This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate features three games after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
All three of Wednesday's games are expected to have lopsided outcomes, as the Bruins and Maple Leafs are massive favorites at home against Montreal and in Arizona, respectively, while the Stars are substantial home favorites against the Kraken. The Seattle-Dallas game has the lowest over/under at 5.5 goals, while each of the other two come in at 6.0.
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. MON ($8,100): Ullmark's 8-2-0 in his last 10 starts, and he's limited the opposition to two goals seven times in that stretch while allowing only three in each of the other three games. The Canadiens have slipped behind Arizona as the league's least productive offense (2.12 goals per game), so Ullmark's poised to build on his recent success.
Petr Mrazek, TOR at ARI ($8,400): You have your choice of the league's two worst offenses to build against in net. Mrazek has uninspiring numbers in a small sample of work with the Maple Leafs, as he's 2-1-0 with a 4.13 GAA and .880 save percentage, but a matchup with a 7-23-3 Coyotes club that's averaging just 2.18 goals per game should help Mrazek improve his stat line.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. SEA ($7,800): If you're going to go against the grain in net, it should probably be with Seattle's goalie, but it's hard to recommend doing so considering the Kraken have dropped six in a row and are 1-7-2 in the last 10. If you don't like Mrazek or Ullmark here, just go with the third chalk option in Oettinger, who boasts an excellent 8-2-0 record, 2.22 GAA and .923 save percentage this season.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. MON ($7,500): Marchand's enjoying another spectacular season, as he leads the Bruins in both goals (16) and points (36) despite dressing for only 27 of a possible 32 contests. That production includes five goals and an assist in the past three games, so Marchand's rolling ahead of a visit from a reeling Canadiens team that's 1-8-2 in its last 11 games.
Clayton Keller, ARI vs. TOR ($5,000): His exploits have gone largely unnoticed on the last-place Coyotes, but Keller has been fantastic for an extended stretch and has almost singlehandedly lifted Arizona's offense above that of Montreal. The seventh-overall selection in the 2016 draft has a 9-11-20 line over his past 17 games, and Keller's showing no signs of slowing down with a 6-3-9 output in the last six. Given Mrazek's struggles in net for Toronto, Keller's in position to keep adding to his recent success.
Jared McCann, SEA at DAL ($4,900): McCann has excelled for Seattle while centering the team's top line of late. His 14-7-21 line in 29 appearances includes a 3-2-5 output over his last five games, during which McCannn has also totaled a robust 20 shots on net. Don't let Seattle's losing ways due to defensive issues keep you from locking in this offensive weapon at a reasonable valuation.
Jonathan Drouin, MON at BOS ($3,800): There's not much to like about Montreal's forward corps in general, but Drouin has been quietly effective of late but can still be had at the bargain price of $3,800. The winger has a 3-2-5 line in his last seven games while adding 17 shots over that stretch, and Drouin continues to occupy a top-six role with power-play time.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Canadiens
Erik Haula (C - $3,500), David Pastrnak (W - $7,400), Taylor Hall (W - $4,800)
Pastrnak's offense hasn't suffered from being dropped to the second line, as he's mustered a 4-1-5 line in the past two games to bring his season output to 13-14-27 through 32 games. Hall's playing his best hockey of the season with a 2-6-8 line during his active six-game point streak, while Haula has a five-game point streak of his own rolling. Building around Boston's second line should pay off against a Canadiens team that's surrendering 3.62 goals per game.
Maple Leafs at Coyotes
Auston Matthews (W - $9,000), Michael Bunting (W - $4,900), Ondrej Kase (W - $4,200)
Matthews should dominate a league-worst Coyotes defense that's giving up 3.79 goals per game, while the pair of reasonably priced players on his wings should benefit from being along for the ride. Three goals in the last two games have Matthews at 23 in 31 games this season, as he now sits just three back of Leon Draisaitl's league lead and continues to close the gap. Bunting has showed excellent chemistry with Matthews all season en route to a 7-14-21 line in 34 games, and he'll have some extra motivation to stick it to a Coyotes team that chose to move on from the winger in the offseason. Kase has heated up recently, as he's riding a seven-game point streak consisting of three goals and six assists.
Stars vs. Kraken
Roope Hintz (C - $7,300), Jason Robertson (W - $7,200), Joe Pavelski (W - $6,800)
Secondary scoring has been tough to come by for the Stars, but Dallas' top line has had no problems putting the biscuit in the basket, and that should remain the case against a Seattle team that's allowing 3.68 goals per game. These three players occupy the Stars' top three spots in both goals and points. Pavelski and Hintz are tied for the team lead with 13 goals apiece, and the former's currently on a six-game point streak consisting of a 4-5-9 line. Robertson shares the team points lead with Pavelski at 30, but it has taken Robertson only 26 games to reach that total, and he boasts a 4-6-10 line during an active seven-game point streak.
DEFENSEMEN
Morgan Rielly, TOR at ARI ($6,500): Toronto's talented forward corps has helped maximize Reilly's effectiveness as a puck-mover, leading to 14 assists in his last 11 games. While Reilly has only one goal over that stretch, it's not due to a lack of attempts on net, as he has four four-shot efforts and another four three-shot performances in his past 11 games. A matchup with the league's most generous defense could be just what Rielly needs to finally get rewarded for his shot volume while continuing to distribute the puck effectively.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. SEA ($6,400): Heiskanen's 21 points have him fourth on the team after Dallas' big three up front, and the talented blueliner has been a two-way force during his four-game point streak. In addition to his 1-4-5 line, Heiskanen has added 10 shots and six blocks in this strong stretch, and a Kraken team that's 0-5-1 in its last six games is unlikely to slow him down.
Matt Grzelcyk, BOS vs. MON ($3,900): Grzelcyk is coming off a phenomenal five-point effort in Monday's win over Washington, and he has a great opportunity to build on his momentum from that performance against the lowly Canadiens. Given his role in the top pairing and second power-play unit, Grzelcyk's a low-risk, high-reward play at his sub-$4,000 valuation.
Sami Niku, MON at BOS ($2,500): Niku has been productive recently despite Montreal's overall struggles. His two-assist effort in his last game gave Niku four points in his last six outings, as the 25-year-old defenseman's finally producing at the NHL level after having dominated AHL competition to the tune of 80 points in 114 games.
