This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate consists of three games after 7 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
The Stars are Wednesday's largest favorites at home against the Wild, followed by the Flyers at home against Montreal. The third game is closer to a toss-up, with the host Avalanche slightly favored over the Golden Knights. The games in Dallas and Colorado have over/unders of 6.5 goals, while Montreal-Philadelphia comes in at 6.0.
GOALIES
Scott Wedgewood, DAL vs. MIN ($8,400): Wedgewood's likely to get the nod Wednesday unless usual starter Jake Oettinger ($8,200) is ready to return from his lower-body injury. Despite pedestrian ratios, Wedgewood has had no trouble racking up wins behind the Stars' strong group of skaters, posting an 11-4-3 record to go with a 3.17 GAA and .894 save percentage. Matt Murray ($8,200) shut out the Wild on Monday but was subsequently dropped to the AHL, so he would also be a strong choice if he gets recalled and is given the starting nod.
Carter Hart, PHI vs. MON ($8,200): Hart has been solid, with a 10-8-3 record, 2.69 GAA and .911 save percentage. He'll have a nice opportunity to improve those numbers at home against a Canadiens team that averages the fifth-fewest goals (2.74) and ranks eighth from the bottom in the NHL standings with 39 points.
Cayden Primeau, MON at PHI ($7,000): Sticking in the Canadiens-Flyers game, Primeau has some bargain appeal against a Flyers team that averages the eighth-fewest goals (2.85) on the seventh-most shots (33.2), which has worked out to being the NHL's most fantasy-friendly opponent for goalies thus far. This will be a homecoming for the 24-year-old netminder, who was born in Michigan but grew up in Philadelphia.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. MON ($6,700): Konecny easily leads the Flyers in both goals (21) and points (36) through 40 games. The high-scoring winger just had a seven-game point streak snapped by the Penguins, but he has a nice opportunity to start up a new streak against a Canadiens team that's surrendering 3.44 goals per game — seventh-most in the NHL.
Matt Boldy, MIN at DAL ($6,000): Minnesota has had a tough time generating offense with Kirill Kaprizov (upper body) on IR, but Boldy's capable of taking over a game on occasion, as he showed with a two-goal, three-point effort in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old winger is on pace to surpass the 30-goal threshold for the second consecutive campaign, and Boldy has a chance to capitalize on Oettinger's potential absence in the Stars' net.
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. MIN ($4,000): Benn shares the ice on the top power-play unit with all three members of Dallas' top line, and he ranks fourth among the team's forwards with nine power-play points. That prominent usage on the man advantage could prove pivotal against a Wild penalty kill that's operating at just 72.4 percent — the NHL's third-most generous mark. Benn has also been reasonably hot lately, putting up a 3-2-5 line over his last six games.
Juraj Slafkovsky, MON at PHI ($3,500): Slafkovsky's a low-risk, high-reward play at $3,500. The first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft continues to skate on the top line alongside Nick Suzuki ($5,400) and Cole Caufield ($6,100), while also sharing the ice with the rest of Montreal's young nucleus on the top power-play unit.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Golden Knights
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,900), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,500), Jonathan Drouin (W - $3,800)
MacKinnon is making a serious run at the Hart Trophy this season, as his 22-44-66 line has him just one point back of Nikita Kucherov's league lead and nine points clear of the trio of skaters tied for third. The star center has a 3-7-10 line during his current five-game point streak and should be worth paying up for against a Golden Knights team that's likely to be without its top two goalies in Adin Hill (undisclosed) and Logan Thompson (illness). Rantanen's enjoying an excellent campaign of his own, as his 21-30-51 line has him tied for ninth league-wide in points. Drouin has fit seamlessly on the top line recently, chipping in four goals and an assist over the past four games.
Stars vs. Wild
Roope Hintz (C - $6,300), Jason Robertson (W - $6,800), Joe Pavelski (W - $6,200)
This top-line trio also shares the ice on the top power-play unit, so they have plenty of upside both at even strength and with the extra man. Robertson leads the Stars with 40 points and is two goals back of Hintz's team-high 16. Pavelski's in between them in goals with 15, and his 35 points are tied with Hintz and Matt Duchene ($5,300) for second on the team.
Golden Knights at Avalanche
Jack Eichel (C - $8,500), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,300), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,600)
Neither team is likely to get good goaltending in this one, as Vegas is banged up in net while Colorado's stuck with Alexandar Georgiev, who has allowed at least three goals in four consecutive starts and has an .894 save percentage on the season. Colorado's strong group of skaters often papers over Georgiev's deficiencies, but another powerhouse team like Vegas should capitalize on his poor play, with the top line leading the way. Eichel leads the Golden Knights in both goals (18) and points (42) through 40 games. Marchessault is only one goal back of Eichel's team lead, and Barbashev's a nice value considering his 9-10-19 line is good for fifth on the team in scoring.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. VGK ($8,300): Makar is far and away the most productive blueliner available in this slate. He has seven points during his current four-game point streak, pushing him up to 48 points in 36 appearances overall. The star blueliner also supplies plenty of secondary stats with 108 shots on goal and 65 blocked shots.
Jamie Drysdale, PHI vs. MON ($5,300): Drysdale's poised to make his Flyers debut after being acquired via trade from Anaheim on Monday. The sixth-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft could slot onto the top power-play unit right away, and he averaged 11.2 fantasy points over his final six games with the Ducks.
Thomas Harley, DAL vs. MIN ($4,500): With Miro Heiskanen (lower body) sidelined, Harley has been filling in on the top power-play unit. That role could pay dividends against Minnesota's generous penalty kill (72.4 percent), and Harley is averaging over half a point per game overall with a 9-10-19 line through 36 appearances.
Brock Faber, MIN at DAL ($4,200): Faber has been an excellent two-way contributor over the past three games, posting three assists, 11 shots on goal and 12 blocked shots. Two of the three helpers have come on the power play, and he offers nice value while holding down a role on Minnesota's top man-advantage unit.
