This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's a light Wednesday for the NHL with just a pair of games on tap. Here are some insights for player recommendations…
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT vs. EDM ($8,600): Murray has been up-and-down this season, hence his 2.89 GAA and .914 save percentage. However, in his last 10 starts he has a 2.61 GAA and .923 save percentage. Though the Oilers have Connor McDavid, as a team they've averaged 2.84 goals and 28.7 shots on net per contest.
CENTER
Bo Horvat, VAN at ANA ($6,500): Horvat has a goal in each of his last games, giving him 20 on the season. He's primed to set a new career high in goals, and he could easily add to that total in this one. The Ducks have allowed 34.7 shots on net per game, and they will likely be starting Chad Johnson due to goalie injuries. That's the same Johnson with a 3.54 GAA and .884 save percentage.
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA vs. VAN ($5,900): Anaheim's offense has been atrocious, but Getzlaf is doing his best. He's notched 36 points in 50 games, and he's averaged 2:44 per game with the extra man as well. The Canucks have a 3.17 GAA on the road, but Jacob Markstrom is also a question mark. If he can't play, Marek Mazanec or Michael DiPietro will be in net for Vancouver.
WING
Jake Guentzel, PIT vs. EDM ($7,600): Guentzel is the poster boy for what playing on a line with Sidney Crosby can do. He's tallied 27 goals and 25 assists through 56 games, and he has a three-game point streak. Edmonton has a 3.37 road GAA, but it has gotten poor goaltending since Mikko Koskinen snapped back to reality. Since the beginning of December he has a 3.30 GAA and .895 save percentage.
Bryan Rust, PIT vs. EDM ($5,500): Why not double up on Crosby's wings? After all, Rust has seven points in his last eight games in his own right. Though he likely won't get to take advantage of the Oilers' woeful penalty kill, their 3.37 road GAA is still relevant.
Josh Leivo, VAN at ANA ($3,600): Suddenly, Leivo finds himself on Vancouver's top line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. He may keep that role, as he has seven points in his last nine games. As previously noted, the Ducks have allowed 34.7 shots on net per game, and their GAA as a team has soared to 3.33 in recent months.
DEFENSE
Marcus Pettersson, PIT vs. EDM ($4,000): Since being traded to Pittsburgh, Pettersson has 10 points in 31 games, including two on the power play. His minutes have been up since the trade, but they should go up even further now with Olli Maatta injured. If he gets more time with the extra man, that would bode well against an Oilers team with the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
Ben Hutton, VAN at ANA ($3,800):Alexander Edler is still out, which means Hutton's minutes should continue to be up, including on the power play. In addition to their other issues, Anaheim has the 20th-ranked penalty kill. The Ducks have been particularly poor on that from in February, where they rank 28th through five games.
