This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate includes six games after 7:00 p.m. EST. 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
Wednesday offers no shortage of teams to build around, with substantial favorites in five of the six games. The Maple Leafs are overwhelming home favorites against the Blackhawks, but the Lightning in Arizona, Oilers vs. Detroit, Sabres in Anaheim and Rangers in Vancouver are all expected to get the job done as well. The only game without a substantial favorite and underdog is Avalanche-Wild, and it's also the only matchup with an over/under other than 6.5 goals, as it comes in at 6.0.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. CHI ($8,500): Samsonov's 15-2-1 with a 2.07 GAA and .924 save percentage on home ice this season. He has a nice opportunity to improve on those impressive marks against a Blackhawks team that's averaging a league-low 2.40 goals per game after being shut out Tuesday in Montreal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at ANH ($8,100): Buffalo usually wins with offense rather than defense, but the Sabres could get both in Anaheim against a Ducks team that scores the second-fewest goals per game (2.44) and allows the most (4.07). Luukkonen, who is 13-7-2 with a 3.47 GAA and .895 save percentage, should be among the primary beneficiaries of this favorable matchup.
Brian Elliott, TB at ARI ($8,100): Elliott figures to get the nod here after Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,300) beat Colorado on Tuesday. The veteran backup's 9-3-1 despite a lackluster 3.14 GAA and .898 save percentage, but he'll have a chance to improve those ratios against a bottom-five Coyotes offense that's averaging 2.67 goals per game.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at MIN ($7,600): Georgiev will play for the second time in as many nights with oft-injured backup Pavel Francouz shelved by a lower-body injury. After falling 4-3 in a shootout to the Lightning, Georgiev will have a more favorable matchup in Minnesota against a Wild team that's 1-3-1 since the All-Star break, having scored just seven goals in those five games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. DET ($10,000): McDavid became the first player to reach the $10,000 valuation threshold on DraftKings in Montreal on Sunday. He didn't play up to his lofty valuation in that one, as his 15-game point streak was snapped, though McDavid still provided 13.5 fantasy points thanks to seven shots on goal. Expect the league's best player to start a new point streak as the Oilers return home to host Detroit. Even with so much talent taking on poor defenses in this slate, McDavid should always be in consideration for your lineup considering he's on a 147-point pace.
Trevor Zegras, ANH vs. BUF ($5,700): Zegras has been better than a point-per-game player in 2023, with a 9-9-18 line in 17 games. The talented 21-year-old is thriving despite a poor supporting cast in Anaheim, and he should remain productive against a Sabres team that's surrendering 3.48 goals per game.
Nick Schmaltz, ARI vs. TB ($5,500): Schmaltz doesn't get much fanfare playing in front of three thousand fans on a good day in Arizona, but the talented winger can put up points in bunches. He has a 3-4-7 line during his current three-game point streak and a 7-7-14 line over his last eight games. If the Lightning give Vasilevskiy the night off as expected, Schmaltz would become a sneaky value against Elliott.
Anthony Beauvillier, VAN vs. NYR ($4,200): Beauvillier has played well in a top-line role early in his Canucks tenure, producing a 2-1-3 line in the past three games. This will already be the former Islander's second game against the Rangers since being traded to Vancouver, and while he was held off the scoresheet in their first meeting, Beauvillier still has more goals and points against the Rangers than any other team, with a 13-10-23 line in 28 meetings.
Anthony Cirelli, TB at ARI ($3,800): Cirelli has often been asked to focus primarily on shutting down the opposition in a middle-six center role, but he's getting a chance to strut his stuff on offense while playing wing on the second line. The well-rounded forward has proven he can excel offensively as well, producing a 3-3-6 line during his current three-game point streak. A Coyotes team that's giving up 3.50 goals per game is unlikely to cool Cirelli off.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks
Auston Matthews (C - $8,600), William Nylander (W - $7,100), Michael Bunting (W - $5,000)
Matthews went through a full contact practice Tuesday and is expected back from a knee injury that's sidelined him since Jan. 25. The four-time 40-goal scorer's return should jumpstart his entire line against a Chicago team that's allowing 3.62 goals per game. Matthews could still reach that mark this season considering he has a 25-28-53 line in 47 appearances after potting 60 last season. Nylander has surpassed him as Toronto's goals leader for the moment with a 26-32-61 line through 54 games. Bunting has chipped in steadily, with a 2-2-4 line over the last four games bringing him up to 12 goals in his last 26 games.
Sabres at Ducks
Tage Thompson (C - $8,700), Alex Tuch (W - $6,600), Jeff Skinner (W - $6,400)
Anaheim's league-worst defense should have no answer for what has surprisingly been one of the most productive lines in the NHL, with all three members exceeding a point per game. Thompson has led the way with a 35-34-69 line through 52 games, ranking third in goals and eighth in points league-wide. Tuch has a 24-31-55 line in 52 games, and Skinner's at 20-30-50 across 49 appearances.
Rangers at Canucks
Filip Chytil (C - $5,000), Kaapo Kakko (W - $3,300), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $3,200)
With all the expensive talent in this slate, finding value on the lower end of the price spectrum is imperative, and that's exactly what New York's "kid line" can provide against a Canucks team that's surrendering 4.02 goals per game. Chytil had a six-game point streak snapped Saturday in Carolina, but he still has seven goals in his last seven games to go with a pair of helpers. With 19 goals in 45 appearances, Chytil's producing at a 35-goal, 82-game pace. Kakko has quietly put together a two-game goal streak and four-game point streak (2-3-5), and he has 10 points over his last nine games. Lafreniere has nearly mirrored Kakko's production lately, with a four-game point streak of his own and eight points in his last eight games.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at ANH ($6,800): Dahlin's a strong play here as part of a Sabres stack or as a standalone option. Along with all three members of the team's top line, Dahlin is the other Buffalo skater averaging better than a point per game. His 14-42-56 line in 51 appearances is good for second on the team in points behind Thompson, and he's also tied with Josh Morrissey for second in points among defensemen behind Erik Karlsson's 73.
Victor Hedman, TB at ARI ($6,100): Hedman has stuffed the stat sheet over his last seven games, despite failing to produce a multi-point outing over that span. He has a 2-3-5 line, accompanied by 25 shots on goal and 12 blocked shots. His floor is high thanks to his well-rounded contributions, while facing the lowly Coyotes provides Hedman with the opportunity to post a breakout multi-point performance.
K'Andre Miller, NYR at VAN ($4,100): The Rangers line mentioned above consists of first-round picks from the 2017, 2019 and 2020 NHL Entry Drafts, so let's throw the team's 2018 first-rounder in as well. Miller produced three assists against these same Canucks last Wednesday, and he has a 3-10-13 line in his last 15 games.
Calen Addison, MIN vs. COL ($3,200): Addison's a low-risk, high-reward play at $3,200 since the DraftKings scoring format doesn't punish his poor defensive play. The 22-year-old blueliner struggles in his own zone, as evidenced by his minus-18 rating, but Addison's a strong puck mover, especially on the power play. His 18 power-play points are tied for ninth among NHL defensemen, and Addison has 27 points in 52 games overall. He'll look to add to his success with the extra man against an Avalanche penalty kill that's been more permissive than league average at 77.3 percent.
