This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate includes six games after 7:00 p.m. EST, and it will mark the first action since the All-Star break for a few teams. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Most games are expected to be close, but that's not supposed to be the case in Seattle, where the Kraken are rare heavy favorites against a Coyotes team that's wrapping up a back-to-back set. Despite playing for the second time in as many nights themselves, the Oilers are clearly favored at home against Chicago in what's also projected to be the night's highest-scoring contest, with an over/under of 6.5 goals. On the other end of the spectrum, Predators-Stars and Islanders-Canucks are both toss-ups that come in with an over/under of just 5.5, so those games are risky propositions when it comes to selecting skaters.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. ARI ($8,200): Grubauer was playing his best hockey of the season heading into the All-Star break, going 5-2-0 in his last seven starts while holding four of those opponents to no more than two goals. He'll have an excellent opportunity to pick up where he left off at home against a Coyotes team that lost 5-1 Tuesday in Vancouver and is averaging a league-low 2.15 goals per game.
Jaroslav Halak, VAN vs. NYI ($7,700): His 2-4-2 record may not show it, but Halak has performed admirably behind Thatcher Demko this season, posting a 2.40 GAA and .918 save percentage. The former Islanders netminder should find success against his former team here, as New York's offense ranks third-worst league-wide with just 2.36 goals per game.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. NSH ($7,800): The Stars have shined on home ice this season, and Oettinger has often benefited from that high level of play. Despite his .917 road save percentage being higher than his .911 mark at home, Oettinger is 10-3-0 with a 2.48 GAA at American Airlines Center and just 1-2-0 with a 2.81 mark elsewhere. The young netminder should post a solid performance in what's expected to be a tight-checking affair.
Robin Lehner, VGK at CGY ($7,400): Vegas' defense made a statement in the first game after the All-Star break, helping backup Laurent Brossoit shut out the Oilers on Tuesday. Lehner will look to follow up with a similar performance against a Flames team that averages the 12th-most goals (3.19) on the second-most shots (36.4), leading to robust save totals for opposing goalies.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Claude Giroux, PHI vs. DET ($5,700): Giroux racked up a 4-2-6 line in his last six games before the All-Star break, and he stayed hot over the weekend, taking home All-Star Game MVP honors. That's the only hardware he'll be getting this season unless Giroux is moved before the trade deadline, but he'll have a nice opportunity to further boost his stock for potential suitors with a Red Wings team that's allowing 3.43 goals per game in town.
Alex DeBrincat, CHI at EDM ($5,500): DeBrincat should push for 50 goals this season, as he's potted 26 in 46 games. The high-scoring winger should add to his ledger against an Oilers team that's expected to start third-string netminder Stuart Skinner, who has posted a save percentage of .900 or lower in five of his last seven NHL starts, including a sub-.825 mark in two of the last three. Skinner simply doesn't face shooters of DeBrincat's caliber at the AHL level.
Oliver Wahlstrom, NYI at VAN ($3,700): Wahlstrom has become a power-play specialist for the Islanders, as he leads the team with five power-play goals and shares the team lead in points on the man advantage with Mathew Barzal at eight apiece. The 2018 first-round pick's extra-man prowess should be on full display against Vancouver's league-worst, 70.8 percent penalty kill.
Filip Forsberg, NSH at DAL ($6,200): Forsberg was on fire heading into the All-Star break, producing multi-point efforts and lighting the lamp in each of his last four games. He'll be an against-the-grain choice in what projects to be a defensive battle, but Forsberg's certainly capable of finding success despite the tricky matchup and adding to his 24 goals in 33 games.
Tyler Seguin, DAL vs. NSH ($4,100): Sticking in Predators-Stars, Seguin has quietly looked more like the Seguin of old recently, racking up a 5-5-10 line in his last eight games, including a pair of two-goal, three-point outbursts. The five-time 70-point scorer finally looks to be back to form after major hip surgery, and at age 30, it's not too late for Seguin to get back near peak production. If he keeps up his recent success, Seguin won't be available for just $4,100 much longer.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Kraken vs. Coyotes
Jared McCann (C - $5,900), Jordan Eberle (W - $5,400), Marcus Johansson (W - $4,000)
In addition to their league-worst offense, the Coyotes also have the second-worst defense, allowing 3.70 goals per game. Seattle's top line should capitalize on this favorable matchup. McCann leads the Kraken in both goals (19) and points (30), while Eberle's 12-14-26 line has him second in both categories. The affordable Johansson has fit well in a top-line role recently, supplying five points in his last six games.
Oilers vs. Blackhawks
Connor McDavid (C - $9,500), Evander Kane (W - $5,900), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $3,400)
McDavid's rarely held off the scoresheet twice in a row, so he should bounce back after his entire team was shut out Tuesday. He'll be looking to add to his 23-37-60 line against a Blackhawks team that's giving up 3.37 goals per game — eighth-most in the NHL. Evander won't be the best Kane on the ice with Patrick on the other side, but the power forward's an excellent player in his own right and has a 2-1-3 line along with 14 shots in four games with the Oilers. Yamamoto has a respectable 3-7-10 line in his last 15 games and will continue to have upside as long as he's flanking McDavid.
Red Wings at Flyers
Dylan Larkin (C - $7,500), Lucas Raymond (W - $3,900), Filip Zadina (W - $2,500)
Detroit's top line features its best player of the present skating in between two of the teams's brightest hopes for the future. Larkin leads the Red Wings in both goals and points with a 23-21-44 line in 42 games, including a 3-3-6 line during the three-game point streak he took into the All-Star break. Zadina and Raymond were both top-six draft picks in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The latter has developed more quickly, with an 11-24-35 line through 47 games, though the former has come on lately, posting a 1-2-3 line in his last four games. This talented trio should find success against a Flyers team that's allowing 3.29 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN
Mark Giordano, SEA vs. ARI ($6,100): Giordano's well-rounded production gives him a high floor, while hosting the lowly Coyotes boosts his ceiling substantially. The veteran blueliner may not be long for Seattle, but he's finding ways to produce in the meantime despite his team's shortcomings. In his last 10 games, Giordano has seven assists, 21 shots on goal and 26 blocked shots.
Jakob Chychrun, ARI at SEA ($6,000): Between injuries and poor performance, it's been a massively disappointing season for Chychrun, but he's starting to find his game. Over the past three games, Chychrun has stuffed the stat sheet with two assists, 12 shots and nine blocked shots for an average of 17.2 fantasy points per game.
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. CHI ($3,600): Like Wahlstrom for the Islanders, Barrie finds much of his success on the man advantage, as nine of his 17 points this season have come on the power play. His role on Edmonton's star-studded top extra-man unit gives Barrie excellent upside relative to his modest valuation against a Blackhawks penalty kill that has been the sixth-most generous at 74.6 percent.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. VGK ($3,600): Hanifin has been a reliable source of secondary stats recently, with multiple shots in each of his last three games and nine of the last 11, as well as multiple blocked shots in three of the past four. He accompanies that decent floor with the occasional offensive outburst, having produced a 1-4-5 line in his last seven games thanks to a three-point performance.
