This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's four-game NHL slate will begin a little later than usual, with the puck set to drop at 8:30 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The undefeated Hurricanes look like an obvious road favorite against the 1-7-2 Blackhawks, but Carolina's actually only the third-largest favorite in this slate. The Oilers are the night's heaviest favorites on home ice against the Predators in a game that also has the highest over/under (6.0 goals), while the Avalanche are expected to take care of business at home against the Blue Jackets. A Blues-Kings matchup, in which Los Angeles is a modest home underdog, rounds out the action Wednesday. Despite this slate's small size, there are plenty of appealing stars and lines to build around, as the league's three most effective offenses on the young season will all be in action.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR at CHI ($7,900): Andersen's Hurricanes tenure is off to a flawless start, as he's 7-0-0 with a 1.29 GAA and .956 save percentage. While he'll come back down to earth eventually, that's unlikely to happen against a Blackhawks team that has just one win in its first 10 games. Backup Antti Raanta got the 6-3 win in the Oct. 29 meeting between these teams.
Mikko Koskinen, EDM vs. NSH ($8,000): Plenty of lineups will be relying on Edmonton's top skaters offensively, but the Oilers' hot start couldn't have happened without excellent goaltending as well. Koskinen has a 5-1-0 record, 2.21 GAA and .933 save percentage, while the visiting Predators have been below average offensively with 2.78 goals per game and will be playing their second road game in as many nights.
Elvis Merzlikins, CLS at COL ($7,300): The ice will almost certainly be tilted against the Blue Jackets, but that will give Merzlikins a chance to compile a robust save total. He's off to a brilliant start, with a 4-1-0 record, 1.98 GAA and .939 save percentage, so Columbus will have the edge in goaltending against an Avalanche team that's rolling with backup Jonas Johansson for this one.
Jordan Binnington, STL at LA ($7,800): Don't forget about Binnington in this slate full of hot-starting goalies. He's 5-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .926 save percentage, while the Kings are averaging the second-most shots on goal (35.8) but the 19th-most goals (2.67) per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
J.T. Compher, COL vs. CLS ($4,700): Compher has thrived while filling in for Mikko Rantanen (lower body) on Colorado's high-powered top line over the past two games. After notching two goals Oct. 28 followed by two assists Oct. 30, Compher has established himself as a must-start option for the duration of Rantanen's absence. He's performing at a point-per-game pace overall with a 4-4-8 line through eight contests.
Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. NSH ($8,200): Don't look now, but Draisaitl has pulled into a tie for the league points lead with Connor McDavid, as both Oilers superstars sport identical 7-10-17 lines. Draisaitl costs $1,000 less than McDavid, so picking him offers slightly more lineup flexibility if you're only willing to commit to one, and snagging both remains a viable strategy if you're confident about a couple of bargain options elsewhere.
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. CAR ($6,500): He's easy to overlook with all the other appealing options in this slate, but Kane's a relative bargain at $6,500. His 4-5-9 line through six games includes a hat trick and an assist in Kane's last contest, as the veteran winger willed Chicago to its first win of the season, showing that he's still capable of completely taking over games. Kane's high ceiling makes him a worthy against-the-grain option.
Adrian Kempe, LA vs. STL ($2,700): With Viktor Arvidsson in COVID-19 protocols, Kempe will likely get an opportunity to slide up to the top-heavy Kings' first line. The affordable winger has acquitted himself admirably in a middle-six role, posting a 1-2-3 line and eight shots over the past three games. At just $2,700, Kempe's a low-risk, high-reward option who can help you afford top players elsewhere around this slate.
Jakub Voracek, CLS at COL ($4,300): Despite racking up seven points through eight games with the Blue Jackets, Voracek remains quite affordable at $4,300. Colorado's missing some key pieces, including Rantanen and Cale Makar (upper body), and with the Avalanche also turning to their backup goalie, there could be more offensive upside to be found on the Blue Jackets than initially meets the eye.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Hurricanes at Blackhawks
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,200), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $6,000), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (W - $3,400)
Carolina's top forwards have been leading the charge in the team's 8-0-0 start and should continue to produce against a Blackhawks team that's surrendering 3.80 goals per game. Aho (5-5-10) and Teravainen (2-6-8) are both averaging at least a point per game, and Aho ranks second team-wide in both goals and points behind Andrei Svechnikov (7-4-11). Svechnikov has previously worked on this line, but the affordable Kotkaniemi has switched into his spot for the moment, likely in an attempt to get the talented offseason acquisition going.
Oilers vs. Predators
Connor McDavid (C - $9,200), Zach Hyman (W - $5,900), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $5,200)
It's rarely a bad idea to lock in the league's best player and his not-too-pricey linemates. In addition to sharing the league points lead with Draisaitl at 17, McDavid's tied for second with seven goals and leads the NHL with 43 shots through eight games. Hyman and Puljujarvi have thrived on McDavid's wings, with the former doing much if his damage on the power play. Of Hyman's 6-2-8 line, half the goals and half the points have come with the extra man, while all but one of Puljujarvi's nine points have been accrued at even strength.
Blues at Kings
Robert Thomas (C - $3,800), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $6,400), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,900)
St. Louis leads the league with 4.14 goals per game, just edging out the Hurricanes and Oilers, who both sit at 4.13. Given its members' early success, this line is available at a significant bargain relative to its productivity. There were questions about whether Tarasenko would ever return to his dominant form of old after three shoulder surgeries, but those questions have been answered in the affirmative by his 4-5-9 line through seven games. At just 22 and 25 years of age, respectively, Thomas and Barbashev both appear to have further developed their scoring abilities compared to past years. They each have six points, and three of Barbashev's six have been goals. A 3-5-1 Kings team is unlikely to slow this line down.
DEFENSEMEN
Tony DeAngelo, CAR at CHI ($5,200): DeAngelo's one of five Hurricanes producing a point per game or more, with a 2-7-9 line through eight contests. His early success is even more remarkable considering DeAngelo hadn't played since early last season after the Rangers all but officially cut ties with him. DeAngelo's 15-38-53 line over 68 games in his last full season suggests this hot start is sustainable, so he's a bargain at just $5,200 in this highly favorable matchup.
Zach Werenski, CLS at COL ($6,500): Colorado has been the most generous fantasy opponent in the league to opposing blueliners, which is impressive considering the utter ineptitude of the likes of Arizona. Werenski certainly has the skills to capitalize on Colorado's struggles, as his 29 goals since the start of the 2019-20 season are one short of Jakob Chychrun's league-leading total among defensemen over that span, but Werenski has appeared in just 106 games over that span compared to Chychrun's 129. The league's premier lamp lighter from the back end has a 2-4-6 line through eight games this season.
Dante Fabbro, NSH at EDM ($2,800): Fabbro has more offensive capabilities than your typical $2,800 defenseman. Nashville's 2016 first-round pick has taken a little longer to develop than the team was hoping for, but Fabbro appears to be coming into his own at age 23 and has dished out four helpers in his last six games while skating alongside Roman Josi on the top pairing. He's a solid value play if you need to clear cap space for top forwards.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. CLS ($2,700): Injury and early ineffectiveness have Girard sitting at just two assists this season, but the young blueliner will have a nice opportunity to find his game while taking on an increased role on Colorado's banged-up blue line. Girard's still only 23 years old, and he posted an impressive 5-27-32 line in just 48 appearances last season.
