This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The Stanley Cup playoffs continue Wednesday night with three games after 7:00 p.m. EDT. 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 Bruins-Maple Leafs series shifts to Toronto for Game 3 after they split a pair of games in Boston. The Stars were the only home team to lose Game 1, so Dallas will be looking to rebound on home ice against the Golden Knights, while the Oilers will look to keep piling up offense in Edmonton following a convincing 7-4 Game 1 win over the Kings. Edmonton is Wednesday's biggest favorite, followed by Dallas, while Boston-Toronto is a toss-up. All three games have an over/under of 6.0 goals.
GOALIES
Stuart Skinner, EDM vs. LA ($8,200): Skinner gave up four goals in the series opener, but considering Edmonton spent all game playing from ahead after taking an early 4-0 lead, he's in no danger of ceding playing time in net. A tighter-checking Game 2 would put Skinner in position to boast better stats, and if things remain wide open, he's at least likely to get right back in the win column for the favored Oilers.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. VGK ($8,000): Oettinger had most of the momentum from his 10-1-0 finish to the regular season erased in the series opener, as he allowed four goals on just 15 shots. It's a good sign that Dallas' defense was able to limit the opportunities against Oettinger, and with the Stars desperate to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole, Oettinger has nice bounce-back potential in what figures to be another tight-checking affair.
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at TOR ($7,600): Swayman stopped 35 of 36 shots in a Game 1 win before watching Linus Ullmark give up three goals in a Game 2 loss, so Swayman's all but certain to be back in Boston's net for Game 3. Toronto had a formidable offense in the regular season, ranking second with 3.63 goals per game, but this Maple Leafs core has a well-established history of struggling when the games get more physical in the postseason.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. BOS ($9,900): Matthews led the league with 69 goals in the regular season and potted the game-winning goal to cap off a three-point night in Game 2. He picked up a reputation as a playoff underperformer with five underwhelming postseasons to begin his career, but Matthews is quietly starting to shed that perception, with 10 goals and 23 points in his last 20 playoff games.
Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. LA ($7,700): Even though he skates separately from Connor McDavid at even strength, Draisaitl is still a force to be reckoned with in his own right, and they team up as the league's most fearsome power-play duo. Draisaitl produced a goal and an assist in Game 1, both on the man advantage, to give the star German a 32-47-79 line through 50 career playoff appearances.
Mark Stone, VGK at DAL ($5,500): Between the lack of state tax and LTIR gamesmanship, the Golden Knights have become Tampa Bay west, though it remains to be seen if the salary cap shenanigans propel the Golden Knights to back-to-back cups like they did for the Lightning. After a two-month layoff due to a lacerated spleen, Stone "shockingly" looked no worse for wear in the postseason opener, starting the scoring just 1:23 in. The proven playoff performer has a 35-40-75 line in 96 career playoff appearances, including 12 goals and 25 points in 23 games since the start of last year's postseason.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at TOR ($4,200): DeBrusk has surprisingly been Boston's most productive player so far in this series, posting a 2-2-4 line while holding down a second-line role with power-play time. The much-maligned winger has talent, and with the Maple Leafs focused primarily on more conventional threats like David Pastrnak ($9,300) and Brad Marchand ($5,700), DeBrusk has had plenty of space and time against Toronto's underwhelming defense. At just $4,200, he's a low-risk, high-reward play.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Kings
Connor McDavid (C - $9,600), Zach Hyman (W - $7,900), Adam Henrique (W - $3,900)
This line combined for four goals and 11 points in Game 1, as a Kings team with the worst goaltending of any playoff team was unsurprisingly powerless to stop the league's best skater and his mates. McDavid dished out five assists, showing off more of the playmaking skills that helped him rack up a career-high 100 assists in the regular season. Hyman was the primary beneficiary of McDavid's passing prowess with 54 regular-season goals, and he produced a hat trick in the series opener while adding an assist for good measure. The affordable Henrique added a goal and an assist, and the versatile veteran is a nice value pick as long as he's skating on a line with McDavid.
Stars vs. Golden Knights
Wyatt Johnston (C - $5,500), Jamie Benn (W - $4,700), Logan Stankoven (W - $3,700)
This has been arguably Dallas' best line for much of the season, and its members offer nice value coming off a strong collective Game 1 effort. Benn was the Stars' best player in Game 1, scoring a goal while logging a game-high seven shots. Johnston added a helper in the series opener, building on a breakout sophomore regular season in which he posted a 32-33-65 line. Stankoven's Game 1 helper gives the 21-year-old forward a 6-9-15 line in his first 25 NHL games.
Kings at Oilers
Anze Kopitar (C - $4,800), Adrian Kempe (W - $6,100), Alex Laferriere (W - $3,000)
A silver lining from Game 1 for the Kings is that neither Skinner nor Edmonton's defense looked particularly impressive, so LA's offense should continue to find success, even if slowing down McDavid and Co. seems nigh impossible for this team. Kempe (28-47-75) and Kopitar (26-44-70) both reached the 70-point mark in the regular season, as did Kevin Fiala ($5,400), who posted a 29-44-73 line. Kempe kept the good times rolling with a goal and an assist in Game 1, while the affordable Laferriere stepped up with an assist and five shots on goal.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. LA ($6,500): Bouchard ranked fourth among defensemen in the regular season with 82 points, and he dished out a whopping four helpers in the series opener against LA. The Kings will likely continue to have trouble stopping Edmonton's top forwards, with whom Bouchard often shares the ice. Two of his four assists in Game 1 came on the power play.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at TOR ($5,100): McAvoy has topped 25 minutes of ice time in each of this series' first two games while compiling three assists and five blocked shots. The Maple Leafs will have last change with the series shifting to Toronto, which could mean even more ice time for McAvoy as the Bruins try to avoid leaving a lesser defensive pair on the ice against Matthews.
Noah Hanifin, VGK at DAL ($5,000): Even with Alex Pietrangelo ($5,200) back in the lineup, Hanifin continued to play a massive all-situations role in Game 1, finishing with two power-play assists in over 24 minutes of ice time. His well-rounded skill set and prominent usage gives Hanifin one of the highest floors among defensemen in the postseason.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. VGK ($4,900): Heiskanen's a steal at his sub-$5,000 valuation given his extended track record of playoff success as Dallas' top defenseman. He stuffed the stat sheet with an assist, three shots and three blocks in Game 1, bringing Heiskanen up to 46 points in 67 career playoff outings.
