This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate consists of three games after 7 p.m. EST. 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 come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
All three of Wednesday's games have clear home favorites. The Sabres are the heaviest favorites at home against the Blackhawks, but Buffalo's game also has the lowest over/under at 6.0 goals. The Panthers (vs. Detroit) and Devils (vs. Montreal) are also expected to take care of business at home, and each of those games has an over/under of 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. CHI ($8,500): Luukkonen shut out the league-worst Sharks offense in his last start, and he should find similar success against a Blackhawks offense that's averaging the second-fewest goal (2.23) and trending down without Connor Bedard (jaw). If Devon Levi ($8,500) gets the nod instead, he would also be a strong play in this highly favorable matchup.
Nico Daws, NJ vs. MON ($8,100): Daws would be the more appealing play over Vitek Vanecek ($8,300), as the more affordable New Jersey netminder has much better ratios, albeit in a small sample. While Daws is 3-2-0 with a 2.63 GAA and .922 save percentage, Vanecek is 14-7-2 with 3.31 and .882 marks. Either goalie would be well positioned to notch a win over a Canadiens team that averages the fifth-fewest goals (2.70) and has the eighth-fewest standings points (43).
Alex Lyon, DET at FLA ($7,300): Florida averages the second-most shots (34.1) but 15th-most goals (3.16), so opposing goalies have thrived against the Panthers from a fantasy perspective. Lyon formed some fond memories in Florida last season, backstopping the team's surge late in the regular season, which helped the Panthers sneak into the playoffs and eventually reach the Stanley Cup Final. He's in the midst of a similar hot streak with his new team, posting a 4-0-1 record in his last five starts with Detroit while notching a .924 save percentage over that span.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. DET ($8,000): Whether you deploy him as part of a Panthers stack or on his own, Reinhart's an appealing option against a Red Wings team that's tied with Montreal for the eighth-most goals allowed per game (3.35). He's the league's hottest goal scorer, with nine goals during his seven-game goal streak and 14 goals in his last 11 outings. The red-hot Reinhart is just two goals back of Auston Matthews' league-best 34, and Reinhart's teammate Carter Verhaeghe (23) is the only other player in action Wednesday with more than 17 goals.
Andrew Copp, DET at FLA ($3,800): Copp's a nice option if you believe in riding the hot hand. He has a three-game goal streak and four-game point streak going. While Copp generally averages about half a point per game, he has proven capable of sustaining extended heaters. After being traded to the Rangers in 2022, he posted an 8-10-18 line in 16 games on Broadway.
Juraj Slafkovsky, MON at PHI ($3,400): Slafkovsky's coming off one of his best games in the NHL, as he scored a power-play goal and tied his season high with six shots in an upset win over Colorado on Monday. The first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft is a nice bargain option, and the Canadiens are doing all they can to aid his development by deploying Slafkovsky on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit alongside Nick Suzuki ($5,400) and Cole Caufield ($6,400).
Cole Guttman, CHI at BUF ($3,200): Considering Chicago has just one non-shootout goal in each of its last four games, it's impressive that Guttman has managed to rack up a goal, an assist and seven shots over his last three games. While it isn't much, the diminutive winger is at least generating some scoring chances, making him a nice bargain option to round out your lineup.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers vs. Red Wings
Sam Bennett (C - $4,600), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $7,700), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $6,900)
Florida's second line has more talent than most teams' top lines, as Tkachuk and Verhaeghe both reach the 40-goal mark last season. Tkachuk got off to a slow start this season as he recovered from an injury sustained in the Stanley Cup Final, but the star winger's quickly making up for lost time with a 7-11-18 line during his current nine-game point streak. Verhaeghe's on pace to exceed last season's 42 goals, as he has 23 through 43 games and has thrown in 20 assists to reach a point-per-game pace. Bennett can't match his linemates' scoring prowess over a longer span, but he's in the midst of a hot streak of his own, as two goals in Florida's previous game gave him five in his last eight games.
Sabres vs. Blackhawks
Tage Thompson (C - $7,600), Alex Tuch (W - $6,000), Casey Mittelstadt (W - $4,900)
Buffalo's top line should carry play against the lowly Blackhawks, whose 3.59 goals allowed per game are fourth-most in the NHL. Thompson's well off the pace from last year's 47-goal campaign, but he still leads all available Sabres with 14 goals, despite having missed 10 of the team's 44 games. Tuch has a 12-18-30 line in 37 games, while Mittelstadt quietly leads the team with 38 points and has been promoted to the top line in Jeff Skinner's (upper body) absence.
Devils vs. Canadiens
Michael McLeod (C - $3,200), Jesper Bratt (W - $6,800), Tyler Toffoli (W - $5,300)
Jack Hughes (upper body) is week-to-week, so a greater burden will fall on the shoulders of Bratt, who leads the Devils with 46 points and is tied for the team lead with 16 goals. Toffoli is tied with Bratt for the team goals lead, while Hughes' injury has opened the door for McLeod to jump into the top six. McLeod has a 3-2-5 line in his last six games, and this entire line offers decent value against a Montreal team that's giving up 3.35 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. CHI ($7,400): Dahlin should be worth paying up for against the lowly Blackhawks. He leads all NHL defensemen with 12 goals and is tied for eighth with 35 points, so the 23-year-old Swede is backing up last season's 73-point campaign nicely.
Mike Matheson, MON at NJ ($6,400): Matheson's quietly having an excellent season for the Canadiens. His 31 points are tied with Caufield for second on the team behind Suzuki's 37, and Matheson's 17 power-play points are two back of Suzuki's team-leading total. The Devils have the league's eighth-worst penalty kill (77.1 percent) and give up the fifth-most goals overall (3.49), so Matheson's in good position to pad his impressive offensive totals.
Seth Jones, CHI at BUF ($5,400): Jones is one of the few healthy NHL-caliber players on the Blackhawks, and he's only two games back into a return from a month-long absence of his own due to a shoulder injury. Scoring won't be easy for the Blackhawks, but Jones should at least provide some nice secondary stats at both ends while playing a prominent role due to the lack of talent around him. He has 65 shots and 69 blocked shots in 29 appearances this season. The DraftKings scoring system hands out bonuses for reaching five shots or three blocks, and Jones is a candidate to hit both thresholds any given night.
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. DET ($4,400): Montour's another Florida player who is rounding into form after starting slow due to an injury. He has a meager 1-8-9 line after posting a 16-57-73 line last season, but Montour has dished a helper in each of the last two games and is skating on the top power-play unit. If he's indeed starting to wake up offensively, you won't be able to get Montour for just $4,400 much longer.
