This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are seven NHL games on the docket Wednesday after 7:00 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are numerous heavy favorites to choose from Wednesday. The Golden Knights (vs. Arizona), Wild (in Anaheim) and Avalanche (vs. Montreal) are all expected to cruise to victory. Additionally, the Predators are substantial favorites in Chicago. Most of the scoring is supposed to take place in the remainder of the slate, though, as the three games with over/unders of 6.5 goals are Lightning-Red Wings, Devils-Panthers and Oilers-Stars.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. MON ($8,400): After hitting a speed bump while Colorado was missing a number of key contributors, Georgiev has bounced back in his last two starts, stopping a combined 51 of 52 shots en route to consecutive wins. The Avalanche are still battling some injuries, but Colorado should have more than enough key players available to take care of business at home against the Canadiens, who average 2.75 goals per game – sixth-fewest in the league.
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN at ANH ($8,300): Fleury and Filip Gustavsson ($8,300) have been alternating starts of late, and Fleury would get the nod here if that trend continues. The former has allowed one goal in each of his last two starts, which has been enough to prevent Fleury from dropping to a backup role, at least for now. He'll have a nice opportunity to build on that recent success against a Ducks team that's scoring only 2.36 goals per game. Gustavsson has outplayed Fleury and won each of his last six starts, so Gustavsson would be an even more appealing option if he gets the nod.
Juuse Saros, NSH at CHI ($8,000): Saros has been underwhelming after last year's outstanding campaign, but he should improve on his 10-9-4 record, 2.84 GAA and .911 save percentage in this favorable matchup. The Blackhawks have dropped seven in a row and average a league-low 2.27 goals per game.
Mackenzie Blackwood, NJ at FLA ($7,400): Blackwood will likely get the nod for this second leg of a back-to-back after replacing the ineffective Vitek Vanecek in Tuesday's loss to the Hurricanes. He's a high-risk, high-reward play against a Panthers team that averages a league-high 37.1 shots per game but ranks 10th in goals for at 3.33. The Devils remain well above the Panthers in the standings overall, though New Jersey has lost six in a row.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jason Robertson, DAL vs. EDM ($8,400): Robertson isn't far behind the dynamic Edmonton duo he's going against in scoring, as his 24 goals split the difference nearly perfectly between Connor McDavid's ($9,800) league-leading 24 and Leon Draisaitl's ($8,700) 21 goals. Given the defenses surrounding these players, Robertson's the best value in this star-studded affair, as the Oilers allow the 10th-most goals per game (3.42), while the Stars surrender the seventh-fewest (2.70).
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. NJ ($5,300): If Florida's going to add to New Jersey's recent free fall, look for Reinhart to play a key role in the Panthers doing so. The winger has a 5-3-8 line during his current four-game goal streak, as Reinhart has rediscovered the scoring touch that helped him top a point per game in his first season with the Panthers last year.
Reilly Smith, VGK vs. ARI ($5,000): Smith has been a consistent source of offense recently for the banged-up Golden Knights. He has five goals on 14 shots in the last three games and preceded this three-game streak with a two-assist outing. You'll be hard pressed to find a better value Wednesday than Smith at $5,000 against an Arizona team that's allowing 3.63 goals per game.
J.T. Compher, COL vs. MON ($4,700): Compher's centering on the top line for the banged up Avalanche, having topped 21 minutes of ice time in each of the past 10 games. He has a 3-5-8 line over that span and should have plenty of opportunities to add to that production while continuing to play a prominent role for the heavily favored Avalanche on home ice.
Nick Schmaltz, ARI at VGK ($4,600): Schmaltz is a strong against-the-grain play for the underdog Coyotes. Between toiling away in Arizona and missing 15 games due to a rib injury, Schmaltz has flown under the radar, but he's been quietly productive for a while now. With five points in his last three games, Schmaltz has boosted his production since the start of last season to 28-43-71 in 78 games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild at Ducks
Sam Steel (C - $4,100), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $9,200), Mats Zuccarello (W - $7,900)
The dynamic Kaprizov and Zuccarello duo should be worth paying up for against a Ducks team that's allowing a league-high 4.15 goals per game, especially since Anahim will have tired legs after Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Kings. Kaprizov has a 19-23-42 line through 31 games, while Zuccarello's at 14-22-36. Steel has fit in nicely on the top line, dishing five helpers during his current three-game point streak.
Lightning at Red Wings
Brayden Point (C - $7,200), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,300), Brandon Hagel (W - $5,500)
Tampa Bay's high-powered top line should keep rolling against a Red Wings team that's starting to look like the lowly Detroit team of recent years after being carried by hot goaltending to start the season. The Red Wings are 0-5-1 in their last six games and have been outscored 23-10 over that span, so they're unlikely to slow down one of the most productive lines in the league. Kucherov's 12-35-47 line has him tied for fourth league-wide in points. Point's on pace to top 40 goals and 80 points for the second time in his career with a 16-15-31 line in 31 games, and Hagel's 14-12-26 line includes a 5-4-9 output over the past six.
Predators at Blackhawks
Thomas Novak (C - $3,500), Filip Forsberg (W - $6,400), Mikael Granlund (W - $3,500)
With so many pricey stars in this slate, it's important to find affordable sources of value, and Nashville's top line can provide some of those against a reeling Blackhawks team that's surrendering 3.80 goals per game – fourth-most in the NHL. Novak notched an assist in his NHL season debut, showcasing the offensive prowess that helped him earn a recall after topping a point per game in the AHL. Granlund is more of a known commodity, and the three-time 60-point scorer's currently on a 55-point pace. Forsberg's 9-16-25 line is disappointing on the heels of last season's 42-goal, 84-point output across 69 games. He has shot at least 10.6 percent in every season with at least 40 games played, so Forsberg's current 9.4 shooting percentage is likely to climb moving forward.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. ARI ($6,500): Pietrangelo does it all on the Vegas blue line, and he's quarterbacking the top power-play unit in Shea Theodore's (leg) absence. With 23 points in 25 appearances this season, Pietrangelo's flirting with a point per game, and he has added either three-plus shots or three-plus blocks in 10 of his last 11 games played.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. NJ ($5,800): New Jersey has been outscored 24-12 during its current 0-5-1 skid, including a 4-2 loss to Florida on Saturday in which Reinhart scored two goals and Ekblad dished two assists. Ekblad's a bargain at $5,800 in all but the toughest of matchups, as he's totaled 66 shots and 31 blocks in 22 games to go with his 4-10-14 line.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at DAL ($5,500): Like Pietrangelo in Vegas, Nurse is an all-situations contributor for Edmonton. Nurse has stepped up on offense with a goal, an assist and nine shots in the last two games, and he's put at least three shots on net in five of the last six games while blocking 14 shots over that six-game span. Only one of Nurse's 18 points has come on the power play, so he won't be as negatively impacted by facing Dallas' fourth-ranked, 83.6 percent penalty kill as most of his teammates will be.
Ryan Graves, NJ at FLA ($3,200): Graves' shot blocking ability should be on full display against a Panthers team that flings the puck at the net whenever it can. He has blocked 14 shots in the past four games while adding nine shots over that span. Graves has a modest 3-6-9 line this season, but he's capable of picking that up just a bit, as the 6-foot-5 blueliner topped 25 points in two of the previous three seasons.
