This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesdays normally aren't busy in the NHL, but this week is an exception. The entire league got the night off Tuesday and will be off again Thursday for Thanksgiving, but most of the NHL will play in between, with 14 games on the schedule after 7:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday night. 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 majority of Wednesday's matchups are expected to be highly competitive, but a few teams stand out as chalk options to build around. Seattle is easily the largest favorite at home against San Jose, while Colorado is a clear home favorite against Vancouver, despite the Canucks' hot start, and the Devils are favored on the road in Detroit. The Avalanche and Devils games are both tied for a slate-high over/under of 6.5 goals, as are Rangers-Penguins, Oilers-Hurricanes, Jets-Lightning, Blackhawks-Blue Jackets and Canadiens-Ducks.
GOALIES
Joey Daccord, SEA vs. SJ ($8,500): Daccord will likely get the starting nod after Philipp Grubauer ($8,500) left Seattle's previous game with an undisclosed injury. While Daccord is just 2-2-5 with a 2.98 GAA and .901 save percentage, the matchup couldn't be any better. The Sharks are on pace to be one of the worst teams of all time, with a 3-14-1 record, a league-low 1.50 goals per game and a league-high 4.17 goals against per game. San Jose has been even worse on the road, with a record of 0-8-0.
John Gibson, ANH vs. MON ($8,200): Gibson has been outstanding this season but a lack of goal support has limited Anaheim's team success, as he's just 4-6-0 despite a 2.27 GAA and .927 save percentage. He'll have a nice opportunity to get into the win column on home ice against a Montreal team that has dropped into last place in the Atlantic Division with a four-game losing streak.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at PIT ($7,600): The Rangers are leading the Metropolitan Division even though their star goalie has been just okay so far, with a 7-3-0 record, 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage. Shesterkin's capable of far more, as he has a career 2.39 GAA and .923 save percentage while playing on Rangers teams with far less impressive defensive structure than the 2023-24 edition. A visit to Pittsburgh could offer a nice buy-low opportunity on Shesterkin, as he has historically excelled against this Metro Division rival, with a career 7-4-1 record, 2.01 GAA and .929 save percentage versus the Penguins.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at WAS ($7,300): Luukkonen has been the best of Buffalo's three goalies so far, and he'll be an appealing bargain option against a Capitals team that struggles to score if he gets the starting nod Wednesday. Washington's 2.47 goals per game are second-fewest in the league, ahead of only the lowly Sharks. Luukkonen's 4-3-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .911 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. VAN ($9,700): MacKinnon's matchup-proof, so building around on home ice is a viable strategy, even with the hot-starting Canucks coming to town. The star center has a 6-16-22 line through 17 games, including five multi-point performances in his last seven outings. Despite his gaudy stats to date, MacKinnon's best production of the season is likely yet to come. He has posted a shooting percentage of 9.7 or better in each of the previous six seasons, but MacKinnon has converted on just 7.4 of his 82 shots so far this season. That shot total is three back of Nikita Kucherov's ($9,100) league-leading total.
Connor Bedard, CHI at CLS ($7,200): Bedard should shine in this battle of bottom-feeders. The 2023 first overall pick is living up to the hype, as his 9-6-15 line through 16 games includes a 7-4-11 output in his last nine. The Blue Jackets are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games and allowing 3.63 goals per game overall, so Bedard should continue to showcase his skills against one of the teams that barely missed out on drafting him, as Columbus ended up with the third overall pick after the 2023 NHL Draft lottery.
Jaden Schwartz, SEA vs. SJ ($5,500): Seattle has struggled to score, but Schwartz has been an exception to that rule, as his 8-7-15 line has him tied for the team goals lead with Jared McCann ($5,000) and tied for second on the team in points with Oliver Bjorkstrand ($4,200). Schwartz's 49 shots on goals are also second on the team, seven back of McCann. With a Sharks team that's allowing 4.17 goals per game coming to town, this is the time to deploy Schwartz, and possibly other Seattle skaters.
Pavel Buchnevich, STL at ARI ($5,500): Buchnevich got off to a slow start, but he's quickly getting back to his customary pace with a 5-2-7 line over his last five games. The Russian winger has surpassed a point per game in each of his previous two seasons with St. Louis, and he's unlikely to cool off against a Coyotes team that has lost its last two games by a combined score of 9-3.
