This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday’s NHL slate includes only three games after 7:30 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 are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Oilers are heavy favorites in Anaheim, while the other two games are toss-ups. Playoff locks face off as the Lightning take on the Rangers at MSG, while the Flames get a golden opportunity to close the gap on the Jets in the playoff race out west, but they will have to do so in Winnipeg. In addition to being the most lopsided game, Oilers-Ducks is also projected to have the most scoring, with an over/under of 7.0 goals.
GOALIES
Jack Campbell, EDM at ANH ($8,200): Campbell figures to get this game after Stuart Skinner beat the Kings 3-1 on Tuesday. Confidence has been an issue for Campbell, but he should have plenty of it against the Ducks, whom he shut out Saturday. Anaheim’s averaging the second-fewest goals per game overall at 2.49.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CGY ($7,800): Hellebuyck’s 4-2-0 in his last six games and has allowed only 12 goals over that span as the Jets have righted the ship just in time to likely sneak into the playoffs. Winnipeg can help its case with a win here, as the Jets have a two-point lead over the Flames for the final playoff spot. Look for the Jets to benefit from this playoff atmosphere against a Flames team that will be kicking itself for failing to grab two points at home against Chicago on Tuesday.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at NYR ($7,400): Vasilevskiy’s been the hottest goalie in the league over the past week, going 3-0-0 while setting aside 99 of 100 shots against the Hurricanes, Capitals and Islanders. The Rangers have more playmakers on offense than those other Metropolitan Division teams, but Vasilevskiy’s in top form at the moment, making him an intriguing value at $7,400.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nikita Kucherov, TB at NYR ($8,000): Kucherov’s 106 points are third-most in the NHL behind Connor McDavid’s 147 and Leon Draisaitl’s 123. An Edmonton stack is the obvious play Wednesday, but Kucherov can be used to anchor an against-the-grain lineup if you forgo paying up for the Oilers’ stars.
Nazem Kadri, CGY at WPG ($5,100): Kadri went quiet against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, but he aided Calgary’s playoff push with a 2-3-5 line over the previous five games. The physical center thrives in rivalry games and should bring his A-game for what’s close to a must-win as far as the Flames’ playoff hopes are concerned.
Frank Vatrano, ANH vs. EDM ($4,700): Vatrano’s enjoying a strong finish to the season, even as losses continue to pile up for the Ducks. He racked up two goals and an assist in Anaheim’s last game, giving the winger four goals on 21 shots across his last six games. The Ducks were shut out the last time they faced Campbell, but his 3.48 GAA and .886 save percentage suggest Anaheim’s offense should fare better in this rematch.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Ducks
Connor McDavid (C – $10,200), Zach Hyman (W – $7,300), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W – $6,800)
The sky’s the limit for Edmonton’s top line against the league’s worst defensive team (4.08 goals allowed per game). McDavid leads the league in scoring with a 62-85-147 line, Nugent-Hopkins will be motivated to add to his 36-63-99 line and jump across the 100-point threshold for the first time, and Hyman’s having a career year as well with a 34-46-80 line. Don’t forget to add Leon Draisaitl ($8,600) to complete your Oilers stack.
Rangers vs. Lightning
Filip Chytil (C – $4,700), Alexis Lafreniere (W – $3,400), Kaapo Kakko (W – $3,000)
With the opposition’s top defenders dedicated to stopping New York’s beefed up top six, the “Kid Line” has thrived against second and third-pairing defensemen. Chytil has a 2-3-5 line over his last five games, and he’s the leading scorer among this trio with a 22-22-44 line. Lafreniere has a 2-4-6 line over that same five-game stretch, and his 16-22-38 line this season is identical to that of Kakko, who has found his scoring touch with four goals in the past seven games.
Jets vs. Flames
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C – $6,000), Kyle Connor (W – $6,700), Mark Scheifele (W – $5,500)
Moving Scheifele to the wing to create a line consisting of the team’s top three scorers turned out to be the key to snapping Winnipeg’s slump. These three should add to their impressive numbers against a Flames team that’s allowed four goals to each of its last three opponents despite facing the league’s two lowest-scoring offenses during that stretch. Connor leads the Jets in points with a 30-48-78 line, and he comes into this one on a two-game goal streak. Scheifele needs one more goal to reach 40, and he’s added 25 assists. Dubois just reached the 60-point mark with a two-point effort in his last game, and he’s two goals from tying last year’s career high of 28.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR vs. TB ($6,000): Fox is tied for fifth among defensemen with 68 points, and he should be emboldened to take more chances with defense partner Ryan Lindgren ($3,100) set to return after missing 17 of the team’s last 18 games. Of Fox’s 68 points, nine have come in his past 11 games.
Victor Hedman, TB at NYR ($5,400): Hedman’s down year offensively can be attributed to him being taken off the top power-play unit in favor of Mikhail Sergachev ($4,900), but Sergachev left the team’s last game due to a lower-body injury. If Sergachev can’t go Wednesday, Hedman should be a nice value at $5,400.
MacKenzie Weegar, CGY at WPG ($4,200): Weegar has done all he can to fuel Calgary’s playoff push, racking up a 3-7-10 line over the past 10 games. He has stuffed the stat sheet with 12 goals and seven blocked shots over the past three games, along with three assists.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at ANH ($4,100): Bouchard continues to thrive as the point man on Edmonton’s historically strong top power-play unit. He has a 2-4-6 line over the past six games, with four of those points coming on the man advantage. Anaheim’s 31st-ranked, 72.6 percent penalty kill is unlikely to keep Edmonton’s league-best, 32.7 percent power play at bay.
The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.