This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's back to a regular light schedule in the NHL on Wednesday as there are four games. The Sharks are the only tired team, winning in Montreal on Tuesday and travelling to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs tonight. The Rangers are in Ottawa, Buffalo travels to Detroit, and finally Edmonton visits Chicago. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Matt Murray, TOR vs. SJ ($7,000): Murray has been everything the Maple Leafs have hope for – when healthy – as he is 5-1-1 with a 2.43 GAA and a .927 save percentage. He coming off his second-best performance of the season, turning aside 42 of 44 shots, in a 4-2 victory in Detroit on Monday. He will return home after starting three straight on the road, facing the Sharks, who will be tired after playing in Montreal on Tuesday.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at OTT ($8,300): Shesterkin was quite angry with himself after losing to the Devils on Monday, saying he was ashamed in taking the blame for the loss. Shesterkin is 10-4-3 but has not looked sharp as in his Vezina-winning performance last season when he was 36-13-4 with a 2.07 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Look for a bounce-back game from the Ranger netminder Wednesday.
VALUE PLAYS
Jack Quinn, BUF at DET ($4,000): This is a great play as the former eighth overall pick in the 2020 Draft has come on of late. He has three goals and five points in his last five games and is seeing second line action as well as second power play time. He has 14 shots on goal in his last four games as he seems to be finally acclimating to the NHL game in his rookie season.
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. SJ ($4,300): Bunting is back on the top line, playing alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander. He also sees second line power play time and has four goals and 14 points in 24 games, including a three-game points streak in which he has four helpers. Bunting is nicely priced to add to your lineup, especially if you go big and take McDavid and Draisaitl.
Andreas Athanasiou, CHI vs. EDM ($4,600): Athanasiou is on the top line with the Blackhawks, playing alongside veterans Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The speedy winger has six goals and nine points in 21 games this season, with 43 shots on goal. He also gets second line power play time and has averaged 1:42 with the man-advantage this season.
Tyler Bertuzzi, DET vs. BUF ($4,500): Bertuzzi returned from a hand injury six games ago and has a goal and two assists with 14 shots on goal since then. He is coming off his best NHL season as he had 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games in 2021-22. Bertuzzi is seeing second line time in both even strength situations and on the power play at this time and should be back at full strength as well as in game shape.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Blackhawks
Connor McDavid (C - $10,400), Leon Draisaitl (C -$10,200), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $3,900)
Getting McDavid and Draisaitl together in your lineup is a recipe for success, especially as they take on the Blackhawks, who are tied for second-last in the NHL standings and are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games, the worst in the league. McDavid leads the NHL in points with 39, while Draisaitl is fourth with 33. The third member of the line, Puljujarvi, has only a goal and five points this season, but has two assists in his last four games. McDavid had the hat trick and an assist in the Oilers' lone game against Chicago this season, while Draisaitl had a goal and two assists.
Red Wings vs. Sabres
Dylan Larkin (C-$8,900), Dominik Kubalik (W-$7,700), Lucas Raymond (W-$5,400)
Larkin is off to a great start this season with nine goals and 24 points in 21 games. He had a great 2021-22 campaign, with 31 goals and 69 points in 73 games, before his season was cut short as he underwent core muscle surgery in mid-April. Kubalik is having a great season as well, with nine goals and 22 points in 21 games. He had 30 goals as a rookie with Chicago in the 2019-20 season but couldn't match that performance his last two seasons and the Blackhawks did not qualify him in the offseason. Raymond got off to a slow start in his sophomore season, with only two assists in his first seven games, but has turned things around since then, scoring six goals and adding six assists in his last 14 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson, SJ at TOR ($8,600): Karlsson has been a revelation this season as he has returned to his form when he was with the Senators and one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL. Karlsson has 11 goals and 32 points in 25 games this season, good for a tie for fifth place in NHL scoring and seven points better than Josh Morrissey and Adam Fox, who are next in line among rearguards.
Mark Giordano, TOR vs. SJ ($4,400): Giordano has only one goal and six points in 24 games this season but has two assists in four games since Morgan Rielly suffered a knee injury last week. Giordano averaged only 35 seconds of power play time before the Rielly injury and has averaged 2:10 in the four games since then.
