This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features six games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There's plenty of star power in action here, so the keys to building a successful lineup will be identifying the right stars to build around, as well as the top value plays to surround them with. Colorado is the only massive favorite with the Sharks in town, while Maple Leafs-Oilers is expected to be a high-scoring toss-up with a slate-high over/under of 6.5 goals. Elsewhere around the league, the Bruins and Golden Knights are favored at home against the Capitals and Wild, respectively, while the Blues (in Anaheim) and Coyotes (in Los Angeles) are road favorites.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, COL at SJ ($8,400): While saving up for expensive skaters will be important here, it's hard to argue with the safety of Grubauer in net for the heavily favored Avalanche. He gave up five goals in Monday's loss to the Sharks, but clunkers like that have been rare for the German, who has a 10-6-0 record, 2.20 GAA and .915 save percentage. Despite Monday's outburst, the Sharks are still averaging just 2.89 goals per game while languishing near the bottom of the standings with an 8-9-2 record.
Frederik Andersen, TOR at EDM ($8,000): Jack Campbell and Michael Hutchinson each logged a shutout in Edmonton over Toronto's last two games, and Andersen will likely get the opportunity to continue the Maple Leafs' shutout streak. The team's usual starter is 11-3-2 with a 2.69 GAA and .905 save percentage, and Andersen appears to be ready to return from a lower-body injury after practicing fully Tuesday.
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. ARI ($7,400): Quick has turned back the clock recently, winning three of his last four starts while logging a pair of shutouts in that stretch. Locking in the affordable netminder at home against Arizona's bottom-10 offense can help you spend big elsewhere, maximizing your lineup's ceiling.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Zach Sanford, STL at ANH ($3,200): Sanford was moved up to the Blues' top line Monday in Anaheim and made the most of the opportunity with two goals, an assist and six shots. He's expected to remain in that role for this rematch, making the winger a premier value option.
David Pastrnak, BOS vs. WAS ($8,800): Pastrnak has been unstoppable since returning from hip surgery, racking up a 9-9-18 line in just 12 games. That output includes three multi-point efforts in his last four, and a Capitals team that's giving up 3.19 goals per game is unlikely to slow him down.
Mitch Marner, TOR at EDM ($7,800): Regardless of who he plays with, all Marner does is rack up points. He ranks fourth league-wide in points with a 10-23-33 line in 23 games, including a goal and two assists over the last two games against Edmonton.
Isac Lundestrom, ANH vs. STL ($2,700): Lundestrom recorded a hat trick when these teams met Monday, simultaneously adding his second consecutive four-shot effort. Pulling the center right back out of the bargain bin makes sense against a Blues team that's likely to start struggling goalie Jordan Binnington, who's winless in his last four starts with a GAA approaching 4.00.
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. TOR ($9,100): McDavid's in the midst of a season-worst two-game point drought, but he's unlikely to be held off the board for a third consecutive contest considering the star center easily leads the league scoring race with 40 points through 24 games. He's capable of carrying lineups on any given night, and McDavid could be especially valuable in what's projected to be the night's highest-scoring game if others are reluctant to lock him in due to the recent mini-slump.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Sharks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $8,800), Mikko Rantanen (W - $7,200), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $5,400)
Given Ottawa's recent improvement, San Jose is just .01 goals per game from holding the dubious distinction of being the league's worst defensive team, allowing 3.79. Colorado's star-studded top line figures to take advantage of those struggles. MacKinnon leads the team with 21 points in 18 games, topping a point-per-game pace for a fourth consecutive season. Rantanen's 8-10-18 line through 19 games has him leading the team in goals, and he's one point shy of a point-per-game for a second consecutive year after exceeding that benchmark in each of the previous two. Landeskog's 5-5-10 line is disappointing by his standards, but Colorado's captain exceeded a point-per-game pace as recently as the 2018-19 campaign, and he's heating up with goals in back-to-back games.
Golden Knights vs. Wild
Chandler Stephenson (C - $3,800), Mark Stone (W - $3,800), Alex Tuch (W - $5,700)
Stone was the best player on the ice when these teams met Monday, assisting on all five Vegas goals in the Golden Knights' overtime win to give the skilled winger a team-high 22 points through 18 games. Grabbing his entire line should help maximize the impact of another strong Stone performance while still leaving the cap space necessary to pick from elsewhere among this slate's multitude of elite forwards. Stephenson has a 4-3-7 line in his last 10 games and 5-5-10 line overall, while Tuch's 8-6-14 line includes four goals in his last four games.
Coyotes at Kings
Nick Schmaltz (C - $4,800), Phil Kessel (W - $4,000), Drake Caggiula (W - $2,500)
The Kings were cooled down by the Wild, picking up just one point in their last two games against Minnesota after winning six in a row. Arizona would like to keep adding to Los Angeles' descent back to earth, and this affordable line should help the team do so. Kessel has been the hottest Coyotes forward, logging a 4-4-8 line over his last six games to bring his season output to 8-8-16 over 21 games. Schmaltz is right on Kessel's heels with a 6-8-14 line, and he's a nice buy-low candidate given his five-game point drought coming into this one. Caggiula has appeal as a cheap filler on this line, having scored his first goal of the season on six shots over the team's two-game set against Colorado to raise his overall point total to seven through 16 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Samuel Girard, COL at SJ ($4,100): Girard has moved up to the top pairing with Cale Makar (upper body) sidelined, and he's thriving in that role. He has a goal and two assists while averaging over 25 minutes in the two games Makar has missed with this injury, and Girard's remarkably affordable given his productive 3-11-14 line in 17 appearances this season.
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. TOR ($5,900): Nurse has come as close as any Oiler to solving Toronto's goalies in the last two games, totaling 10 shots in those contests. He has been a strong two-way force from Edmonton's blue line all season, posting a 6-10-16 line in 24 games to go with a well-rounded 58 shots and 42 blocks, both top 15 among defensemen league-wide.
Drew Doughty, LA vs. ARI ($4,800): Doughty's another longtime King who has been instrumental in the team's surprisingly successful start, with a 5-12-17 line through 20 games, including 10 points in his last nine. He has a nice opportunity to keep rolling against a Coyotes team that has been among the five most generous to opposing defensemen from a fantasy perspective.
Justin Faulk, STL at ANH ($4,600): Faulk has stepped up for a St. Louis blue line that's missing Colton Parayko (back), dishing out three helpers in the last two games. With a 5-6-11 line through 22 games, the one-time 49-point scorer should continue to put his offensive capabilities on display in a top-pairing role.
