This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are three NHL games scheduled after 7:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
All three of Wednesday's games are projected to be competitive, though the Lightning are the clearest favorites in Anaheim. Oilers-Blues and Lightning-Ducks both come in with over/unders of 6.5 goals, while Rangers-Islanders checks in at 6.0. Both the Rangers and Lightning used their respective No. 1 goalies Tuesday night and are thus expected to turn to their backups to close out these back-to-backs.
GOALIES
Brian Elliott, TB at ANH ($8,200): This is a nice opportunity to get right for the 3-4-0 Lightning, as the Ducks come into this one at 1-4-1 while averaging 2.33 goals per game – third-fewest in the league. Elliott's no Andrei Vasilevskiy, but this is just about the ideal time to deploy the veteran backup.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. EDM ($7,900): Binnington has carried over his torrid play from last year's playoffs to the early stages of the 2022-23 campaign, going 3-0-0 with a 1.65 GAA and .940 save percentage. The Oilers present a daunting matchup, but if the Blues can stay disciplined and limit the opportunities for an Edmonton power play that's humming along at 35.0 percent, Binnington has the skills to lock it down at even strength.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs NYR ($7,800): Sorokin's off to a shaky start (1-3-0 with a 2.84 GAA and .908 save percentage), but he'll draw a slumping Rangers team that's winless in its last three games. Normally, the Islanders' crosstown rivals would have the clear edge in net with Igor Shesterkin, but Shesterkin just notched a 42-save shootout loss against Colorado on Tuesday, so the Rangers will instead deploy former Islander Jaroslav Halak, who seems to have lost a step or two at age 37 and comes in with a 4.03 GAA and .852 save percentage through two starts. At home against Halak, Sorokin could be in store for some rare goal support.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. EDM ($6,900): Tarasenko's off to a flying start, as he's notched a 2-4-6 line to lead the Blues in points through four games. He led St. Louis in both goals (34) and points (82) last season, crossing the 30-goal threshold for the sixth time. An Oilers team that's allowing 3.33 goals per game will be hard pressed to slow the Russian winger down.
Chris Kreider, NYR at NYI ($5,800): This is a nice buy-low opportunity on Kreider, who has scored only two goals through seven games after lighting the lamp 52 times last season. Numerous posts and unlucky bounces have denied him in the early going, but Kreider just tied his season high with five shots Tuesday against the Avalanche and could be on the verge of breaking out. Against the Islanders last season, Kreider scored four goals in as many games.
Troy Terry, ANH vs. TB ($5,100): Terry's hot start has been one of the few early silver linings for the struggling Ducks, as he's racked up a 3-4-7 line to go with a team-high 16 shots through six games. Last year's 37-goal campaign seems to have been the new normal for Terry rather than the one-off fluke some had predicted, and facing Elliott rather than Vasilevskiy boosts his chances of scoring.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Blues
Connor McDavid (C - $8,600), Evander Kane (W - $6,700), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $2,700)
In small slates like this one, if you miss out on a player like McDavid and he plays close to his ceiling, there's almost no combination of alternatives you can cobble together to compete with lineups that included McDavid. He's currently in a two-game point drought yet still has a 5-5-10 line through six games, and a multi-point outburst from the world's best player wouldn't surprise anybody here. Kane easily leads the Oilers with 30 shots, nine clear of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at 21 apiece, and he's the most obvious choice to benefit from McDavid's abilities as a setup man. Yamamoto has just one assist through five appearances, but the affordable winger reached the 20-goal and 40-point marks last season.
Lightning at Ducks
Steven Stamkos (C - $7,400), Alex Killorn (W - $4,000), Vladislav Namestnikov (W - $2,800)
This line is all about Stamkos, who's tied for the league lead in goals with seven in as many games. Killorn's a nice supporting piece, as he's likely to pick up the pace from his current 1-2-3 line after totaling 25 goals and 59 points last season. Namestnikov's worth a look if you're bargain hunting, and the most affordable member of Tampa Bay's top six forward group has dished out three helpers thus far.
Islanders vs. Rangers
Brock Nelson (C - $4,400), Anders Lee (W - $5,400), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $3,000)
Lee has been the Islanders' most effective offensive player in the early going, as the former 40-goal scorer leads the team in both goals (four) and points (seven) through six games. Nelson led the team with 37 goals last year but has been more of a playmaker thus far in 2022-23, dishing out six helpers in as many games. Something about this rivalry brings out the best in Beauvillier, who averages under half a point per game overall but boasts a 13-10-23 line in 24 career meetings with the crosstown rivals. This entire trio should benefit from facing Halak rather than Shesterkin.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB at ANH ($6,700): Hedman's still searching for his first goal, but he's doing everything else at a high level as usual, with five assists, 20 shots and 13 blocks through seven games. The goals will come, too, as he was one of three defensemen to light the lamp at least 20 times last season. A favorable matchup in Anaheim could be just what Hedman needs to take the lid off the net.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. EDM ($5,900): Faulk's off to a terrific start, as he leads the Blues with three goals through four games. That scoring pace isn't sustainable for the veteran blueliner, but his contributions in secondary stats are, as Faulk has notched multiple blocks in every game this season and three shots in all but one. His secondary contributions give Faulk a high floor, and you may as well lock him in while he's hot offensively in a game that should feature plenty of open ice.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at STL ($3,600): Bouchard's starting to heat up with helpers in two of his last three games, and his most recent outing showcased the all-around skills Bouchard possesses, as he helped the Oilers defeat Pittsburgh with one assist, six shots and two blocked shots. The 2018 first-round pick had a 12-31-41 line last season, so he has tremendous scoring upside for a $3,600 defenseman.
Ryan Lindgren, NYR at NYI ($2,900): Lindgren has been quietly effective as Adam Fox's ($7,000) stay-at-home complement on the top pairing, chipping in double-digit fantasy points in three of the past four games thanks to robust block totals and occasional offense. His physicality will be important in this rivalry game, so expect to see a lot of Lindgren, who shouldn't have trouble outperforming his modest $2,900 valuation.
