This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate features five games after 7:30 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
All five games have a clear favorite, though some are more lopsided than others. The Stars (vs. Arizona) and Rangers (vs. Montreal) are both expected to dominate at home against the worst teams in their respective conferences. The Kings (in Seattle) and Jets (vs. Philadelphia) have the privilege of playing two other bottom-four teams in the league standings, while the Golden Knights' slim playoff hopes will be on the line in Chicago. Flyers-Jets has the night's highest over/under at 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Scott Wedgewood, DAL vs. ARI ($8,500): It's fitting that Wedgewood, who spent much of the season in Arizona, will likely get the chance to clinch a playoff spot for his new team against his former team. Dallas needs a point to secure the final available playoff spot in the Western Conference, and Wedgewood figures to get the nod against the league-worst Coyotes offense (2.46 goals per game) after Jake Oettinger notched a monumental shootout win over Vegas the previous night.
Alexandar Georgiev, NYR vs. MON ($8,400): Georgiev has won each of his last seven starts, notching two shutouts over that span. He's no Igor Shesterkin, but Georgiev's good enough to thrive behind a Rangers defense that's improved as the season has progressed, and he'll have a favorable matchup against a Montreal team that's averaging 2.55 goals per game — second-fewest in the league.
Jonathan Quick, LA at SEA ($7,900): Moving on down the line in a slate that features five of the league's six feeblest offenses, Quick draws the 30th-ranked Kraken offense (2.58 goals per game). The veteran netminder has been the far more effective option in LA's crease lately, winning each of his last four outings while allowing five combined goals. Meanwhile, Cal Petersen has allowed 15 goals during his current three-game losing streak.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. PHI ($8,000): Hellebuyck turned in one of his best games of the season after returning from an illness, setting aside 30 of 31 shots to beat Colorado in his last start. He's more than capable of delivering a repeat performance at home against a Flyers team that's scoring only 2.60 goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Adrian Kempe, LA at SEA ($6,200): Kempe's goal scoring is one of the major reasons behind Los Angeles securing a playoff berth. He leads the team with 34 goals and has been hot down the stretch, with a 6-3-9 line over his last 10 games. A date with a Kraken team that's giving up 3.48 goals per game should provide Kempe with a nice opportunity to add to his hefty goal total.
Kevin Hayes, PHI at WPG ($4,800): Hayes was hampered by injuries for much of the season, but he has enjoyed a healthy and reasonably productive stretch over the past 13 games, mustering a 3-7-10 line. The veteran center had a goal on eight shots in his last outing and should ride the momentum from that performance into this matchup against one of his former teams.
Jared McCann, SEA vs. LA ($4,600): While it's rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of the NHL season, McCann would love to go down as the Kraken's leader in both goals and points during Seattle's inaugural season. A seven-point burst over his last six games has McCann in position to do just that, as he's nudged two points clear of Yanni Gourde (48-46) and has a six-goal cushion over Gourde and Jordan Eberle. Seattle may have nothing to play for as a team, but with personal accolades on the line, look for McCann to keep giving it his all.
Jonathan Toews, CHI vs. VGK ($3,300): Toews has six points in his last five games, as the captain's enjoying a productive stretch run to the season. He's a nice value option at center as the Blackhawks try to play spoiler against the underachieving Golden Knights.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. MON ($2,500): Lafreniere's starting to flash the skills that made him the first pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft more consistently, notching a 3-2-5 line in his last five games. With Artemi Panarin (upper body) and Andrew Copp (lower body) likely to be held out of the lineup after leaving Tuesday's game, Lafreniere should slide up to a top-six role against a Canadiens team that's giving up a league-high 3.90 goals per game.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Stars vs. Coyotes
Roope Hintz (C - $7,000), Jason Robertson (W - $6,700), Joe Pavelski (W - $6,300)
Dallas' top line has been worth building around on many occasions this season, and a home matchup with a Coyotes team that's allowing 3.78 goals per game should be another such scenario. Pavelski leads the team in points with a 27-52-79 line. Robertson leads in goals at 40, along with 37 assists to rank second in points. Hintz has added a 37-34-71 output, including a 7-6-13 line in his past nine games.
Golden Knights at Blackhawks
Chandler Stephenson (C - $3,900), Max Pacioretty (W - $7,200), Mark Stone (W - $4,800)
Vegas will be motivated in this one, as the Golden Knights' only path to the playoffs consists of two wins and two Dallas regulation losses in the remaining games. The Blackhawks have nothing to play for and weren't very good even when they did, as evidenced by their 3.54 goals allowed per game. This trio dominated together early in the season and should return to doing so here given the context. Pacioretty has a 17-17-34 line and 139 shots in just 39 appearances. Stone has 29 points in 35 games played. Stephenson was close to a point per game when these guys were healthy and playing together, so it wasn't surprising to see him score Tuesday in Dallas, extending his goal streak to four games.
Jets vs. Flyers
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $5,600), Kyle Connor (W - $7,100), Jansen Harkins (W - $2,500)
Connor's fifth league-wide in both goals (45) and shots (308), and he comes into this one on a two-game goal streak. The standout winger should remain productive and lead this line against a Flyers team that's surrendering 3.58 goals per game. Dubois is second among healthy Jets with 58 points and tied with Nikolaj Ehlers at 27 goals. The affordable Harkins showed he can hang with this line by producing an assist in his previous game, and he's a low-risk option at the minimum $2,500 valuation.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR vs. MON ($6,700): Fox should capitalize on the Canadiens' defensive struggles. He's fourth among defensemen with 73 points in 77 games, including six in the last five.
Shea Theodore, VGK at CHI ($5,500): Theodore has arguably been Vegas' best offensive player during the team's playoff push. Over the past eight games, he has a 3-6-9 line and 31 shots on goal. He should keep rolling against the lowly Blackhawks.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. ARI ($5,200): Klingberg ranks fourth on the Stars with 19 power-play points, checking in behind Pavelski (24), Hintz (23) and Robertson (20). His prominent role on the team's top man-advantage unit should lead to more production for the Swedish blueliner against Arizona's bottom-five, 74.8 percent penalty kill.
Alexander Edler, LA at SEA ($4,200): Edler has been racking up value on both ends lately, which has allowed him to score at least 9.7 fantasy points in five of his last six games and seven of 10. Over those 10 games, he's racked up a 2-6-8 line while blocking three-plus shots four times.
