This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
This will be the busiest Wednesday of the NHL season, with 15 games on the docket after 7:00 p.m. EST before the whole league takes the day off Thursday for Thanksgiving. 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
Every team except for the Lightning and Kings will be in action. Some of the biggest favorites Wednesday are the Hurricanes (vs. Arizona), Stars (vs. Chicago), Golden Knights (vs. Ottawa), Capitals (vs. Philadelphia) and Avalanche (vs. Vancouver). All 15 games opened with an over/under of either 6.0 or 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, WAS vs. PHI ($8,400): The visiting Flyers have had trouble scoring, as only Chicago averages fewer goals than Philadelphia's 2.53. Lighting the lamp will be even tougher for the Flyers without Travis Konecny, who was leading the team in both goals (seven) and points (19) before suffering an upper-body injury last week. Kuemper has struggled early in his Washington tenure with a 5-9-1 record, 2.83 GAA and .907 save percentage, but this is a nice opportunity to get back in the win column for the veteran netminder.
Martin Jones, SEA vs. SJ ($8,200): Jones is quietly enjoying a superb season in Seattle, as he sits at 9-4-2 with a 2.30 GAA and .913 save percentage. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his last eight starts, with the lone exception coming in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets, so no opponent over that stretch has scored more than twice against Jones in regulation. Look for Jones to keep rolling against a bottom-10 Sharks offense that's averaging 2.90 goals per game.
Linus Ullmark, BOS at FLA ($7,800): Facing Florida gives goalies an uncomfortably low floor, but Ullmark has been lights out all season, and all the rubber the Panthers fling on net also results in an immense ceiling. Florida easily leads the league with 40.8 shots on goal per game, but the Panthers sit outside the top 10 in goals per game at 3.32. That means opposing netminders routinely pick up the three bonus fantasy points for making at least 35 saves. If the season ended today, it would be hard to pick anyone but Ullmark for the Vezina Trophy, as he's 13-1-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .935 save percentage.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at MIN ($7,300): Hellebuyck's a nice value at $7,300. The former Vezina Trophy winner is enjoying another outstanding season, as he's 8-4-1 with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. Meanwhile, Minnesota's averaging the fifth-fewest goals per game at 2.67.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. ARI ($6,300): Aho's a nice value as the fourth-priciest skater on his team for this home game against the Coyotes, who are giving up 3.59 goals per game. The Finnish center has a 2-3-5 line over his past three games, which has pushed his season output up to 9-13-22 through 19 games. Aho finished with more than a point per game in three of the previous four seasons while hitting the 30-goal mark three times over that span, so he's no stranger to this level of success.
Alex Tuch, BUF vs. STL ($5,500): Tuch has a 3-5-8 line during his current four-game point streak, and he's up to 10-9-19 in 19 games overall. The upstate New York native is thriving in Buffalo, and he'll look to build on his recent hot streak on home ice against the Blues one night after the Sabres snapped an eight-game losing skid.
Chandler Stephenson, VGK vs. OTT ($5,200): Stephenson's one point shy of averaging a point per game overall with 19 in 20, and he's been remarkably consistent while skating in a top-line role. Over the past 16 games, Stephenson has been held without a point only three times, and a 6-11-1 Senators team that's allowing 3.56 goals per game is unlikely to keep him off the scoresheet.
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. CHI ($5,100): Pavelski is the most affordable member of one of the league's most effective lines, which also includes Jason Robertson ($7,900) and Roope Hintz ($6,100). Among all Stars skaters, Pavelski ranks third in points with 21 through 19 games and second in goals with nine. He has four multi-point outings in his last six games and is primed for another against a Blackhawks team that's been outscored 61-44 this season.
Kirby Dach, MON at CLS ($4,100): Dach's another first-liner who remains affordable despite being productive of late. He has a 3-10-13 line over his past 11 games, and the former third overall pick has a nice opportunity to build on his recent success against the league-worst Columbus defense (4.33 goals allowed per game).
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Canucks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,300), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,400), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $5,300)
Colorado's top line should be worth paying up for against a visiting Canucks team that's surrendering 3.95 goals per game – third-most in the NHL. MacKinnon and Rantanen are tied for the team points lead with 26 apiece through 17 games, putting both on pace for 125 points. Maintaining that pace will be difficult, but MacKinnon has topped 90 points three times and Rantanen did so last season, so don't expect them to slow down too much. Lehkonen's riding a seven-game point streak, which includes four goals.
Rangers at Ducks
Mika Zibanejad (C - $8,000), Chris Kreider (W - $6,200), Jimmy Vesey (W - $3,500)
A Ducks team that's giving up 4.26 goals per game will have a hard time slowing down New York's top line. Zibanejad's 10-12-22 line through 20 games has been accompanied by 86 shots, which is fifth-most league-wide. Kreider's coming off a two-goal game Tuesday in Los Angeles, and his slow start to the season is a distant memory, as Kreider has seven goals and six assists in his last 12 games. The Rangers didn't envision Vesey skating on the top line when they brought him in on a tryout basis in camp, but New York's lack of depth on right wing has created this opportunity for Vesey, who's making the most of it with a 1-4-5 line in the past six games. Vesey has more scoring touch than he's given credit for – he lit the lamp 50 times across three seasons in his first stint with the Blueshirts from 2016-17 to 2018-19.
Blues at Sabres
Robert Thomas (C - $4,600), Jordan Kyrou (W - $5,700), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,800)
Buffalo snapped its eight-game losing streak Tuesday, but the Sabres are still 1-8-0 in their last nine games while having allowed 40 goals over that span. Conversely, the Blues are among the league's hottest teams, having won each of their last seven games. During the seven-game winning streak, Thomas has a 2-7-9 line, Kyrou has a 3-6-9 line and Buchnevich has a 3-7-10 line.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at ANH ($7,000): Fox is as hot as any blueliner in the league, as he's riding a nine-game point streak that's included four goals and nine assists. Overall, only Erik Karlsson (29) has more points than Fox's 23 among NHL defensemen. Fox has a nice opportunity to close the gap on Karlsson here, as the Ducks allow the second-most goals per game (4.26).
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. EDM ($6,700): Dobson has been the biggest beneficiary of the Islanders' shift in philosophy under new coach Lane Lambert. While defense remains the team's top priority, the Islanders have activated their defensemen more than they did under Barry Trotz. As the team's most offensively gifted blueliner, Dobson has marked the scoresheet regularly thanks to the more aggressive approach, producing a 6-8-14 line in 20 games and at least four shots on goal in four of the past five. He'll have a nice opportunity to add to his point total against an Oilers team that's giving up 3.63 goals per game.
Marcus Bjork, CLS vs. MON ($4,400): Bjork's skating on the top pairing and No. 1 power-play unit for a Blue Jackets team that's been besieged by injuries on the blue line. The recent AHL call-up is more than holding his own, as he's produced a 1-2-3 line through five games, and Bjork has a nice opportunity to keep rolling against a Canadiens team that lost 7-2 to the Sabres on Tuesday and is now giving up 3.68 goals per game.
Filip Hronek, DET vs. NSH ($4,100): Most people expected Moritz Seider to pull away as Detroit's top offensive blueliner after a strong rookie season, but it has been a different defenseman that's stepped up so far in 2022-23. The 25-year-old Hronek is on pace to blow away last year's career-high 38 points with a 4-10-14 line through 18 games this season. He's picked up steam recently, as all four goals and two assists have come in the past four games.
