren’t a good team. They’ve given up 3.38 goals per game over the last 2 weeks and close to 15 high-danger chances per game. This is a great bounce back spot for the Stars’ offense.
My priority here will be Hintz and Robertson. Pavelski is also in play, but he lacks the goal upside that Robertson and Hintz have. That said, a full stack here is definitely in play.
Arizona 1 (Hayton, Keller, Schmaltz) + Nemeth vs. Calgary
This is more of a testament to how the Coyotes have been playing than it is about the Flames. Only the Islanders have scored more goals per game over the last 2 weeks than the Coyotes, of the teams playing tonight of course. I have little interest in the Islanders tonight as Hellebuyck is a tough goalie to crack. So that leaves us with the Coyotes
This top line has been playing very well together. They’ve scored a combined 8 goals over their last 5 games and have a combined 17 points. My priority with this stack will be Keller and Schmaltz. They’ve combined for 7 of the 8 goals scored. I suspect this line may be more popular than they normally would be, but it’s a small slate and we have limited options tonight. They’ll be in my lineup.
Other Stacks: Wpg 1 and 2, Dal 3, Calgary 1, 2, or 3
NHL DFS Top Value Defenseman
- Dylan DeMelo – $3.2k on DK
- Jani Hakanpaa– $3k on Dk
Summary
We have just a 3-game slate tonight and have limited options. Tonight’s a night to get “weird” as they like to say. A complete game stack of that Dal/Chi game is 100% in play.
Make sure to use our Projection model when setting lineups.
Good luck and hope to see you in the green!
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