DraftKings NHL: Wednesday Breakdown

DraftKings NHL: Wednesday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

Wednesday's NHL slate features four games after 7:00 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.

SLATE PREVIEW

There are two star-laden offenses to build around Wednesday, as the Maple Leafs are heavy home favorites against the Sharks while the Oilers are substantial favorites in Chicago. Rangers-Senators and Sabres-Red Wings matchups round out what should be a high-scoring slate.

GOALIES

Matt Murray, TOR vs. SJ ($8,500): Murray has played well when available for the Maple Leafs, going 5-1-1 with a 2.44 GAA and .927 save percentage. With the Maple Leafs heavily favored, Murray's poised to get back in the win column against a Sharks team that's won only eight of 25 games.

Jack Campbell, EDM at CHI ($8,300): Either Oilers goalie would have sone appeal against a Chicago team that's scoring 2.48 goals per game, which is second-fewest in the NHL. Campbell still resides atop the depth chart, though Stuart Skinner ($8,300) has actually been the better goalie so far this season. Skinner's 5-5-0 with a 2.80 GAA and .919 save percentage, while Campbell's 7-5-0 with 4.04 and .875 marks.

Igor Shesterkin, NYR at OTT ($7,800): There's little doubt that Shesterkin's the most talented goalie taking the ice Wednesday, though he's trying to work his way out of a rough patch after the Rangers blew 3-0 and 2-0 leads in consecutive regulation losses, during which Shesterkin allowed four goals apiece. Despite the recent stumble, he still has solid, though far from Vezina-worthy, numbers this season: 10-4-3 with a 2.58 GAA and .913 save percentage. Facing the 8-12-1 Senators many help him get back on track. 

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Mika Zibanejad, NYR at OTT ($7,200): To this day, Rangers fans are celebrating the trade that sent Zibanejad from Ottawa to New York along with a second-round pick in exchange for Derick Brassard in the 2016 offseason. The Senators gave up on the former sixth overall pick too early, and Zibanejad has blossomed into one of the league's best forwards on Broadway. Facing his former team, Zibanejad will be looking to add to a robust stat line that includes 11 goals, 24 points and 97 shots through 23 games.

Claude Giroux, OTT vs. NYR ($6,300): Giroux is the most affordable member of Ottawa's top line, so he's in position to provide good value against the slumping Rangers. After a pedestrian October, Giroux has a 7-7-14 line in 13 November games.

Logan Couture, SJ at TOR ($5,600): Couture's in the midst of an extended goal binge, as he's lit the lamp in nine of his last 11 games. The veteran center has also chipped in five assists over that span.

Lucas Raymond, DET vs. BUF ($3,900): Raymond's a nice value given his top-line role and recent production. The fourth player selected in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has a 6-6-12 line in his last 14 games, as he's starting to establish himself as a consistent scoring threat in the NHL.

Taylor Raddysh, CHI vs. EDM ($2,900): If you're looking to catch lightning in a bottle with an affordable winger, why not turn to this former Lightning winger at his sub-$3,000 valuation against an Oilers team that's surrendering 3.55 goals per game? Raddysh is riding a two-game goal streak, and he's made the most of his usage on the man advantage, as three of his six goals through 21 games have come on the power play. 

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Oilers at Blackhawks 

Connor McDavid (C - $9,400), Leon Draisaitl (W - $8,200), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $3,600)

McDavid and Draisaitl account for a significant chunk of their production on the power play, but the league's most dangerous stack gains even more upside when they share the ice at even strength. The former leads the league in points with a 17-22-39 line, while the latter slots in fourth at 13-20-33. Puljujarvi should get plenty of opportunities with defenses shading towards his linemates, so you may as well throw the affordable winger in there and hope he converts. He has only one goal this season but potted at least 14 in each of the previous two.

Maple Leafs vs. Sharks

Auston Matthews (C - $8,700), William Nylander (W - $5,500), Michael Bunting (W - $3,700)

Matthews is finally heating up and is capable of carrying your lineup on his best days, as the star center has a 2-3-5 line in his last two games and topped 30 fantasy points in each. Nylander has a 13-12-25 line in 24 games overall, including seven goals in his last eight. Bunting has a three-game point streak rolling and is averaging a point per game over his last eight. This trio should keep rolling against a Sharks team that will likely deploy third-stringer Aaron Dell in net with James Reimer (lower body) on injured reserve and Kaapo Kahkonen having played Tuesday.

Sabres at Red Wings

Tage Thompson (C - $8,400), Alex Tuch (W - $5,900), Jeff Skinner (W - $5,100)

Buffalo's top line is a force to be reckoned with, and these guys will have the benefit of facing Red Wings backup Alex Nedeljkovic (2-3-1 with a 4.04 GAA and .880 save percentage) rather than starter Ville Husso (9-3-3 with a 2.58 GAA and .912 save percentage). Thompson's 14-14-28 line through 22 games has him tied for fourth in the league in goals, and his 101 shots are good for fifth in the NHL. Tuch and Skinner are both excellent values, as they have supplied identical 10-12-22 lines, putting both on pace to top 80 points with just under 40 goals.

DEFENSEMEN

Adam Fox, NYR at OTT ($5,900): Fox has a 4-12-16 line in his last 12 games, and his 25 points in 23 games overall rank second among all defensemen, trailing only Erik Karlsson ($8,500). Fox is significantly more affordable and has a favorable matchup against the Senators, who are allowing 3.38 goals per game.

Filip Hronek, DET vs. BUF ($4,700): Even after being held off the scoresheet in his last game, Hronek's as hot offensively as any defenseman across the league. In the preceding six games, he potted six goals and dished out four helpers. Hronek should keep rolling against the Sabres, who are surrendering 3.59 goals per game.

Evan Bouchard, EDM at CHI ($3,600): After going 20 games without a goal to open the season, Bouchard has opened the floodgates with three goals on 11 shots over the past two games. The 23-year-old defenseman has averaged over half a point per game (52 in 103) since the start of last season, so he offers substantial upside at his $3,600 valuation, especially while he's hot.

Rasmus Sandin, TOR vs. SJ ($2,600): With all the injuries on the blue line for Toronto, Sandin's skating on the top power-play unit. He capitalized on that role for his most productive performance of the season Monday, notching a goal and an assist. At just $100 above the minimum, Sandin's a low-risk, high-reward option, even against the league-best Sharks penalty kill (91.2 percent).

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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