This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
The National Hockey League slate is short and sweet on Wednesday night, but don't let that fool you. Five of the six teams in action have power-play units in the upper half of the league and four teams rank seventh or better on the penalty kill. You can expect to see most of these teams playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs as a result of their solid play on special teams.
Featured Matchups
Oilers (PP: 11, PK: 13) at Panthers (PP: 27, PK: 3), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cam Talbot (30-16-7, 2.35, .921), Roberto Luongo (16-14-6, 2.69, .915)
Key Injuries:Andrew Ference (hip), Darnell Nurse (ankle), Tyler Pitlick (knee), Benoit Pouliot (undisclosed)
The Oilers play in the second end of their Sunshine State back-to-back. Laurent Brassoit was bested by the Lightning in Tampa by a 4-1 count Monday, as only Iiro Pakarinen was able to break through on offense. He has at least one point in five of his past six games and has been a DFS sleeper lately. Cam Talbot will be in the crease for the Oil in Sunrise. He was the winning netminder in a 4-3 overtime win against the Panthers on Jan. 18 in the first meeting in Alberta. Jonathan Marchessault lit the lamp in St. Louis, and he has at least one point in eight of the past 12 outings. He has been a pleasant surprise, tied for second on the team in points (35).
Capitals (PP: 5, PK: 6) at Flyers (PP: 9, PK: 16), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Braden Holtby (29-8-5, 2.01, .926), Steve Mason (16-17-6, 2.90, .900)
Key Injuries:Travis Konecny (lower body), Jordan Weal (upper body), Andre Burakovsky (hand)
The Caps streak in with wins in 14 of their past 19 against Eastern Conference teams and victories in 38 of their past 51 against clubs with a losing record. However, they are just 4-10 in their past 14 trips to the City of Brotherly Love, while the home team is 7-3 in the past 10 meetings. That makes Braden Holtby not as certain as a fantasy option as you might think. Justin Williams buried a pair of goals in the most recent meeting with the Fly Guys on Jan. 15. Matt Niskanen also lit the lamp twice in the win while racking up a plus-4 rating. That game kicked off a hot streak for the rearguard, as he has two goals and 14 points with a plus-8 rating over his past 16 games, including seven power-play helpers. The top five scorers on the Flyers have a minus-17 rating or worse, including Shayne Gostisbehere. He leads the team's defensemen with 25 points, including 16 power-play points. However, he also has the worst rating at minus-22.
Bruins (PP: 12, PK: 1) at Ducks (PP: 14, PK: 7), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Tuukka Rask (28-13-4, 2.24, .914), John Gibson (23-15-8, 2.24, .922)
Key Injuries:Simon Despres (head), Clayton Stoner (abdomen), Antoine Vermette (suspension), Austin Czarnik (lower body)
The Bruins have enjoyed life after Claude Julien, going a perfect 4-0 since appointing Bruce Cassidy as interim head coach. They have averaged 4.0 goals per game while allowing just 1.8 per outing. Tuukka Rask has been playing like a man possessed, winning three of those outing, including a shutout of the Canadiens. The B's kicked off their west coast road swing with a 2-1 overtime win against the Sharks, as Brad Marchand continues to swing a hot twig. Since Jan. 5 the team's leading scorer has kicked it into overdrive, posting 15 goals, 14 assists and a plus-6 rating in 20 games. The way Marchand has been going, he could beat the Ducks himself. Anaheim is struggling offensively, averaging just 1.3 goals per game over the past four outings, while posting two or fewer goals in seven of their past nine.
Recommended Pickup
Frank Vatrano, C, BOS - The 22-year-old Bay State native has been hot lately, posting two goals and four points with a plus-4 rating over his past three outings. He has logged five goals over his past 12 games to emerge as a useful option in deeper pools and as a valuable salary saver play in DFS. Claude Julien started to trust Vatrano on the power-play unit and Cassidy continues to rely on the youngster in that role.