Jonathan Huberdeau, CGY at NSH ($3,900): Huberdeau's 115-point season with the Panthers in 2021-22 seems like a distant memory, as he has just 67 points in 97 subsequent games as a member of the Flames. Five of those points have come courtesy of a 2-3-5 line in the past three games, though, and you can ride the hot hand here without breaking the bank for Huberdeau. Nashville's allowing 3.35 goals per game, and Huberdeau certainly has the talent to produce an extended high-scoring stretch, even if he hasn't proven capable of doing so with his current team so far.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Devils at Red Wings
Jack Hughes (C - $9,200), Erik Haula (W - $4,600), Curtis Lazar (W - $3,500)
With a few forwards banged up, Hughes is being forced to carry New Jersey's offense while skating with subpar linemates. He has been up to the challenge so far, posting a 6-16-22 line in 11 games, including a goal, an assist and eight shots in Saturday's loss to the Rangers, which marked Hughes' return from a five-game absence due to a shoulder injury. Haula and Lazar are both excellent values while flanking Hughes against a Red Wings team that's allowing 3.35 goals per game. Both wingers have appeared in 15 games, with Haula posting a 6-5-11 line and the affordable Lazar adding a 3-2-5 line.
Hurricanes vs. Oilers
Sebastian Aho (C - $6,800), Seth Jarvis (W - $5,600), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $4,900)
Edmonton has plenty of firepower up front, but the Oilers have the third-fewest standings points in the NHL with an ugly 5-11-1 record due to their porous defense, as only the Sharks and the idle Wild are allowing more goals per game than the Oilers' 3.88. Carolina's top line is primed to take advantage of this favorable matchup at home, as all three of its members are off to strong starts. Aho has missed three of Carolina's 17 games, yet he still leads the team in points with a 5-10-15 line. Jarvis is two points back of Aho with a 7-6-13 line, as Jarvis looks to be in the early stages of a third-year breakout at age 21. Teravainen has been more of a pass-first player over the years, but the Finnish winger has been looking for his shot more this season and has a team-high nine goals to go with three helpers.
Jets at Lightning
Mark Scheifele (C - $6,600), Kyle Connor (W - $8,500), Alex Iafallo (W - $5,400)
This against-the-grain stack could be worth paying up for based on what we have seen so far this season. Tampa Bay has found life much more difficult defensively while having to ice a salary cap compliant roster without star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (back), as the Lightning's 3.63 goals allowed per game are sixth-most in the NHL. Connor's 14 goals through 17 games have him tied for the league lead with the idle Auston Matthews, Scheifele's 6-15-21 line has him one point back of Connor's team-leading total, and Iafallo has fit in nicely on the top line with a 4-9-13 line.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton, NJ at DET ($6,500): The Devils have struggled defensively, but they're getting plenty of offense from their top blueliner, as Hamilton has a 5-9-14 line through 16 games, including seven points in his last six games. He also ranks fourth among NHL defensemen with 53 shots on goal, and his five goals are tied for second among NHL blueliners, trailing only the eight goals of Quinn Hughes ($7,700).
Travis Sanheim, PHI at NYI ($5,800): Sanheim leads the Flyers in both points (16) and power-play points (four). His productivity with the extra man makes Sanheim a strong under-the-radar option against an Islanders team that has the worst penalty kill among teams in action Wednesday at 69.5 percent. Across the entire NHL, only idle Minnesota's 65.5 percent mark is worse. Sanheim has also contributed plenty of fantasy value in his own end lately, with 12 blocked shots over his last five games.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. SJ ($4,600): Dunn's 18 points in 20 games lead the Kraken, and only McCann (70) had more points than Dunn in 2022-23, when the talented defenseman broke out with a 14-50-64 line. At his sub-$5,000 valuation, Dunn's among the top values at any position Wednesday in an ideal home matchup against the Sharks.
Ivan Provorov, CLS vs. CHI ($3,900): Provorov has a nice little three-game point streak going, which has brought his season line up to 1-11-12. He also averages over one shot and over two blocks per game, laying down a high floor relative to his affordable $3,900 valuation, and a home matchup against the 5-11-0 Blackhawks raises the well-rounded defenseman's ceiling.
