This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There is only one game on the NHL calendar Wednesday after all 32 teams in the league laced up their skates Tuesday. The Devils will host the Capitals at 7:30 p.m. EDT. You can still play DraftKings NHL DFS on Wednesday by entering a one-game Showdown contest. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Devils are substantial home favorites over the Capitals, with on over/under of 6.5 goals. Your DraftKings Showdown contest lineup will consist of one Captain who has a 1.5X multiplier on both his cap hit and his fantasy points, as well as five FLEX spots. There are no positional requirements for your lineup, but the below breakdown will follow the usual format.
GOALIES
Akira Schmid, NJ vs. WAS ($10,200): Schmid is in good position to pick up a win after Vitek Vanecek defeated the Canadiens on Tuesday, but Schmid probably won't be worth paying up for in your Captain slot. The 23-year-old netminder has a 1-0-1 record on the season despite a subpar 3.30 GAA and .892 save percentage.
Hunter Shepard, WAS at NJ ($8,400): Shepard's an interesting value proposition as he makes his NHL debut. He has played well at the AHL level, going 30-11-5 with a 2.11 GAA and .920 save percentage over the past four seasons. New Jersey's likely to control play and have the edge in shots, so Shepard could carry lineups if he carries Washington to a win, but he can also sink lineups if the step up to the NHL level proves to be too much for the 27-year-old netminder.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jack Hughes, NJ vs. WAS ($10,800): Hughes is the priciest player available in this contest and also the top candidate for your Captain slot, as he has a 4-10-14 line through just five games. That's Connor McDavid-like production from the 2019 first-overall pick, who broke out with a 43-56-99 line in 78 games last season.
Anthony Mantha, WAS vs. NJ ($2,000): Locking in an affordable option like Mantha at just $2,000 allows you to maximize spending elsewhere, and you'll need to clear cap space if you want to use Hughes in your Captain slot. Mantha's currently being deployed on the fourth line, but he has much more scoring touch than your typical fourth-line winger, as Mantha has scored at least 24 goals on two prior occasions and logged an 11-16-27 line in just 67 appearances last season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Devils vs. Capitals
Nico Hischier (C - $8,000), Jesper Bratt (W - $8,400), Ondrej Palat (W - $6,200)
Bratt has easily been New Jersey's second-most productive player behind Hughes in the early going, with a 3-6-9 line while no other teammate has more than six points, with only Tyler Toffoli ($8,600) and Dougie Hamilton ($8,200) logging more than three points. Bratt's coming off back-to-back 73-point campaigns, but Hischier was even more productive last season, racking up 80 points. After starting the season on a four-game point drought, Hischier potted a power-play goal Tuesday, so perhaps that will open the floodgates for the 2017 first-overall pick's offense. Palat's a solid value as the only member of New Jersey's top-six forward group with a sub-$8,000 valuation.
Capitals at Devils
Dylan Strome (C - $6,000), Alex Ovechkin (W - $10,000), Matthew Phillips (W - $4,000)
Ovechkin is still the face of the franchise in Washington, and after a slow start, he finally scored his first goal of the season Tuesday while adding a whopping 14 shots against Toronto in a vintage performance. Coming off his 13th season with over 40 goals, the 38-year-old superstar still has plenty left in the tank as he continues to chase Gretzky's goal record. If you like Washington in this game, Ovechkin's the obvious choice for your Captain spot. Strome is the only Capital with multiple goals through five games this season, and Phillips makes for a nice value at just $4,000 considering he's tied with Ovechkin for second on the team with three points.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS at NJ ($9,000): Carlson leads the Capitals with four points through five games, and after being limited to 40 appearances by injuries in a down year last season, the three-time 70-point scorer is quickly reestablishing himself as one of the league's top sources of offense from the blue line. Carlson also contributes value in his own end, as he's blocked at least three shots in each game during his current four-game point streak.
Luke Hughes, NJ vs. WAS ($5,200): Hughes has just one point through five games, but it was a power-play goal from his role on the top unit. Thanks to his deployment alongside his brother Jack on New Jersey's talented man advantage unit, Luke has intriguing offensive upside relative to his middling valuation.
