This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday marks the final day of NHL action before the All-Star break, with three games on the schedule 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
The Ducks find themselves in the rare position of being this slate's largest favorites as they play host to the lowly Sharks. Senators-Red Wings and Kings-Predators are considered closer to toss-ups, with Detroit and LA slightly favored. There's no shortage of expected scoring in Senators-Red Wings, as that game has an over/under of 7.0 goals, compared to 6.0 for each of the other two.
GOALIES
John Gibson, ANH vs. SJ ($8,100): The Ducks are rarely favored, which accounts for Gibson's subpar 9-19-1 record, 3.09 GAA and .900 save percentage, but this game is an exception. The visiting Sharks have 32 standings points, four fewer than the Ducks, and San Jose's road record is a dreadful 5-19-2. Gibson won't have a better matchup than this all season considering the Sharks are also tied with the Blackhawks for the fewest goals per game (2.08).
Alex Lyon, DET vs. OTT ($7,900): Even though this is expected to be a high-scoring affair, Lyon's capable of putting forth a strong performance. He's 13-6-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .924 save percentage this season, including 8-2-1 in his last 11 decisions, while the Senators are a dreadful 6-13-0 on the road.
Juuse Saros, NSH vs. LAK ($7,600): Saros has had a down year by his lofty standards, with a pedestrian 19-18-2 record, 2.94 GAA and .903 save percentage. Still, he's capable of conjuring up a powerful performance on any given night, and the Finn's in good position to show off his skills against a Kings team that averages the second-most shots (33.9) but the 16th-most goals (3.13). That high volume often translates to fantasy success for goalies facing LA, as the Kings allow the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. The Kings are also in a rut at the moment, with only one win in their last seven games and two wins in the last 16.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Adrian Kempe, LA at NSH ($7,700): As the Kings look to snap out of their funk, they will be counting on their top players to get them back on track, and LA may not have a better player than Kempe. Despite having his shooting percentage drop from 16.4 in 2022-23 to 11.6 this season, Kempe still leads the team with 43 points through 47 games, as he's on a 75-point pace after posting 41 goals and 67 points last season. Nashville ranks in the middle of the pack defensively with 3.12 goals allowed per game.
Gustav Nyquist, NSH vs. LA ($5,100): Nyquist ranks fourth on the team in both goals (12) and points (37). Nashville doesn't have much scoring depth, so the Swedish winger's a solid option at his middling valuation while filling a role on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit against a Kings team that's won only two of its last 16 games.
William Eklund, SJ at ANH ($3,600): With both Tomas Hertl (lower body) and Mikael Granlund (upper body) potentially unavailable, Eklund could be the top scorer dressed for the Sharks in this game against a Ducks team that's allowing 3.43 goals per game (seventh-most). His 23 points through 49 games include a 1-4-5 line over the past four games, as the 21-year-old Swede is starting to flash some of the skills that prompted the Sharks to draft him seventh overall in 2021.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Senators at Red Wings
Tim Stutzle (C - $6,700), Brady Tkachuk (W - $7,500), Claude Giroux (W - $5,600)
There are some solid line combinations set to take the ice Wednesday, but this is the most productive and talented forward trio available. Stutzle's averaging over a point per game with 47 in 46 thanks to a 4-9-13 outburst over his last nine outings. Tkachuk has a 21-19-40 line in 46 games, so he's on pace to top last season's total of 35 goals, and the power forward's 199 shots on goal are fourth-most in the NHL. Giroux has added a 15-27-42 line, so the 36-year-old winger still has plenty of gas left in the tank as he vies for an eighth 70-point season.
Red Wings vs. Senators
Dylan Larkin (C - $8,000), Alex DeBrincat (W - $6,800), Lucas Raymond (W - $4,700)
While $8,000 seems like a massive overpay for a player of Larkin's caliber at first, the valuation becomes more reasonable when you consider that he has a 9-6-15 line during an active 11-game point streak, while the Senators are allowing the third-most goals per game (3.65) in the NHL. DeBrincat's 18-25-43 line and 137 shots have him second on the team behind Larkin in goals (four back), points (three back) and shots (six back). Raymond's actually third on the team in both goals and points, five goals and two points behind DeBrincat, and the Swedish winger has seven points in his last four games.
Ducks vs. Sharks
Benoit-Olivier Groulx (C - $2,500), Frank Vatrano (W - $6,200), Troy Terry (W - $4,900)
Vatrano leads the Ducks with 21 goals through 49 games, and he's tied with Terry for the team points lead at 35. Terry has pulled into that tie thanks to an active five-game point streak that has seen him pick up a 3-5-8 line. Groulx has just one point through 27 appearances in a bottom-six role but was elevated to the second line as the Ducks reshuffled their lineup for the previous game and got on the scoresheet with an assist. He's a low-risk, high-reward play at the minimum $2,500 valuation while skating between the team's two most productive wingers against a Sharks team that's surrendering a league-high 3.84 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN
Jake Sanderson, OTT at DET ($5,000): It can be tough to choose between Thomas Chabot ($5,800), Jakob Chychrun ($5,500) and Sanderson, but the latter looks like the most appealing value play. Not only is Sanderson slightly more affordable, but he's also the only one of the team's top three blueliners that currently has a spot on the top power-play unit.
Shayne Gostisbehere, DET vs. OTT ($4,400): Ottawa's overall defensive struggles stem in large part from a poor penalty kill, as the Senators' 74.2 percent mark is fifth-worst in the NHL. Gostisbehere is well positioned to capitalize on that weakness, as the slick passer leads the Red Wings with 20 power-play points as part of his 7-25-32 line overall.
Brandt Clarke, LAK at NSH ($4,100): Clarke's likely to get pricier from here, as the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has displayed a nice ability to contribute at both ends in six games since being called up. After taking three games to settle in, Clarke has produced an assist, nine shots and seven blocks over his last three games, and he was over a point per game with a 7-25-32 line in 30 AHL games prior to being called up.
Olen Zellweger, ANH vs. SJ ($3,200): Zellweger's getting a chance on Anaheim's top power-play unit while Pavel Mintyukov (shoulder) recovers. The 34th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has notched one power-play point through three NHL games, and he'll have a nice opportunity to add to that total against San Jose's league-worst, 72.3 percent penalty kill. Prior to being called up, Zellweger posted an impressive 25 points in 34 AHL games.
