This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's modest NHL slate consists of four 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
Wednesday's biggest favorites are the Avalanche at home against the Blues, while the other three games are all closer to toss-ups. St. Louis-Colorado is also tied for Wednesday's highest over/under of 6.5 goals, along with Sabres-Flyers and Coyotes-Ducks, while Stars-Flames comes in at over/under 6.0 goals.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at STL ($8,400): After a hot start, Georgiev has come crashing down to earth, allowing either three or four goals in each of his last four starts. Saving up for Colorado's potent offense here seems like the prudent play, but Georgiev could be poised to bounce back against a Blues team that's averaging the second-fewest goals in the NHL (1.86). Despite the recent struggles, he's 6-2-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .915 save percentage behind Colorado's stout defense.
Jake Oettinger, DAL at CGY ($8,000): After posting a sparkling 37-11-11 record, 2.37 GAA and .919 save percentage last season, Oettinger has picked up where he left off, going 4-0-1 with a 1.74 GAA and .940 save percentage. Dallas' standout goalie should keep rolling in what's expected to be Wednesday's lowest-scoring game against a Flames team that's averaging just 2.11 goals per game, which is tied for third-fewest in the NHL.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at PHI ($7,400): Luukkonen has seized his opportunity after Buffalo's other goalies got off to slow starts this season. He has started each of the team's past three games and posted a record of 2-1-0 with a 2.84 GAA and .915 save percentage, most recently shutting out the Avalanche. Luukkonen will have a nice opportunity to stay hot against a Flyers team that's 1-4-0 in its last five games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. BUF ($7,000): Konecny led the FLyers in both goals (31) and points (61) last seaosn despite dressing for only 60 games, and the talented winger is once again exceeding a point-per-game pace with an 8-3-11 line through nine games this season. Only Detroit's Alex DeBrincat and Anaheim's Frank Vatrano ($6,800) have more goals than Konecny in the early going, but considering he trails each of them by just one tally, Konecny could have at least a share of the league lead by the end of the night.
Mason McTavish, ANH vs. ARI ($5,300): McTavish is a bargain at his middling valuation, as the third overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is in the early stages of a breakout season. He plays in all situations for the Ducks and has a 5-6-11 line through nine games, putting him in a tie for the team points lead with Ryan Strome ($4,400).
Robert Thomas, STL at COL ($4,200): The Blues have had a tough time scoring goals through seven games, but Thomas has been the team's most productive forward early on, as his 1-4-5 line makes him the only St. Louis player with more than three points through seven games. If Georgiev's subpar form from the past few outings continues, Thomas should capitalize and outperform is $4,200 valuation.
Brandon Biro, BUF at PHI ($3,500): Biro had 51 points in 49 AHL games last season and added six points through five AHL games before being called up to the big club. The 25-year-old winger has just one game of NHL experience under his belt from back in the 2021-22 season, but he's likely to be deployed primarily in the offensive zone and could even see time alongside Sabres star Tage Thompson ($7,900), which makes Biro a low-risk, high-reward option at just $3,500.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Blues
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,500), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,200), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $6,300)
Colorado's potent top line should be worth paying up for on home ice. MacKinnon's 4-3-7 line has been accompanied by a league-high 47 shots on goal, while Rantanen sits 11th in scoring with a 5-7-12 line through eight games. Both of those stars have established track records and are likely to remain among the NHL's top performers throughout the season. Four of Lehkonen's six points have come on the power play, and his even strength production should see a boost as long as he sticks on a line with Colorado's top two forwards.
Coyotes at Ducks
Barrett Hayton (C - $5,200), Clayton Keller (W - $7,700), Nick Schmaltz (W - $5,600)
The Keller-Schmaltz pairing was quite productive last season despite Arizona's overall struggles, and the both wingers are off to point-per-game starts through eight games, as Keller has a 4-4-8 line and Schmaltz is at 2-6-8. Hayton has yet to record a point, even though his 23 shots rank second on the team behind Keller's 28, and a date with a Ducks team that allowed a league-high 4.09 goals per game last season could be just what the center needs to finally break out.
Stars at Flames
Wyatt Johnston (C - $3,900), Jamie Benn (W - $5,200), Evgenii Dadonov (W - $2,900)
Dallas' affordable second line is poised to produce excellent bang for the buck against a Flames team that's giving up 3.67 goals per game -- the most among teams in action Wednesday and fifth-most in the league. Johnston leads the team outright with seven points through seven games, and he's tied with first-liners Roope Hintz ($7,300) and Joe Pavelski ($6,600) for the team goals lead at three, as the 20-year-old center seems to have taken another step forward after his 24-goal rookie season. Benn had a 33-45-78 line last season, and his 2-4-6 line through seven games suggests the productive winger still has plenty of gas in the tank at age 34. Dadonov has chipped in a 2-1-3 line in his last three games and is worth a dart throw at just $2,900, especially if you're going with a Dallas stack.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at CGY ($6,200): Heiskanen's a do-it-all defenseman for Dallas, and he's likely to pick up the pace from his 1-3-4 line through seven games after racking up 73 points in 79 appearances last season. The Flames ahve allowed the most fantasy points in the league to defensemen, so this is a nice opportunity for Heiskanen to post a breakout performance.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. DAL ($5,800): Andersson will return from his four-game suspension Wednesday and look to pick up where he left off through five games. Prior to being suspended, the Swede had been productive on both ends, racking up a 1-2-3 line and quarterbacking the top power-play unit while adding four blocked shots in each of his last three appearances.
Devon Toews, COL vs. STL ($4,300): Teammates Cale Makar ($8,000) and Bowen Byram ($3,500) both sat out Tuesday's practice, and if either blueliner is out or limited Wednesday, that would likely lead to Toews taking on a larger role. Even if both play, Toews is a nice value as Makar's rock-solid partner on the top pairing. Toews reached the 50-point threshold in each of the previous two seasons and has a 1-3-4 line through eight games.
Pavel Mintyukov, ANH vs. ARI ($4,100): Mintyukov is far from a household name for now, but that may not be the case in fantasy circles next year if the 19-year-old blueliner continues to build on his hot start. The 10th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft lit up the OHL with 88 points in 69 games last season, and his offense has translated to the NHL level, as he's racked up six points though nine games to begin his NHL career.
