This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's modest NHL slate consists of three games after 7 p.m. EDT. 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 come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Maple Leafs are Wednesday's largest favorites at home against the Senators in a game that also has the night's highest over/under at 7.0 goals. The Panthers are road favorites in Washington, and the Golden Knights are favored at home against the Kings. Panthers-Capitals has an over/under of 6.5 goals, while Kings-Golden Knights comes in at 6.0.
GOALIES
Adin Hill, VGK vs. LA ($8,000): Hill's outstanding postseason performance was one of the top reasons Vegas was able to win the Stanley Cup last season, and he has picked up where he left off to begin 2023-24. Hill's 6-0-1 with a 1.81 GAA and .938 percentage. Based on his rotation with Logan Thompson, it will be Hill's turn to start Wednesday at home. The Kings haven't had trouble scoring, but Hill has been matchup-proof behind Vegas' stout defense, as he shut out the Avalanche in his last start.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at WAS ($7,900): Bobrovsky's off to an okay start, with a 5-3-1 record, 2.68 GAA and .904 save percentage. Washington's offense has been worse than okay, as the Capitals are averaging 1.90 goals per game -- second-fewest in the NHL. Bobrovsky's own Panthers are the only other team in action Wednesday that enters the night outside the top 10 in goals per game.
Darcy Kuemper, WAS vs. FLA ($7,500): Kuemper has been boom-or-bust to begin the season, posting a single-game save percentage of .950 or better three times and a sub-.900 mark four times, including two games below .800. He can sink your lineup with a bad night but is also capable of providing excellent value at just $7,500. At home against a Panthers team that's averaging the 10th-fewest goals (2.82) on the second-most shots (35.2), this is a good time to take a chance on Kuemper.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
William Nylander, TOR vs. OTT ($7,900): Nylander's off to a brilliant start this season, with a 6-10-16 line through 12 games. His 54 shots are just five back of Nikita Kucherov's league-leading total. Teammate Auston Matthews has more shots and more goals than Nylander, but the winger is arguably the better value at a valuation $1,700 lower, though plenty of lineups will likely feature both against a Senators team that's allowing 3.50 goals per game -- tied for fifth-most in the NHL.
Josh Norris, OTT at TOR ($5,800): Norris is averaging a point per game with a 4-3-7 line in his seven appearances this season, and he's poised to add to his success while centering Brady Tkachuk's ($7,500) line against a Toronto team that's been hardly better than Ottawa defensively, giving up 3.42 goals per game. The 24-year-old center had 35 goals in 66 games during his breakout 2021-22 campaign, but Norris has had trouble staying healthy since. He's likely to remain productive as long as he's available.
Dylan Strome, WAS vs. FLA ($5,100): Washington has just 19 goals as a team, and Strome has scored six of them. The top-line center is easily the best value among the Capitals' skaters at his middling $5,100 valuation.
William Karlsson, VGK vs. LA ($4,900): Karlsson's another center who should provide strong bang for the buck given his hot start. He leads the Golden Knights in points with a 6-9-15 line, having notched two more points than games played. Vegas is 7-0-1 on home ice, and Karlsson will look to help Vegas stay unblemished in regulation at home against the 7-2-2 Kings.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Senators
Auston Matthews (C - $9,600), Mitchell Marner (W - $6,500), Matthew Knies (W - $3,500)
Matthews leads the NHL with 13 goals, and his 18 points are the most on the Maple Leafs, so he should be worth paying up for, especially with most of the league's other elite forwards getting the night off. Marner has been excellent in his own right with a 5-12-17 line through 12 games. Knies remains a nice value while skating alongside these two stars, and the 21-year-old forward has held his own with a 3-4-7 line.
Senators at Maple Leafs
Tim Stutzle (C - $6,600), Claude Giroux (W - $5,600), Mathieu Joseph (W- $4,400)
Ottawa's second line offers a nice mix of production and value in what's expected to be the night's highest-scoring game. Stutzle (2-9-11) and Giroux (3-8-11) are tied with Tkachuk (8-3-11) for the team points lead. Joseph has capitalized on his top-six role with a 3-5-8 line through 10 games, though his production is less sustainable than that of his linemates due to Joseph's lack of usage on the power play.
Kings at Golden Knights
Anze Kopitar (C - $5,300), Adrian Kempe (W - $6,300), Quinton Byfield (W - $3,900)
Los Angeles' reasonably affordable top line is worth a look, even in a tough matchup against the Golden Knights. This trio has spearheaded the Kings' hot start, with all three players notching at least 10 points through 11 games. Kempe's 4-8-12 line has him tied for the team points lead with Kevin Fiala ($6,000), and the Swedish winger scored 35 and 41 goals in the two preceding seasons. Kopitar's 6-5-11 line has the veteran center tied with Trevor Moore ($4,900) for the team goals lead. Byfield looked like a bust at center, but the 2020 second overall pick is thriving as a top-line winger, with a 2-8-10 line that has him nearly halfway to his career high of 22 points.
DEFENSEMEN
Jakob Chychrun, OTT at TOR ($5,500): Chychrun and Jake Sanderson ($5,100) both have nine points through 10 games, but it's worth paying the extra $400 for the former. Chychrun has four goals to Sanderson's three, and he's shown he can sustain this pace over a significant period, having scored 18 goals in 56 games in his last healthy season back in 2020-21. Both defensemen offer a nice floor of supporting stats, though Chychrun gets the edge in those categories as well, with 24 shots and 19 blocks to Sanderson's 19 shots and 16 blocks.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. OTT ($4,800): Rielly can be an integral piece of a Toronto stack or a solid standalone option at his sub-$5,000 valuation. He has a 2-8-10 line through 12 games, and after offseason rumors of Rielly losing his spot on the top power-play unit to John Klingberg ($3,200), Rielly finds himself quarterbacking that unit, which also includes Matthews, Nylander, Marner and John Tavares ($7,000).
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, FLA at WAS ($4,200): Ekman-Larsson has been doing it all on Florida's blue line as the Panthers continue to wait for top two defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad to return from their respective shoulder injuries. The Swede's skating on the top power-play unit and isn't afraid to put his body on the line in his own end, with four-plus blocks in three games this season.
Brayden McNabb, VGK vs. LA ($4,100): You don't have to break the bank for McNabb, who has been a terrific two-way contributor in a top-pairing role. He's on pace to top 40 points with seven assists through 13 games, and McNabb has already compiled 38 blocked shots, notching at least four blocks on five different occasions.
