This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
NHL action continues Wednesday with a modest two-game slate at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Flyers will host the Bruins in a battle of tough Eastern Conference foes, while the Blues will pay a visit to Vegas in a clash of recent Western Conference champs. Both games have an over/under of 6.0 goals, and the Golden Knights and Bruins are modest favorites.
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at PHI ($7.900): This will be just the second game of Boston's season. Swayman got the nod in net for the first one and set aside 27 of 28 shots to beat the Stars. It remains to be seen how the Bruins divide starts between Swayman and offseason acquisition Linus Ullmark, but Swayman's off to a hot start after going 7-3-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .945 save percentage. He should cool down a Flyers offense that's also off to a hot start (10 goals in two games).
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. STL ($8,300): Lehner has nowhere to go but up given his 4.41 GAA and .887 save percentage through two games. Last year's 2.29 GAA and .913 save percentage better represent his expected results, and the Golden Knights are likely to employ a tight-checking, defense-first approach since they're banged up up front.
Jordan Binnington, STL at VGK ($7,100): Binnington has been bailed out by his teammates, going 2-0-0 despite a 3.50 GAA and .879 save percentage. He's capable of much better play and has a nice opportunity to pad his save total against a volume shooting Vegas team that will likely be without last season's top two scorers — Max Pacioretty (lower body) and Mark Stone (lower body). Between Binnington's early struggles and Vegas' injury issues, he's a high-risk, high-reward option in net.
Martin Jones, PHI vs. BOS ($7,400): Jones is set to make his Flyers debut after Carter Hart led the team to three points through two games. The veteran netminder posted identical ugly .896 save percentage marks in each of his final three seasons with San Jose, but Jones still has solid career numbers (2.60 GAA, .908 save percentage) and will look to begin a bounce-back campaign after getting a change of scenery away from the Sharks' sinking ship.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. BOS ($6,100): Konecny's off to be an excellent start, having posted a goal and four shots in each of the Flyers' first two games, as well as an assist in the second contest. With a 2-1-3 line, Konecny's looking more like the player who led the Flyers in both goals (24) and points (61) over 66 games in 2019-20 than the one who dropped off to an 11-23-34 line in 50 games last year. Still just 24 years old, Konecny will likely end up looking at last season's struggles as a temporary speed bump.
Ryan O'Reilly, STL at VGK ($6,600): O'Reilly's 24-30-54 line last season was good for the team goals lead while falling four points shy of linemate David Perron's team-leading total. The top-line pivot and 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has come up just short of a point-per-game pace in each of the past three seasons, and he has opened this campaign with a two-game point streak.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at PHI ($3,200): Like Konecny in Philadelphia, DeBrusk is a young winger in search of a rebound following a down year. The 25-year-old winger scored between 16 and 27 goals in each of his first three seasons but dropped off to just five in 41 appearances last year. DeBrusk is already 20 percent of the way to last year's total after lighting the lamp in the season opener, and he'll continue to work in a middle-six role with power-play time.
Evgenii Dadonov, VGK vs. STL ($2,700): Dadonov should be among the primary beneficiaries of Vegas' injuries up front, as he has the offensive capabilities to seamlessly slide into a larger role. After failing to break 15 minutes of ice time in a quiet Golden Knights debut, the three-time 25-goal scorer totaled an assist and three shots over 17:32 of ice time last game. Dadonov's usage while Pacioretty and Stone are shelved should continue to resemble the latter game more than the former.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins at Flyers
Patrice Bergeron (C - $6,200), David Pastrnak (W - $7,300), Brad Marchand (W - $7,100)
This trio has played together for years, so it's no surprise they hit the ground running with two goals from Marchand and a helper from Pastrnak in the season opener. Marchand's on pace to eclipse a point per game for the sixth consecutive campaign, while Pasta has a 106-119-225 line in 185 games since the start of the 2018-19 season. Bergeron's two-way prowess is the glue that holds this line together, but he's at greater risk of dropping off offensively than his linemates at age 36. While the Flyers have been better defensively in the early going, they allowed the most goals in the league last season (3.52 per game).
Blues at Golden Knights
Brayden Schenn (C - $5,300), Jordan Kyrou (W - $4,600), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $4,700)
St. Louis' second line is off to a hot start and should provide strong value in Vegas, especially if Lehner's poor play continues in the Golden Knights' net. Kyrou's coming off a four-point performance in Arizona, and the 23-year-old winger could be starting a breakout campaign given his 2-4-6 line through two contests. Tarasenko has an assist and eight shots through two games in a third-line role, and now he'll get an opportunity to slide into the top six with fellow Russian winger Pavel Buchnevich serving a suspension. Schenn lit the lamp Opening Night and had a streak of five consecutive seasons with 54-plus points going before last year's shortened campaign.
Golden Knights vs. Blues
William Karlsson (C - $5,700), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $4,500), Reilly Smith (W - $3,600)
It will be up to the "misfits line" to carry Vegas' offense while Pacioretty and Stone heal up, much like this trio did at the team's inception. Marchessault averaged 24.4 goals over the previous five seasons and already has one through two games this year. Perhaps being thrust back into a leading role will help Karlsson rediscover the form that helped him post a 43-35-78 line in the Golden Knights' inaugural 2017-18 season, while Smith's a four-time 20-goal scorer and leads all healthy Vegas skaters with six shots this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. STL ($6,500): It's time for Pietrangelo to put the Golden Knights on his back. He's had a forgettable start offensively, but one need look no further than last year's stat-stuffing playoff performance (4-8-12 in 19 games and 4.0 shots per game) to see how dominant of a two-way force Pietrangelo can be. He'll also have a little extra motivation facing his former team, against whom Petro totaled four points in five meetings last season.
Ryan Ellis, PHI vs. BOS ($6,100): Ellis' Flyers tenure is off to a strong start — he has a goal and two assists through two games while averaging 25:35 of ice time per contest. Finally out of Roman Josi's shadow, Ellis should continue to play a workhorse role with his new team while producing upper-echelon offensive numbers from the blue line.
Justin Faulk, STL at VGK ($5,400): Faulk's off to a red-hot start, and you may as well ride him while he's rolling. In addition to contributing a goal and an assist in each of the Blues' first two games, Faulk has already totaled eight shots on the young season. It's still very early, but a reversion to his career-best form from 2014-15 — when Faulk posted a 15-34-49 line with Carolina — could be on the table.
Mike Reilly, BOS at PHI ($3,600): Reilly's coming off a quietly effective season in which he dished out 19 assists in 40 games for Ottawa prior to being moved to Boston at the trade deadline, then kept rolling with eight helpers in 15 appearances with the Bruins. He failed to mark the scoresheet in the season opener but topped 20 minutes of ice time and put four pucks on net. At just $3,600, Reilly has more offensive ability than initially meets the eye.
