This post was written exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com by Rich Miller.

There are only four NHL games on the board for Wednesday, with little-to-no high profile offenses on the slate. It should make for an interesting evening in player selection, but like always, there are a few angles to exploit.

Teams to Target

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It’s nearly a nugatory sample size, but 1-4 Carolina is currently a top-5 possession team at even strength. Abysmal displays of defense and goaltending have more to do with their record than anything. But that is not what we’re concerned with here. We’re looking for offense, and matched against a Colorado team who is giving up a league high 76 shot attempts per game means the Hurricanes are in a spectacular spot Wednesday night. For perspective, the next closest team to Colorado is Arizona at 61. Colorado’s defense has been epically bad.

Justin Faulk should absolutely be in your lineup. Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg can used with confidence as well. Despite all the shade being thrown Colorado’s way, Francois Beauchemin has been solid for the Avalanche. He, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon should all be on your radar in what should be a high-scoring game.

Boston should be next on your list. They get a Flyers team who lost 2-1 to Dallas last night. The Bruins have started slow, but they have looked much better since getting Zdeno Chara back in the lineup. The Flyers wouldn’t be a bad contrarian play in this spot, but nothing about their play in the early going should make you feel overly confident about using them – even on a short slate. David Krejci and David Pastrnak should be considered good value plays, and despite what will likely be a heavy price tag, Torey Krug should be in play as well.

Another team to look at Wednesday is the Edmonton Oilers who will face the Detroit Red Wings in Edmonton. While the Wings have gotten off to a decent start thanks to Henrik Zetterberg and some younger legs such as Dylan Larkin and Teemu Pulkkinen, they’ve lost two straight. The Oilers, winners of their last two, were much better at home last season. Both are poor possession teams who give up over 30 shots per game, so give the edge to the home team who is trending up at the moment. Taylor Hall and his 29 shots is a lineup must. Andrej Sekera and Connor McDavid are great plays here as well.

Player Rankings

Center

1. Eric Staal – $5,600 – Carolina Hurricanes
2. Nathan MacKinnon – $7,000 – Colorado Avalanche
3. David Krejci – $5,200 – Boston Bruins
4. Connor McDavid – $5,200 – Edmonton Oilers
5. Henrik Zetterberg – $6,700 – Detroit Red Wings

Winger

1. Taylor Hall – $6,300 – Edmonton Oilers
2. Gabriel Landeskog – $6,600 – Colorado Avalanche
3. Kris Versteeg – $4,200 – Carolina Hurricanes
4. James van Riemsdyk -$6,200 – Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Justin Abdelkader – $4,700 – Detroit Red Wings
6. Nail Yakupov – $4,000 – Edmonton Oilers
7. David Pastrnak – $4,400 – Boston Bruins
8. Jeff Skinner – $4,800 – Carolina Hurricanes

Defensemen

1. Justin Faulk – $5,300 – Carolina Hurricanes
2. Torey Krug $5,000 – Boston Bruins
3. Francois Beauchemin – $4,600 – Colorado Avalanche
4. Zdeno Chara – $4,700 – Boston Bruins
5. Andrej Sekera – $2,800 – Edmonton Oilers
6. Kyle Quincey – $2,700 – Detroit Red Wings

Goalies

1. Tuukka Rask – $7,400 – Boston Bruins

Only one goaltender worth recommending, and that’s Rask. Give Eddie Lack some consideration if he starts for Carolina, but avoid Cam Ward and his shaky start at all costs.

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