This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's modest NHL slate consists of three 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
All three games have a clear favorite, with the largest favorite being Minnesota at home against a Detroit team that's finishing up a back-to-back set. The Senators (vs. Montreal) and Flames (vs. Vancouver) are also favored on home ice. Canucks-Flames has Wednesday's highest over/under at 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN vs. DET ($8,300): Fleury has been hit-or-miss this season, but he's coming off his best game in a while. He held Edmonton to one goal on 21 shots in Monday's 2-1 win, marking the first time in just over a month that Fleury limited an opponent to fewer than two goals. A visit from the Red Wings presents a nice opportunity to build on Monday's outing, as Detroit has been outscored 9-3 en route to a 0-2-1 record in its last three games.
Cam Talbot, OTT vs. MON ($8,200): Talbot has started Ottawa's last two games, and he should be back in the crease Wednesday if the Senators believe in riding the hot hand. Over his last two starts, Talbot turned aside 59 of 61 shots to notch two wins and one shutout. A Canadiens team that's averaging the seventh-fewest goals per game (2.86) is unlikely to slow Talbot down.
Spencer Martin, VAN at CGY ($7,400): Martin should face plenty of rubber, giving him a high ceiling if he's on his game. The Flames average the fifth-most shots (33.9), while the Canucks allow the 11th-most (32.7). While Martin's 3.45 GAA and .891 save percentage are nothing to write home about, he has been adept at doing just enough to win, as evidenced by his 8-3-1 record.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex DeBrincat, OTT vs. MON ($6,400): DeBrincat has been held without a point only once in his last 10 games, mustering a 4-6-10 line over that span. Even after scoring three goals in his last two games, DeBrincat's still due for further positive regression. The two-time 40-goal scorer's 9.2 shooting percentage is well below his career mark of 14.9.
Andrei Kuzmenko, VAN at CGY ($5,300): Offense hasn't been the problem for the Canucks this season, and Kuzmenko has been a surprisingly key contributor on that end in his first taste of NHL action. The former KHL standout has a 13-12-25 line through 27 games overall, including a 6-8-14 line over the past 11.
Andrew Copp, DET at MIN ($3,300): Adding injury to insult, first-line center Dylan Larkin (hand) left Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Hurricanes and won't play in this one. As a result, Copp's expected to bump up to Detroit's top line in Minnesota. The promotion makes Copp a nice bargain option, and the well-rounded offseason signing has enough skill to fill in capably, as Copp mustered a 14-18-32 line in 36 games donning a Rangers jersey between the regular season and playoffs after being acquired by New York at last season's trade deadline.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild vs. Red Wings
Sam Steel (C - $3,500), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $8,900), Mats Zuccarello (W - $6,900)
Kaprizov is the best player in action Wednesday, so expect him to be featured in plenty of lineups. The star winger recently had a seven-game goal streak and 14-game point streak, which helped bring his season output up to 17-18-35 in 28 games. Zuccarello is the Robin to Kaprizov's Batman, as the diminutive winger is also above a point per game with a 9-20-29 line. Steel has outproduced his modest valuation in 11 games since being bumped up to the top line, notching four goals over that span.
Flames vs. Canucks
Mikael Backlund (C - $4,300), Tyler Toffoli (W - $6,000), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $5,100)
Calgary's top line should capitalize on facing a Canucks team that's giving up 3.86 goals per game — third-most in the league. Huberdeau got off to a slow start in Calgary after exceeding a point per game in each of his last four seasons in Florida, but he's finding his form with a 2-7-9 line in the last nine games. Toffoli's 10-11-21 line has him one goal back of Nazem Kadri ($6,100) and two points back of Elias Lindholm's ($5,300) team-leading total. Lindholm will be a nice value if he suits up, but if the usual first-line center sits out for a second consecutive game, Backlund should continue to fill in. Backlund's move to the top line coupled with his current four-game point streak make him an appealing value play in this favorable matchup.
Canadiens at Senators
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,000), Cole Caufield (W - $7,300), Kirby Dach (W - $3,800)
The production of this young top line has been a bright spot all season for the rebuilding Canadiens. Suzuki leads the team in points with a 14-15-29 line, while Caufield leads in goals (16) and shots (96) through 28 games. To put Caufield's shot volume in perspective, he's the only Montreal skater with more than 60. Dach checks in third on the team in points with 19.
DEFENSEMEN
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. MON ($6,100): Chabot has been highly productive in nine games since returning from a concussion, totaling a 3-7-10 line. The 25-year-old blueliner seems to have finally rediscovered the form from his 55-point breakout season in 2018-19, and a Canadiens team that's allowing 3.46 goals per game — 10th-most in the league — is unlikely to slow him down.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. VAN ($5,100): Hanifin's an underrated two-way player. After opening the season on an eight-game point drought, Hanifin has produced a 3-10-13 line in 20 subsequent appearances, looking like the player who posted a career-high 48 points last season. He's also a reliable source of secondary stats besides the scoring; Hanifin has blocked at least one shot in 14 consecutive games — averaging 2.4 blocks per game over that stretch — and he's racked up three shots in three of his last seven appearances.
Filip Hronek, DET at MIN ($5,000): Hronek has been a boom or bust option on the blue line, but his upside makes him an intriguing against-the-grain play in this small slate. In his last 14 games, Hronek has produced seven multi-point performances.
Calen Addison, MIN vs. DET ($3,900): Addison's an underrated source of offense from the blue line. His 11 power-play points are tied for sixth among all NHL defensemen, making Addison a nice complementary piece for lineups that include some of Minnesota's top forwards.
