This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
Happy Pi Day! There are five games on the NHL slate. Here are some recommendations for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
San Jose Sharks, SAN at EDM ($16,500): The Sharks may be on the road Wednesday, but they are catching an Oilers team on the second night of a back-to-back. Plus, Martin Jones, San Jose's likely starter, has been playing some great hockey recently. Over his last 17 games he's posted a 2.00 GAA and a .934 save percentage.
CENTER
Nazem Kadri, TOR vs. DAL ($12,900): Kadri has been on an extended tear, as he's tallied 22 points and 61 shots on net in his last 20 contests. The Stars are on the second night of a back-to-back, and Ben Bishop isn't expected to return for this game. That means Kari Lehtonen will either have to start a second game in as many nights or Mike McKenna will have to see some action.
Erik Haula, VGK vs. NJD ($11,500): Haula has made the most of career-high ice time in his move to Vegas, notching 25 goals and 22 assists in 64 contests. That includes 16 points with the extra man. On the road, the Devils have a 3.09 GAA and have allowed 34.7 shots on net per game. Plus, since returning from injury, Cory Schneider has a 3.11 GAA and an .887 save percentage in three outings.
WING
Patric Hornqvist, PIT at NYR ($13,100): It took Hornqvist a game to get going after returning from injury, but over his last eight contests he has four goals on 39 shots. Meanwhile, the Rangers have struggled mightily for a couple months at this point. Since the All-Star break, they have a league-high 3.60 GAA and have allowed 37.9 shots on net per game.
Corey Perry, ANA vs. VAN ($11,800): Perry has had a rough season, but he's put that behind him recently. Over his last seven games he has three goals and six assists. The Canucks have a 3.21 GAA, which is bottom five in the NHL. They also have the 26th-ranked penalty kill, and Perry has averaged 2:53 per game with the extra man.
Joonas Donskoi, SAN at EDM ($10,600): Donskoi has started 56.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Sharks (and No. 1 is the injured Joe Thornton). He's also tallied six points in his last six games and is listed on the top line for San Jose. The Oilers will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and even though they are at home their 3.37 GAA in their own arena is far from a concern. Plus, Edmonton has the league's worst penalty kill. Though Donskoi has only averaged 1:40 per game on the power play, that little bit of time is still a small plus in this matchup.
DEFENSE
Kris Letang, PIT at NYR ($11,300): As usual, Letang has been quite impressive offensively. He's put 192 shots on net in 67 games and notched 17 points on the power play. The defenseman has played well recently to boot, tallying 11 points in his last 15 contests. As noted earlier, since the All-Star break the Rangers have struggled to the tune of a 3.60 GAA and have allowed 37.9 shots on net per game.
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. NJD ($7,700): Theodore has started 55.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and in six games since returning from injury he has two points and 15 shots on net. Also, as previously noted on the road the Devils have a 3.09 GAA and have allowed 34.7 shots on goal per game. The 22-year-old has also averaged 2:27 per game on the power play and has tallied eight points with the extra man in 48 games.
