This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The NHL kicks into gear Wednesday with six games including the defending Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche, playing at home against the Chicago Blackhawks and raising their Stanley Cup banner to the rafters. Toronto travels to Montreal in an Original Six matchup while Boston is in Washington, Columbus plays the Hurricanes in Carolina, Vancouver heads into Edmonton to face the Oilers and Seattle makes its way down to Anaheim in the season openers for all 12 teams. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. CHI ($7,500): Georgiev makes his Colorado debut after an offseason trade from the Rangers and enters the game as the Avs top netminder. Georgiev will face the Blackhawks who are at the start of a big rebuild. He was only 15-10-2 with a 2.99 GAA and a .898 save percentage, but do not let that fool you this season behind a strong Colorado team. By the way, Georgiev was a perfect 2-0 against Chicago last season, giving up four goals on 53 shots.
Jack Campbell, EDM vs. VAN ($7,800): Campbell also makes his debut in a new uniform as he was signed by the Oilers in the summer after leaving the Maple Leafs as a UFA. He was outstanding at the start of the 2021-22 campaign before slumping late but still managed to have an outstanding 31-9-6 record to go with a 2.70 GAA and a .914 save percentage. He will have a raucous crowd behind him as Edmonton faces the Canucks.
VALUE PLAYS
Arturri Lehkonen, COL vs. CHI ($4,800): Lehkonen gets first line duty alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, as Gabriel Landeskog is still out of action. Lehkonen really came into his own in the 2022 playoffs as he potted eight goals and added six assists in only 20 games. This is a nice spot for him.
Boone Jenner, CLS at CAR ($5,500): Jenner gets the prized job in Columbus, centering Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. Jenner has had a 30-goal in his past and had 23 goals and 44 points in 59 games and as mentioned earlier, they now have Johnny Hockey.
Andrei Kuzmenko, VAN at EDM ($4,900): Kuzmenko enters the NHL as a 26-year-old rookie, as he had spent his entire career in the KHL. Kuzmenko was terrific during the preseason and it is no surprise that he lines up on the second line with Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander and will see first power play time in his debut. He finished second in goals and points last season in the KHL with 20 markers and 53 points in 45 contests.
David Krejci, BOS at WAS ($5,200) Krejci returns to the Bruins after spending one season back home in Czechia. He will line up on the second unit with David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha on his wings, while seeing first line power play time as well.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens
Mitch Marner (W- $9,000), Auston Matthews (C-$10,100), Michael Bunting (W-$5,800)
The Maple Leafs top line faces a Canadiens squad who were the worst in the NHL last season. While improvement was made in Montreal, Matthews and Marner are top-10 scorers in the NHL while Bunting is an inexpensive add to the forward line. Matthews led the NHL in goals last season with 60, while Marner had a career-high 97 points in only 72 contests. Bunting chipped in with 63 points in 79 games but turned things around when placed on the top line, halfway through the season.
Oilers vs. Vancouver
Evander Kane (W-$6,900), Connor McDavid (C-$10,000), Jesse Puljujarvi (W-$4,300) McDavid should be on a mission this season to win the Stanley Cup and is looking for his sixth 100-point season in his seventh year in the NHL. Kane was an outstanding addition midway through the 2021-22 season and will be a point-a-game player while Puljujarvi adds some scoring at a very inexpensive price Wednesday.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. CHI ($7,900): The cream of the crop as far as defensemen are concerned heading into the 2022-23 season, Makar is coming off a Norris Trophy season in which he potted 28 goals and 86 points in 77 games. He is only 23 years of age and is only going to get better in the next couple of seasons. Playing the Blackhawks and quarterbacking the vaunted Colorado power play, only adds to his value.
Hampus Lindholm, BOS at WAS ($5,000): Lindholm takes over the quarterbacking duties of the Boston power play with Charlie McAvoy still out for a couple of months after offseason shoulder surgery. Lindholm has had a couple of nice offensive seasons with the Ducks in his career and will look to establish himself once again with the Bruins.
