This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
There are just four games on tap for Wednesday, but five of the eight teams rank 11th or better on the power play. That likely means we'll have plenty of offensive output and fantasy production.
Featured Matchups
Maple Leafs (PP: 2, PK: 9) at Blue Jackets (PP: 3, PK: 13), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Curtis McElhinney (2-1-2, 2.39, .924), Sergei Bobrovsky (30-12-3, 2.19, .925)
Key Injuries:David Clarkson (back), Scott Hartnell (lower body), Joffrey Lupul (abdomen), Nikita Soshnikov (upper body)
The Maple Leafs entered Monday's game with just two wins over their past eight games, but they took out plenty of frustration in a 7-1 win against the Islanders at Air Canada Centre. Did they save anything up for Columbus? The Jackets were dumped 3-2 against the Rangers on Sunday, and they're just 2-8 in their past 10 games with one day of rest. Former Curtis McElhinney was the understudy to Sergei Bobrovsky in mid-January before being waived and claimed by the Leafs. He'll get a crack at his former mates. Bobrovsky has righted the ship, letting in a total of nine goals over his past four starts while rounding back into form. He'll be tested by Toronto's No. 2 power-play unit, a group which lit the lamp once courtesy of rookie Auston Matthews on Monday. Josh Leivo is a sleeper in DFS after his three-point explosion against the Isles. The Jackets are right on the heels of the Leafs in the power-play department, and Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno have lit the lamp nine times on the man advantage.
Blues (PP: 7, PK: 5) at Red Wings (PP: 30, PK: 21), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jake Allen (21-14-3, 2.67, .904), Petr Mrazek (12-14-6, 3.10, .899)
Key Injuries:Jonathan Ericsson (wrist), Johan Franzen (concussion), Jimmy Howard (knee), Thomas Vanek (ankle), Joe Vitale (concussion), Kyle Brodziak (foot), Robby Fabbri (knee), Paul Stastny (lower body)
The Blues canned Ken Hitchcock and put Mike Yeo in charge, and they have won five of six games since the move. That includes four straight wins on the road, as Jake Allen has suddenly resembled the goaltender we saw last season. He has yielded just three total goals over his past three starts, by far his best stretch of the season. If Allen is to continue his success, he'll need to shut down Anthony Mantha. The right winger has come alive with two goals and seven points with a plus-8 over his past seven games. In DFS, he is a great value at a mid-tier price. Andreas Athanasiou has lit the lamp three times in the past three games. This is the final meeting between these former Norris Division rivals at venerable Joe Louis Arena.
Panthers (PP: 28, PK: 5) at Sharks (PP: 21, PK: 16), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Roberto Luongo (15-14-6, 2.64, .916), Martin Jones (28-15-4, 2.27, .916)
Key Injuries:Dylan DeMelo (wrist), Joonas Donskoi (upper body)
The Panthers have won just three times in their past 11 tries against teams with a winning record, as their power-play unit has really struggled to generate much offense. San Jose's power play hasn't been much better, so both goaltenders might produce decent results. Martin Jones is 3-0-2 since the All-Star break, and he has won each of his previous two career starts against the Cats. If Jones is to be successful, he'll need to cool off Jonathan Huberdeau. The forward has potted two goals with five points in three games since making his season debut after a lengthy rehab from an Achilles' injury. Aleksander Barkov has banged home goals in each of the past two outings, while Jonathan Marchessault continues to surprise with three markers and six points over his past eight outings.
Other Matchups
Flyers (PP: 10, PK: 18) at Flames (PP: 11, PK: 19), 9:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Michal Neuvirth (9-5-1, 2.67, .897), Brian Elliott (11-13-2, 2.85, .895)
Key Injuries:Ladislav Smid (neck), Travis Konecny (lower body)
Neuvirth gets the nod in the crease, as he looks to stay hot. He is 3-1-1 with a 1.20 goals-against average and .946 save percentage over his past five starts. He'll be helped out by the red-hot Wayne Simmonds who has scored in each of his past two games, and five of his past nine outings. For the Flames, Sean Monahan is looking to make history. He needs one more goal to push aside Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk to become the youngest player in Flames history to reach 100 goals.
Recommended Pickup
Matthew Tkachuk, LW, CGY -- The rookie Tkachuk lit the lamp on the power play in the first meeting with the Flyers back on Nov. 27 in Philadelphia, and he rolled up a season-high 18 penalty minutes in that game. He has been hot since mid-December, posting four goals with 15 assists over the past 24 games. The first-year player has emerged as a solid option in most seasonal leagues, and he is a decent mid-tier DFS play.
