This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate consists of three games after 7:30 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 come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
All three home teams are favored Wednesday. The Kings are the biggest favorites against the Kraken, followed by the Jets against the Red Wings, while the Capitals are modest favorites over the Islanders. Winnipeg's game has a slate-high over/under of 6.5 goals, followed by Los Angeles' at 6.0 and Washington's at 5.5.
GOALIES
Cam Talbot, LA vs. SEA ($8,200): Talbot's off to an outstanding start, with a 13-5-2 record, 2.02 GAA and .926 save percentage. He'll have a nice opportunity to improve those elite numbers against a Kraken team that's averaging 2.70 goals per game -- fifth-fewest in the NHL. Pheonix Copley is on LTIR and David Rittich started Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Sharks, so Talbot should be in the crease Wednesday.
Charlie Lindgren, WAS vs. NYI ($7,800): Lindgren's strong play has earned him an even split of playing time with Darcy Kuemper ($7,800) lately, and either Washington goalie would make for a high-upside option against the middling Islanders offense (3.10 goals per game). Lindgren's 6-3-2 with a 2.45 GAA and .925 save percentage, including a pair of shutouts. Kuemper has been shakier overall, but he's heated up recently, posting at least 21.4 fantasy points in each of his last two starts.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at WAS ($7,600): Varlamov has actually been the better goalie for the Islanders this season, as his 6-4-1 record, 2.73 GAA and .919 save percentage are superior to Ilya Sorokin's 9-4-7, 3.04 and .915 marks. Sorokin started Tuesday's 3-1 win over Edmonton, so Varlamov should get this game against a Capitals team that's scoring just 2.39 goals per game. Only the Sharks and Blackhawks average fewer goals.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Bo Horvat, NYI at WAS ($6,600): Horvat's current hot streak is reminiscent of the heater he had with the Canucks early last season. He has an 8-9-17 line during his active 11-game point streak, including a goal in each of the past three games.
Tom Wilson, WAS vs. NYI ($5,800): Wilson's tied with Dylan Strome ($5,100) for the team lead in points with 18, and the rugged winger has easily been Washington's best player over the past three weeks. He's averaging a point per game over the last nine, with six goals over that span.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, SEA at LA ($4,900): Bjorkstrand has two goals and three assists during his current three-game point streak, which has boosted him up to a 10-16-26 line through 33 games. He leads the Kraken in points, and with Jared McCann (lower body) having left the team's last game, Bjorkstrand could also be the goals leader among Seattle's available players Wednesday. Not bad for a guy with a sub-$5,000 valuation.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Kings vs. Kraken
Anze Kopitar (C - $6,200), Adrian Kempe (W - $7,300), Quinton Byfield (W - $4,500)
The Kings have five players with 20-plus points, and three of them skate on this line. Kopitar is tied with Kevin Fiala ($6,000) for the team points lead with 29, and he trails Trevor Moore's ($5,700) team-leading goal total by two. Kempe's two points back of the team lead with a 9-18-27 line, and Byfield's enjoying a breakout season with an 8-15-23 line through 28 games. LA's top line should keep rolling against a Seattle team that has just 10 regulation wins through 33 games.
Jets vs. Red Wings
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,200), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,200), Gabriel Vilardi (W - $5,000)
Winnipeg's top line is still dangerous, even without Kyle Connor (knee), and the Red Wings' 3.19 goals allowed per game are the most among teams in action Wednesday. Scheifele's 11-22-33 line through 30 games is good for the team lead in points, and only Connor (17) has more goals among Jets. Ehlers got off to a slow start, but he has heated up with a 4-8-12 line over his last eight games, accounting for more than half of his 23 points this season. Vilardi's also hot at the moment, with a 4-3-7 line in his last three games.
Red Wings at Jets
J.T. Compher (C - $4,700), Alex DeBrincat (W - $7,500), Lucas Raymond (W -$5,500)
With Patrick Kane ($5,900) still getting acclimated on Detroit's top line, the team's second line offers the best bang for the buck against a Jets team that will be deploying backup goalie Laurent Brossoit. DeBrincat leads the team in goals (15), points (28) and shots (101). Raymond isn't too far behind with a 10-14-24 line, and Compher has chipped in 19 points despite missing five of Detroit's 31 games.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS vs. NYI ($6,400): Carlson's having a down season by his lofty standards, but a low shooting percentage is to blame for a significant portion of his struggles. His 14 assists through 28 games are fine, but Carlson has just one goal on 59 shots for a 1.7 shooting percentage. Considering his shooting percentage hasn't dipped below 7.0 in any of the last five seasons, Carlson's likely to get better puck luck at some point, and a matchup with an Islanders team that has a league-worst 72.0 percent penalty kill offers a nice opportunity to turn his luck around. In the meantime, he's keeping his value afloat with strong two-way contributions, as Carlson actually has more blocked shots (61) than shots on goal.
Drew Doughty, LA vs. SEA ($4,900): Doughty's a nice play as a standalone option or part of a larger Kings stack. His 15 points lead all LA defensemen, and seven of those have been goals. The all-situations defenseman leads the team with 25:52 average TOI, which is over four minutes more than any teammate and includes a role on the top power-play unit.
Neal Pionk, WPG vs. DET ($3,600): Josh Morrissey ($6,600) missed practice Tuesday after taking a puck to the face in Winnipeg's last game, and if Morrissey's unable to play, Pionk would move up to the top power-play unit. Pionk has just two power-play points this season, but he has posted double-digit points on the man advantage four times in his career, including 25 such points with the Jets in 2019-20, so he has the skills to make the most of an opportunity with the top unit if such a chance presents itself.
