This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's modest NHL slate consists of only two games after 7 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Senators are favored at home over the Capitals in a game with an over/under of 6.5 goals, while the Penguins are modest road favorites in Detroit, with that over/under coming in at 6.5 goals as well. Wednesday's two-game slate features a clash of old school star power against up-and-comers looking to help their teams turn the corner.
GOALIES
Joonas Korpisalo, OTT vs. WAS ($8,200): Neither Korpisalo nor Anton Forsberg ($8,000) are top-tier goaltenders, but both should deliver their fair share of high-end fantasy performances while backstopping the ascendant young Senators, who could be ready to make the jump to playoff contention. While Ottawa's on the upswing, visiting Washington is over the hill, and the plodding Capitals have scored only two total goals through two games after ranking in the bottom 10 with 3.09 goals per game last season.
Tristan Jarry, PIT at DET ($7,900): Jarry's 104-53-17 with a 2.61 GAA and .915 save percentage since the start of his breakout 2019-20 campaign. He's an established above-average starter, and while the Capitals are seemingly content watching Alex Ovechkin chase the goals record with an underwhelming supporting cast, the Penguins have retooled around Sidney Crosby with the intention of contending this season in front of Jarry.
Darcy Kuemper, WAS at OTT ($7,200): Kuemper's a nice value pick who should see plenty of rubber from a Senators team that's averaging 33.0 shots per game in the early going. The veteran goalie can steal a game on any given night, as he's posted five shutouts in each of the past two seasons and three of the last five. Kuemper was sharp in his season debut, stopping 38 of 40 shots in a shootout win over Calgary.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. PIT ($6,600): Larkin is Detroit's captain, and he leads by example as the team's best player. The top-line center's coming off a second straight 30-goal season and third such campaign overall, and Larkin came just one point shy of averaging a point per game for the first time last year. His 1-2-3 line through three games has been accompanied by a robust 18 shots on goal, which is tied for fifth-most in the NHL.
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at DET ($6,300): Malkin is a strong play, either as part of a Pittsburgh stack or a standalone option. The star center's showing no signs of slowing down at age 37. He played in all 82 games last season for the first time since 2008-09, topping a point per game to boot, and Malkin's 2-4-6 line has him tied for second in the NHL in points, one back of Leon Draisaitl's league lead.
T.J. Oshie, WAS at OTT ($4,200): Oshie skates on the opposite wing from Alex Ovechkin ($7,800) on Washington's top line, and while neither veteran winger has notched a point yet, it's far easier to justify fitting Oshie into your lineup given his substantially lower valuation. Oshie's 19 goals in 58 games last season prorate to a 27-goal, 82-game pace, and he's potted at least nine power-play goals in five of his eight seasons with Washington, not counting the one that's just started.
Ridly Greig, OTT vs. WAS ($2,900): Greig's a low-risk, high-reward option at his sub-$3,000 valuation. Ottawa's second-line center has dished an assist in each of his last two games, and the 2020 first-round pick has a respectable 2-9-11 line through his first 23 NHL games. If Greig continues to hold down a second-line role with power-play time to boot, it's only a matter of time until his valuation climbs given the talent around him in Ottawa.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Senators vs. Capitals
Tim Stutzle (C - $7,300), Brady Tkachuk (W - $8,100), Claude Giroux (W - $5,500)
Stutzle and Tkachuk are two of the game's brightest young stars, and they're joined by an accomplished veteran who still has plenty of gas in the tank. Tkachuk has produced a pair of two-goal games across Ottawa's first three while adding an assist. Stutzle's coming off a 90-point season and has a 2-1-3 line through three games. Giroux came just shy of his sixth career point-per-game campaign with a 35-44-79 line last year, and he's got three points in three games to begin 2023-24.
Penguins at Red Wings
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,900), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,000), Bryan Rust (W - $4,000)
If you aren't building around Ottawa's top line Wednesday, you'll probably be building around Pittsburgh's instead. This line has extensive experience together, and its members have hit the ground running this season. Crosby's 3-1-4 line through three games gives him a 67-114-181 output in 154 appearances since the start of the 2021-22 season. Guentzel has spent the majority of that stretch flanking Crosby on both the top line and No. 1 power-play unit while producing a 77-86-163 line in 157 games, including six points in three games this season. Rust isn't as prolific as his linemates, but he's also far more affordable. He's coming off a down year after notching 58 points in 60 games during 2021-22, but Rust has bounced back to begin 2023-24, scoring three goals through three games.
Red Wings vs. Penguins
Andrew Copp (C - $3,300), J.T. Compher (W - $4,300), Michael Rasmussen (W - $3,200)
Detroit's affordable second line is a nice budget stacking option. Compher has opened the season on a three-game point streak, posting a 1-3-4 line to pick up where he left off after recording a career-high 52 points with the Avalanche last season. Copp's 13 shots on goal are second-most on the team after Larkin's 18, and Copp has a 1-1-2 line. Rasmussen has also lit the lamp already this season, and his offense has trended up since he shifted from center to wing partway through the previous campaign.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT at DET ($6,100): Pittsburgh turned heads by acquiring fellow offensively gifted blueliner Erik Karlsson ($6,900) in the offseason, but while Karlsson's still getting acclimated with just one point through three games, Letang has been his usual productive self with three points in as many games. Letang leads the team with an average of 24:51 TOI this season, so Karlsson's arrival hasn't infringed on Letang's opportunities to produce thus far.
Jakob Chychrun, OTT vs. WAS ($5,700): Chychrun led all defensemen with 18 goals during the 56-game 2020-21 season. A mix of injuries and playing for a bad Arizona team have prevented him from replicating that success since, but Chychrun's healthy and thriving to begin his first full season in Ottawa. Still just 25 years old, Chychrun has churned out a 2-2-4 line in his last two games to lead the Senators' talented, young blue line. Teammate Jake Sanderson ($3,800) is a quality budget option if you're looking for offensive upside on Ottawa's blue line but lack the funds for Chychrun.
Jake Walman, DET vs. PIT ($4,000): Walman's well-rounded skill set gives him a high floor relative to his middling valuation. Walman has stuffed the stat sheet with two assists, six shots on goal and 10 blocked shots through three games.
Rasmus Sandin, WAS at OTT ($3,600): Like many Washington skaters, Sandin's off to a slow start through two games, but this could be a buy-low opportunity on the team's second-best offensive defeneseman after John Carlson ($6,500). Sandin was a first-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2018, and after coming over from Toronto at last year's trade deadline, he notched 15 points in 19 games for the Capitals.
