This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's featured NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and includes four games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Canadiens-Maple Leafs is the only fresh matchup here, and it's expected to be the highest-scoring, with an over/under of 6.0 goals. Avalanche-Wild, Golden Knights-Blues and Coyotes-Kings are all rematches from Monday's action, when all three road teams pulled out regulation victories. Colorado is the biggest favorite in this slate, with Toronto and Vegas also favored while Arizona-Los Angeles is more of a toss-up.
GOALIES
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. MON ($8,100): Campbell's a perfect 9-0-0 this season to go with a stellar 1.53 GAA, .944 save percentage and two shutouts. He'll look to continue his outstanding play at home against a Canadiens team that just lost top-six forward Brendan Gallagher to a broken thumb.
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at STL ($7,900): It's Fleury's turn in Vegas' alternating goalie rotation, and he has a nice opportunity to get back on track after dropping four of his previous five decisions. The veteran netminder still has stellar overall numbers, with a 17-9-0 record, 2.14 GAA and .924 save percentage. He draws a Blues team that's 0-6-1 in its last seven games, having mustered just one goal on 32 shots against Robin Lehner on Monday and eight goals over the entirety of this losing streak.
Adin Hill, ARI at LA ($7,700): Hill has filled in brilliantly with Arizona's top two goalies out due to injury, winning six of his last seven starts while holding five of those opponents to two goals or fewer. There's little reason to think that success will come to an end against a Kings team that's been outscored 23-12 en route to a 1-6-0 record over the past seven games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at MIN ($8,600): Even the previously hot Wild were unable to slow MacKinnon down Monday, as he produced a goal and an assist in the 5-4 win. That was his fourth multi-point outing in the last five games, and MacKinnon now boasts a 9-14-23 line over his past 14 games, having been held off the scoresheet only once in that stretch. He's as good a choice as any to build your lineup around, regardless of opponent.
Kevin Fiala, MIN vs. COL ($5,200): Fiala was one of the league's hottest players to end last season, and he's in the midst of another second-half surge. The winger had a goal on six shots in Monday's loss to the Avalanche, stretching his point streak to six games (2-5-7).
Tyler Toffoli, MON at TOR ($6,700): Toffoli hasn't skipped a beat since returning from a three-game absence caused by a lower-body injury. He has marked the scoresheet in both games since returning, with a goal, an assist and six shots. Overall, he leads the Canadiens in both goals (19) and points (29) through 32 games with the team.
Ryan O'Reilly, STL vs. VGK ($5,800): O'Reilly continues to approach a point-per-game pace, with a 4-3-7 line over his last eight games and 13-21-34 line in 38 games overall. If the Blues are going to break out of their funk against the slumping Fleury, look for the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner to lead the way. O'Reilly shares the team goals lead with David Perron ($6,600) and is three points back of Perron's team-leading total, so he's an appealing value at $800 less.
Andreas Athanasiou, LA vs. ARI ($3,400): Athanasiou is the only player who has been able to avoid Los Angeles' team-wide slump. He's the only King to produce a multi-point performance in the past five games and has a 2-1-3 line in the last four. Overall, the former 30-goal scorer has an 8-7-15 line in 29 appearances this season, making him a solid value play while he's hot.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens
John Tavares (C - $5,700), William Nylander (W - $5,100), Alex Galchenyuk (W - $3,100)
This second line is often as good as any across the league, and it has been playing like it lately heading into a matchup with a Canadiens team that will be without starting goalie Carey Price (undisclosed). Both Tavares and Nylander are coming off back-to-back multi-point games, and they boast 12-20-32 and 13-17-30 lines, respectively, through 39 games. They've also been particularly effective in four games against Montreal, with Tavares producing a 1-5-6 line and Nylander adding a 2-1-3 line. Galchenyuk's a nice value option alongside these two productive linemates, and he has a solid 1-3-4 line in his last eight games.
Coyotes at Kings
Nick Schmaltz (C - $4,000), Conor Garland (W - $5,800), Michael Bunting (W - $3,200)
Arizona's top line offers a nice mix of established talent and potential for this matchup with a struggling Kings team that's gone 1-6-0 in its last seven games. Garland leads the Coyotes in points with a 10-20-30 line in 38 games, while Schmaltz has added a 9-15-24 line in 39. Bunting forced a promotion to the NHL with a 7-12-19 line in 16 AHL games, and he has taken the league by storm since being called up. Monday's hat trick in Los Angeles gave Bunting a 4-1-5 line through five appearances, as he's certainly earned his top-line deployment.
Golden Knights at Blues
Tomas Nosek (C - $2,900), Alex Tuch (W - $4,200), Keegan Kolesar (W - $2,500)
Locking in part or all of Vegas' affordable third line can help clear salary for some of this slate's top skaters, and these guys have been rolling recently. Nosek has come on strong after a slow start, mustering a 4-6-10 line in his last 11 games. Kolesar produced a multi-point effort Monday as Vegas handed the Blues a seventh consecutive loss by a convincing 6-1 margin, giving the rookie winger four points in his last five games. Tuch's mired in a shooting drought but has dished out four helpers in his last six games to bring his season line to 13-11-24 through 36 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Alec Martinez, VGK at STL ($5,500): Martinez is always a reliable two-way contributor, and he's on a nice run offensively. The veteran blueliner's two-goal outing Monday in St. Louis gave Martinez a 4-2-6 line over his last seven games and a 7-15-22 line in 37 contests overall.
Devon Toews, COL at MIN ($5,000): Toews isn't as flashy as Cale Makar ($5,700), but he's been incredibly solid on Colorado's blue line and actually averages 10.5 fantasy points to Makar's 10.4. The offseason addition from the Islanders has chipped in at least 6.3 fantasy points in each of the past eight games and at least 11.0 in five of those, totaling a 1-4-5 line, 21 shots and 11 blocks over that stretch.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI at LA ($4,000): Ekman-Larsson is a solid consolation prize if you don't have cap space for this slate's top blueliners. He has a 2-5-7 line in his last nine games and 18 points in 29 games overall. OEL has a nice opportunity to add to his recent success against a Kings team that's giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to defensemen.
Kale Clague, LA vs. ARI ($2,500): If you're scraping the bottom of the barrel on the blue line to maximize your spending up front, Clague's a solid option at the minimum $2,500. He dished a helper Monday against the Coyotes, giving him four in 13 games. Clague also has a pair of four-shot performances and two other games with three shots, so he has displayed decent offensive ability, especially relative to his paltry valuation.
