This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's tiny NHL slate features just two games after 7:30 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Canadiens will host a Blackhawks team that's playing its second game in as many nights, while the Blues will host the Flyers. St. Louis will be heavily favored given its 17-4-3 home record and Philadelphia's 9-13-2 road record. Montreal has won two straight after going winless in its previous eight.
GOALIES
Jordan Binnington ($8,200) is a tidy 22-7-4 with a 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage. He has a nice opportunity to improve those numbers against the visiting Flyers.
Carey Price ($7,900) gets the easiest matchup here, as the Blues, Flyers and Canadiens all rank in the 11-14 range in goals per game, while the Blackhawks rank 20th. Montreal's goalie has been the driving force behind the team's two-game winning streak, stopping 71 of 72 shots over that stretch.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
David Perron ($5,600) has been the Blues' best forward all season, leading the team in both goals (20) and points (46) through 47 games. The veteran winger's showing no signs of slowing down, having mustered an 8-8-16 line over his last 13 games.
Sean Couturier ($6,500) has been held off the scoresheet only once in the past six games, and the Flyers were shut out entirely in that one. He has mustered a 3-6-9 line in that stretch and owns a 13-26-39 line in 46 games overall, putting him in a tie with Travis Konecny for the team lead in points. Any against-the-grain Flyers stack needs to start with Couturier.
Patrick Kane ($8,000) owns a 24-35-59 line through 47 games, and he comes into this matchup with Montreal riding a seven-game point streak. The Canadiens are slightly worse than average with 3.13 goals allowed per game, so they'll have a hard time slowing down the most productive skater in this slate.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Canadiens vs. Blackhawks
Phillip Danault (C - $5,400), Tomas Tatar (W - $5,800), Ilya Kovalchuk (W - $4,800)
Tatar has been Montreal's top performer through 47 games, leading the team in goals (16) and points (39). Kovalchuk has shown he still has some gas left in the tank, with a 1-3-4 line in five games since signing with the Canadiens. Danault is a solid source of offense, mustering an 11-20-31 line.
Blues vs. Flyers
Robert Thomas (C - $4,200), Tyler Bozak (W - $3,600), Alex Steen (W - $2,500)
This line has been tremendous for the Blues recently, and it should continue to provide excellent bang for the buck here. Thomas has a 4-5-9 line over his last nine games, Bozak's at 6-3-9 over that same stretch and Steen has rediscovered his scoring touch with three goals in his last three games en route to a 3-4-7 line over the past seven.
Blackhawks at Canadiens
Jonathan Toews (C - $7,200), Dominik Kubalik (W - $4,600), Drake Caggiula (W - $3,000)
This line has been hot recently for Chicago. Toews is putting a slow start behind him with a 2-5-7 line over his last five games, while Kubalik hasn't been held off the scoresheet in his last five while totaling a 5-3-8 line. Caggiula's a cheap filler who has a 3-1-4 line in 18 appearances this season, though he did score as many as 13 goals with the Oilers back in 2017-18.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Pietrangelo ($6,000) continues to be a two-way force for the reigning champs. His 5-19-14 line over the past 11 games has Pietrangelo up to 12-26-38 over 47 games overall.
Jeff Petry ($5,200) has been a consistent source of offense from the blue line for Montreal recently. He brings a three-game point streak into this one and has a 3-9-12 line over his past 12 games.
Travis Sanheim ($3,100) is coming off a two-goal game and has lit the lamp five times in his last 10 games. The 23-year-old Flyers blueliner could be worth a flier at just $3,100 given his recent success.
