This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
This will be one of the busier Wednesdays on the NHL calendar, with seven games on the docket after 7 p.m. EST. 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
Five of Wednesday's seven games have a substantial favorite. The Kraken (vs. Chicago), Avalanche (vs. Washington), Panthers (vs. Arizona), Canucks (vs. St. Louis) and Kings (vs. Buffalo) are all expected to take care of business on home ice, with Sabres-Kings boasting a slate-high over/under of 6.5 goals. High quality Jets-Maple Leafs and Hurricanes-Bruins matchups round out Wednesday's action.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. CHI ($8,300): Grubauer was activated off IR on Tuesday, and a home game against the lowly Blackhawks would be the perfect opportunity to ease him back in. The German netminder has struggled to a 3.25 GAA and .884 save percentage, but virtually every goalie to face Chicago has thrived recently, as the Blackhawks have scored more than one goal in only one of their last seven games. Joey Daccord ($8,500) would have an even higher floor if he gets the nod in net over Grubauer.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. STL ($8,100): Demko has two shutouts during his current seven-game winning streak, which has bumped him up to 25-8-1 with a 2.40 GAA and .921 save percentage. A Blues team that's averaging just 2.82 goals per game -- seventh-fewest in the NHL -- is unlikely to stunt Demko's momentum.
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. CAR ($7,900): Swayman has seized the top spot on Boston's goaltending depth chart, winning his last four starts to improve to 15-3-7 with a 2.31 GAA and .923 save percentage. The Hurricanes are showing signs of cooling off after a hot stretch, having been outscored 12-8 en route to a 1-2-0 record in their last three games, so recent trends suggest Swayman should provide nice value at $7,900.
Charlie Lindgren, WAS at COL ($7,200): Lindgren's floor is low against the vaunted Colorado offense, but he has the potential to carry lineups as an against-the-grain value play. He'll face plenty of rubber, and Lindgren is in the midst of an excellent season, with a 9-5-3 record, 2.27 GAA and .926 save percentage. Washington hasn't given its netminders much goal support this season, but that could change against an Avalanche team that has allowed four-plus goals in each of its last four games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. WAS ($10,000): With numerous bargain options below, it shouldn't be too difficult to work MacKinnon's gargantuan salary into your lineup, and paying up for the Avalanche superstar is often worth it. MacKinnon is second in the NHL in both points and shots on goal, trailing Nikita Kucherov's 80 points and David Pastrnak's ($9,800) 233 shots by three and 20, respectively. Colorado's top-line center is currently in the midst of an 11-game point streak, with a 7-14-21 line over that span.
Elias Pettersson, VAN vs. STL ($8,700): Pettersson just had a three-game goal streak snapped, but he has thrived since moving from second-line center to top-line left wing. The Swedish sniper has 12 goals over his last 11 games, and the Blues have allowed the second-most fantasy points to left wings.
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. CAR ($6,700): Marchand has posted some vintage stat lines in recent games, producing three multi-point games en route to a 4-3-7 line over his last five outings. With the Hurricanes banged up in net, Marchand will have a nice opportunity to stay hot against a subpar goaltender -- either Antti Raanta (.866 save percentage) or Spencer Martin (.886).
Cole Perfetti, WPG at TOR ($5,000): Perfetti's still rough around the edges, but the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has plenty of offensive skill, and he has repeatedly put it on display when provided with a little extra time and space on the power play. On a Winnipeg roster teeming with talent, Perfetti holds sole possession of the team lead in both power-play goals (five) and power-play points (11). That prowess with the extra man could pay off against a 76.4 percent Toronto penalty kill, which is the worst among teams in action Wednesday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers vs. Coyotes
Sam Bennett (C - $5,300), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $7,800), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $7,200)
This has been one of the hottest lines in the NHL lately, and it should keep rolling against a Coyotes team that's just 8-10-3 on the road. Tkachuk's injury-induced slow start to the season is becoming a distant memory. He has been held off the scoresheet only once in his last 12 games, producing eight goals and 21 points over that span. Verhaeghe has seven multi-point outings over that same 12-game span en route to an 8-10-18 line. Bennett hasn't looked out of place between this pair of star wingers, as he's coming off a three-assist effort and has a 2-4-6 line in his last four games.
Kings vs. Sabres
Phillip Danault (C - $4,800), Trevor Moore (W - $6,300), Kevin Fiala (W - $6,000)
This reasonably priced line should continue its productive ways in what's projected to be Wednesday's highest-scoring game. Moore scored a goal and posted eight shots in LA's last game, and he leads the team with 21 goals through 44 games. Fiala holds the team points lead with 41, including four in the last three games. Danault has been held off the scoresheet in three consecutive games, but that mini-drought was preceded by a six-game point streak, and the defensively responsible center is an excellent source of blocked shots for a forward.
Kraken vs. Blackhawks
Jared McCann (C - $5,000), Jordan Eberle (W - $3,800), Tomas Tatar (W - $3,300)
Only one of the 11 worst defensive teams in terms of goals allowed per game will be in action Wednesday, and that's the Blackhawks, who are giving up the fourth-most (3.53). Seattle's affordable top line is poised to take advantage of this favorable matchup. McCann has a 4-3-7 line in his last five games, as his recent production has resembled his form from last season's 40-goal campaign. Eberle has a 2-2-4 line during his current three-game point streak, and Tatar has a 3-4-7 line in 15 games since moving from Colorado to Seattle.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. WAS ($8,300): Makar's four-game point streak isn't quite as impressive as MacKinnon's 11-game streak, but the star blueliner has done a nice job of complementing his point production with secondary stats, producing 10 blocked shots over his last three games. Despite missing five games due to injuries and shooting just 7.9 percent, Makar sits second among defensemen with 54 points, three back of Quinn Hughes ($7,500).
Drew Doughty, LAK vs. BUF ($5,400): Doughty has lit the lamp in three of his last four games, nudging him up to 11 goals. With the eighth double-digit goal season of his impressive career already cemented, Doughty should keep rolling against a Sabres team that's 9-11-3 on the road.
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. ARI ($5,100): Montour's quietly rounding into form after a shoulder injury delayed his start to the season and limited his effectiveness early on. He has a 1-2-3 line in his last five games and 18 shots over that span, so Montour's starting to resemble the player that broke out with 73 points last season and was instrumental in Florida's run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Justin Schultz, SEA vs. CHI ($3,100): Schultz would be an especially strong value play if Vince Dunn (lower body) remains out for a fifth consecutive game. Schultz has been running the top power-play unit in Dunn's absence, with two of the veteran blueliner's three helpers over the past five games coming on the man advantage. Only the Maple Leafs have a worse penalty kill among teams playing Wednesday than the Blackhawks, who are operating at 76.8 percent.
