This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 6:30 p.m. EDT and features three games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
This slate is made up of three Game 6 showdowns. The Islanders and Lightning will have opportunities on home ice to close out the Penguins and Panthers, respectively, while the Golden Knights are looking to finish off the Wild on the road. Tampa Bay is Wednesday's biggest favorite in a game that also has the night's highest over/under, at 6.0 goals.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. PIT ($7,900): Sorokin's undefeated in this series, as Semyon Varlamov was in net for both of the Penguins' wins. He's 3-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .951 save percentage so far this postseason, and Sorokin was 9-1-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .916 save percentage on home ice in the regular season.
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at MIN ($8,200): Game 5 was easily Fleury's worst of the series, and while he's no stranger to falling apart in the postseason, the veteran has earned the benefit of the doubt after allowing only four goals over the first four games against the Wild. With Vegas carrying play in front of him, Fleury likely won't give you a gaudy save total, but he's shut Minnesota out through 60 minutes twice and is capable of doing so again.
Cam Talbot, MIN vs. VGK ($7,600): Talbot has been brilliant in his wins and lackluster in his losses so far in this series, setting aside 80 of 82 shots in Minnesota's pair of victories while allowing three-plus goals with a sub-.900 save percentage in all three defeats. Given Vegas' propensity to throw everything at the net, Talbot has the ability to carry both the Wild and your lineup to victory, just as he did in Games 1 and 5 in this series. After a dominant regular season at home, Minnesota will do all it can to avoid suffering a third consecutive home defeat in the postseason.
Spencer Knight, FLA vs. TB ($7,500): Thrust into his postseason debut with the season on the line, Knight answered the bell in Game 5 by setting aside 36 of 37 shots to narrow Florida's series deficit to 3-2. The 2019 first-round pick will face an even tougher task on the road in Game 6, but perhaps the Panthers finally found a goalie capable of slowing down the high-powered Lightning offense after Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger both failed to do so.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nikita Kucherov, TB vs. FLA ($8,200): Knight held Kucherov off the scoresheet in Game 5, but the Russian superstar still has an excellent 3-6-9 line and 15 shots through this series' first five games. If Tampa Bay bounces back in its second look against the rookie goalie, expect Kucherov to lead the way.
Jeff Carter, PIT at NYI ($5,600): Carter has been the top source of offense for the Penguins in this series, leading the team with three goals while holding sole possession of second place in points with four, one behind Kris Letang. Pittsburgh's facing elimination but can take some solace in the fact that its skaters have outplayed the Islanders' in four of the first five games. Unfortunately for Carter and the Penguins, poor goaltending performances from Tristan Jarry were the direct cause of the team's losses in Games 1 and 5.
Joel Eriksson Ek, MIN vs. VGK ($4,800): Eriksson Ek is the only member of the Wild with multiple goals in this series, and he actually had a third called off due to an offside. He's also racked up 17 shots in this series, just one off Kevin Fiala's team-leading total. On the heels of a breakout regular season in which he set new career highs in goals (19) and points (30), the 24-year-old Swede has carried that success over into the postseason.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Lightning
Sam Bennett (C - $5,500), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $6,600), Owen Tippett (W - $3,100)
With a nice mix of productivity and affordability, this line will likely need to play a critical role for the Panthers to extend their season once again. Huberdeau leads all scorers this postseason with 10 points in five games. Bennett was suspended for Game 2 but has marked the scoresheet in each of the other four games, posting a 1-4-5 line and 16 shots in those four contests. The affordable Tippett has chipped in a pair of multi-point efforts in this series, showcasing the offensive skills that prompted the Panthers to select him 10th overall in 2017.
Golden Knights at Wild
Chandler Stephenson (C - $4,500), Mark Stone (W - $6,700), Alex Tuch (W - $5,000)
This has been the best line in the series since it was put together to start Game 2. Over the last four games, Stone has put together a 4-1-5 line, Tuch has added a 3-1-4 line and Stephenson's chipped in three assists. Stone enters this contest riding a four-game point streak and three-game goal streak, and Vegas' leading regular-season point scorer (61 in 55 games) would only see his stock soar higher if Max Pacioretty (undisclosed) finally makes his return. Conversely, Tuch would see a decline in value if he's bumped off the top line by Pacioretty.
Islanders vs. Penguins
Brock Nelson (C - $4,400), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $4,900), Josh Bailey (W - $3,300)
This has been New York's best line for the second postseason running after producing the team's top two goal-scorers and top two point-scorers in the 2020 playoffs. Bailey (3-1-4) and Beauvillier (2-2-4) are tied for second on the team in points through five games, trailing only Jean-Gabriel Pageau's five. Both wingers were instrumental in the Islanders' double-overtime Game 5 win, as Beauvillier scored New York's first goal and Bailey potted the game-winner, capitalizing on Jarry's goaltending gaffe. Nelson's added a 1-2-3 line after leading the team with 18 goals in the regular season.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB vs. FLA ($6,200): Hedman's had an up-and-down series, but he has carried lineups on his best days, with three-assist performances in Games 1 and 3. Coming off a 45-point regular season in 54 games, Hedman should be worth paying up for given his ability to contribute both on the scoresheet and in secondary stats.
Kris Letang, PIT at NYI ($5,800): The Islanders' physical defense corps has stifled Pittsburgh's top forwards, but Letang has managed to leave his mark on this series from the back end. His two-assist Game 5 performance gave Letang a 1-4-5 line through this series' first five games, and he's added 11 shots and seven blocks.
Jonas Brodin, MIN vs. VGK ($4,100): Brodin's tied with Matt Dumba for the team lead in points this series with three, and the well-rounded Swede has also blocked multiple shots in all five games against Vegas. His strong two-way play gives Brodin a high floor, which is why he's scored at least 5.6 fantasy points in every game this series and at least 7.6 in each of the past four.
Zach Whitecloud, VGK at MIN ($2,800): Whitecloud's a solid option if you're looking to save cap space for some of this slate's studs. He's scored at least 7.8 fantasy points three times in this series thanks to a three-block game, a four-block performance and an assist, and Whitecloud has been entrusted with over 16 minutes of playing time in every game.
