This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL featured slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and includes four games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The high-scoring Canadian division should provide plenty of offense, as Senators-Maple Leafs and Jets-Oilers are tied for the night's highest over/under at 6.5 goals, and Toronto's also this slate's biggest favorite. Another Canadian showdown between the Canucks and Flames (O/U: 6.0) and a classic Midwestern rivalry game (Chicago-Detroit, O/U: 5.5) round out this slate.
GOALIES
Kevin Lankinen, CHI at DET ($7,900): Lankinen's 6-2-3 with a 2.49 GAA and .925 save percentage heading into this favorable matchup against a Red Wings team that's scoring only 2.06 goals per game. Chicago has beaten Detroit in all three previous meetings between these teams this season, with Lankinen presiding over two of those victories and stopping 55 of 58 shots for a .948 save percentage.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. VAN ($8,100): Markstrom's showing just how integral he was to the Canucks' success last season, as Vancouver's among the league's worst defensive teams without him, while the Swede has a stellar 2.38 GAA and .924 save percentage behind the stout Calgary defense. Look for Markstrom to continue his success in his fourth consecutive matchup against his former team after winning two of the previous three and stopping 106 of 112 shots (.946 save percentage) along the way.
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. OTT ($8,300): Andersen was roughed up for six goals in Monday's overtime loss to Ottawa, but he was 7-1-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .918 save percentage over his previous nine outings. If the heavily favored Maple Leafs give their workhorse netminder a chance to bounce back against the 4-12-1 Senators, expect him to do so.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. VAN ($6,000): Gaudreau has a point in each of the past three games against a shoddy Vancouver defense that's allowing 3.74 goals per game, and he set a season high in shots on goal with seven in the last meeting between these teams Monday. In fact, Johnny Hockey has only been held off the scoresheet twice all season en route to a 9-7-16 line through 15 games.
Brock Boeser, VAN at CGY ($5,900): Boeser has easily been Vancouver's best forward all season. He leads the team with 11 goals in 19 games and trails defenseman Quinn Hughes by one point for the team lead with 18. Boeser has also had ex-teammate Markstrom's numbed, producing a 2-1-3 line on 13 shots over these past three games against Calgary.
Evgenii Dadonov, OTT at TOR ($3,300): After scoring only one goal in his first 12 games with the Senators, Dadonov has potted five in the past five games, including a pair Monday in Toronto. Coming off three consecutive 25-goal seasons, the skilled Russian winger is worth locking in while he's hot, especially at just $3,300.
Dominik Kubalik, CHI at DET ($4,900): Kubalik's not lighting the lamp as frequently because his 9.4 shooting percentage is currently less than half of the 19.1 percent from his 30-goal rookie campaign, but the Czech winger has actually been a much better all-around player in his second season. He sports a 5-9-14 line through 17 contests and is averaging 3.1 shots per game after putting only 2.3 pucks on net per game last season. His efforts were finally rewarded with a two-goal outburst Monday in Detroit, and Kubalik should build on that performance in this rematch with the lowly Red Wings.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Senators
Auston Matthews (C - $8,900), Mitch Marner (W - $7,800), Joe Thornton (W - $3,800)
Toronto's top line posted three goals, three assists and 10 shots in Monday's 6-5 overtime loss to Ottawa, and this trio should continue to thrive in the rematch with the Senators' league-worst defense (4.06 goals allowed per game). Matthews lit the lamp twice Monday to give him a league-high 13 goals, and he has also chipped in seven assists for 20 points in 15 games. Despite his terrific start, Matthews isn't even the leading point-scorer on this line; that distinction belongs to Marner and his 7-16-23 line. Meanwhile, Thornton made an immediate impact Monday in his first action since Jan. 20, returning from a rib injury in style with a goal and an assist.
Flames vs. Canucks
Elias Lindholm (C - $6,000), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $6,400), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $4,100)
The Flames' offensive production has been balanced between its top two lines, so locking in this trio alongside Gaudreau can help maximize your exposure to Calgary's top skaters against the bottom-three Vancouver defense. Lindholm and Tkachuk skate alongside Gaudreau on the top power-play unit, and Lindholm is also tied with Johnny Hockey for the team points lead with 16. Tkachuk leads the team with 48 shots and has a solid 5-5-10 line, which should improve considering he led the team in points with a 23-38-61 line in 69 games last season. Mangiapane has been moved up and down the lineup, but he carries extra upside at the moment due to his top-line deployment and has a 4-3-7 line through 15 games after scoring 17 goals last season.
Jets at Oilers
Paul Stastny (C - $4,400), Kyle Connor (W - $5,800), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,700)
Each of Winnipeg's top two lines are excellent sources of offense, but this one features the team's top two goal scorers. Ehlers leads the team with 10 goals and has added seven helpers through 15 games, ranking second on the team in points behind Mark Scheifele. On Ehlers' heels in both goals and assists is Connor, who has an 8-7-15 line. These two stud wingers flank the affordable Stastny, who opened the season on a four-game point drought but has bounced back with a 3-6-9 line over his last 11 appearances. An Oilers team that's surrendering 3.41 goals per game will have a hard time slowing this talented trio down.
DEFENSEMEN
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. OTT ($5,600): Rielly has a 2-10-12 line through 16 games, and the high-scoring defenseman's likely to get right back onto the scoresheet against Ottawa's league-worst defense. He should be worth paying up for, either as a standalone option or as part of a larger Maple Leafs stack.
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. WPG ($3,900): Bouchard played the best game of his young NHL career Monday against the Jets, finishing with two assists and eight shots. The 10th overall selection from the 2018 draft has a 1-3-4 line through six games and is quickly establishing himself as an offensive force to be reckoned with on the Edmonton blue line, so grab Bouchard now before his valuation skyrockets further.
Nicolas Beaudin, CHI at DET ($3,400): Beaudin's another 2018 first-rounder who's starting to impress at the NHL level. The 21-year-old has a 2-2-4 line over an active three-game point streak, so lock him in while he's hot against a Detroit team that's allowing 3.18 goals per game and has won only four of 17 games this season.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. VAN ($4,700): Anderson's really coming into his own as an excellent two-way defenseman at age 24, with a 2-7-9 line through 15 games. That production includes a trio of helpers in the last two games against the defensively challenged Canucks, and the Swede's success against Vancouver should continue here.
