This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's modest NHL slate features four games after 8:30 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
All four games have an over/under of 6.5 goals, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find offense despite the limited selection. The Avalanche are overwhelmingly favored in Seattle, while the other three games are all projected to be more competitive. The Blackhawks are modest road favorites in a battle of bottom-feeders in Arizona, while Stars-Oilers and Capitals-Golden Knights are both games with potential playoff implications in which the home side is favored.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, COL at SEA ($8,300): Whether it's Kuemper or Pavel Francouz ($8,300), Colorado's netminder will be the chalk play against the Kraken. The Avs are in a neck-and-neck race with the Panthers for the Presidents' Trophy, while the Kraken have had the kind of season you would expect from an expansion team before the Golden Knights subverted those expectations. Seattle has been outscored 3.45 to 2.59 on average.
Mike Smith, EDM vs. DAL ($8,100): Smith's one of the league's hottest goalies. He's on a six-game winning streak, and after allowing five goals in the first game of the streak, Smith has allowed only four goals in the last five games, including shutouts in each of his last two starts. Meanwhile, Dallas has struggled to score lately, mustering two goals or fewer in each of its last four games.
Karel Vejmelka, ARI vs. CHI ($7,200): Arizona has struggled defensively down the stretch, and all season really, but the Coyotes' goalie of choice should have some appeal as a bargain option at home against the Blackhawks. Chicago has won just one of its last 11 games and is averaging 2.62 goals per game – sixth-fewest in the league. At just $7,200, Vejmelka's worth a look in this favorable matchup if you want to maximize your spending on skaters.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. DAL ($9,100): McDavid has been held to just two assists over the past four games, falling one point behind Jonathan Huberdeau for the league lead. It's only a matter of time until the 110-point scorer posts a breakout performance, and you'll want to have McDavid in your lineup when he does so, especially if it's on a less busy night like this one.
Roope Hintz, DAL at EDM ($5,200): Hintz is a steal at just $5,200, despite Smith's recent success in Edmonton's net. Dallas' top-line center has a 4-4-8 line in his last five games. Hintz started the season with just one assist through 10 games, but he has eclipsed a point per game since, with a 34-31-65 line in his subsequent 64 appearances.
Matty Beniers, SEA vs. COL ($4,000): Beniers has opened his career on a three-game point streak, notching two goals and an assist while immediately being thrust into a top-line role for Seattle. Despite the difficult matchup, the second-overall selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is a low-risk, high-reward play at $4,000.
Nick Ritchie, ARI vs. CHI ($2,500): Ritchie has goals in back-to-back games and has been surprisingly productive since coming over in a trade from Toronto, lighting the lamp 10 times in 24 games with Arizona. He's a nice option to pull out of the bargain bin at the minimum $2,500 valuation against a Chicago team that's allowing 3.57 goals per game.
Garnet Hathaway, WAS at VGK ($2,500): Like Ritchie, Hathaway's an affordable physical winger on a goal streak, with a goal in each of his last two games and a 3-1-4 line over the past four. Hathaway's offense has come in bunches all season, so consider riding him while he's hot.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Kraken
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,300), Mikko Rantanen (W - $7,800), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $5,200)
Colorado's top line should be worth playing up for and building around in this favorable matchup. MacKinnon has nine goals in his last seven games and a 31-53-84 line in just 60 games. Rantanen has a 36-55-91 line in 73 games, while Nichushkin has a 3-4-7 line over a five-game point streak.
Blackhawks at Coyotes
Dylan Strome (C - $3,900), Patrick Kane (W - $7,600), Alex DeBrincat (W - $6,700)
This line stands head and shoulders above any other line the Blackhawks or Coyotes can put on the ice in terms of offensive capabilities. Kane has a 25-63-88 line while DeBrincat's at 39-34-73, ranking them top-15 league-wide in points and goals, respectively. Strome has a 21-25-46 line in 63 games, and his deployment alongside Kane and DeBrincat makes the affordable center an intriguing option against a Coyotes team that's allowing 3.79 goals per game, especially since Strome will be motivated to perform against the team that drafted him third overall in 2015 but proceeded to trade him in late 2018.
Golden Knights vs. Capitals
Jack Eichel (C - $7,300), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,100), Mark Stone (W - $4,500)
This game means much more to Vegas than Washington, as the Golden Knights are battling to make the postseason out West while the Capitals have already clinched a playoff in the East. Marchessault is the only member of this line that was on the inaugural Golden Knights team that lost to the Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final, and he's been leading the charge as the team tries to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time, with a 4-12-16 line in his last 11 games. Eichel has a 7-3-10 line over that same span, while Stone has failed to mark the scoresheet since returning from a back injury, but this could be a buy-low opportunity on the skilled winger, who has 28 points in 32 games this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at SEA ($8,000): With Devon Toews (undisclosed) staying behind in Colorado, you will have to choose between Makar and some far less productive alternatives on the Avalanche's blue line, as the option of the modest step down with Toews is off the board. Given the favorable matchup, Makar – who has a 26-57-83 line in 72 games – should be worth paying up for.
John Carlson, WAs at VGK ($6,300): While he's no Makar, Carlson's still one of the most productive defensemen in the league, ranking fourth in goals (15) and fifth in points (68) at the position. Carlson's making a late-season push to climb even higher on those leaderboards, as he's currently on a seven-game point streak consisting of four goals and nine assists.
Shayne Gostisbehere, ARI vs. CHI ($4,400): Gostisbehere has been fairly productive with an 11-33-44 line, but he's often overlooked because Arizona's so overmatched. With a team closer to the Coyotes' low level in town, Gostisbehere should get more opportunities to strut his stuff offensively in a top-pairing and No. 1 power-play unit role.
Cody Ceci, EDM vs. DAL ($3,200): Ceci's a solid value option at $3,200. He has a goal and an assist in the last two games and 2-4-6 line over the past nine, taking advantage of his deployment on the top pairing.
