This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are only three games on tap in the NHL on Wednesday. A tired Minnesota team travel to Winnipeg after a 1-0 shootout loss to Calgary. Detroit hosts Chicago, while Anaheim goes up the West Coast to play in Vancouver. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. ANA ($7,400): Demko got off to a horrible start this season, going 3-10-2 with a 3.93 GAA and .883 save percentage, before a groin injury December 1, sidelined him for 35 games. Demko has been strong since returning Feb. 28, going 2-1-0 while giving up seven goals on 111 shots. Demko was outstanding last season, winning 33 games with a .915 save percentage, so it seems that he may have regained last season's form. Demko will face the Ducks, who are second-last in NHL scoring, averaging 2.50 goals per game.
Magnus Hellberg, DET vs. CHI ($7,600): Hellberg has played 13 games in the NHL this season, one for the Senators before he was placed on waivers by Ottawa, and the remainder for the Red Wings, who picked him up on waivers via the Kraken (he never played for Seattle). Hellberg is 4-6-1 with an .899 save percentage this season, but is a perfect 2-0-0 at home, giving up only four goals on 54 shots. He gets a break in playing the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, as the Blackhawks are averaging only 2.48 goals per game this season.
VALUE PLAYS
Nino Niederreiter, WPG vs. MIN ($4,800): Niederreiter is on a three-game point streak, with a goal and two assists. He has played four games with the Jets since his trade from Nashville, and is currently seeing action on the top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, not a shabby duo to be playing alongside. Niederreiter is also seeing time on the first power play. He has 19 goals and 31 points in 60 games this season.
Andreas Athanasiou, CHI at DET ($4,500): Athanasiou has two goals and five points in his last five games, giving him 14 goals and 25 points in 62 contests. Athanasiou faces Detroit, where he started his NHL career, playing the first five seasons with the Red Wings. Athanasiou is on the first line as well as the first power play with the Blackhawks.
Andrew Copp, DET vs. CHI ($4,400): Copp is having an okay season with Detroit, scoring six times and adding 27 assists in his first year with the Red Wings. He had 21 goals and 53 points last season in 72 games, so he is certainly capable of more offense. Copp is on the second power play as well as centering the second line, between Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina. His value Wednesday is in his price if you are going expensive elsewhere.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild at Jets
Kirill Kaprizov (W - $9,300), Mats Zuccarello (W -$6,900), Ryan Hartman (C - $5,200)
Kaprizov is tied for sixth in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy, with 39 goals, and has 73 points, good for a tie for 17th place. He has eight goals in his last nine games and has a goal and two assists in two games against the Jets this season. Zuccarello has 20 goals and 58 points this season, including eight goals and 25 points on the power play. He also has a goal and two assists versus the Jets this season in two contests. Hartman has missed 20 games this season (19 with an upper-body injury and one as a healthy scratch after taking some ill-advised penalties) and has nine goals and 23 points in 42 games. He was outstanding last season with 34 goals and 65 points, and his current move to the top line, has helped his DFS value.
Canucks vs. Ducks
Elias Pettersson (C-$9,800), Andrei Kuzmenko (W-$6,200), Anthony Beauvillier (W-$4,700)
Pettersson is ninth in NHL scoring with 79 points, including 30 goals. He has already smashed his career high in points – his previous best was last season's 68. The one place Pettersson has fallen, has been on the power play, where he has scored only twice, after potting 10 goals last season. Kuzmenko is having an outstanding first season in the NHL, scoring 29 goals and adding 27 assists. He has 10 goals on the power play as he sees action on both the first line and first power play. Beauvillier came over from the Islanders on Jan. 30 in the Bo Horvat trade and has not disappointed, scoring six times and adding six assists in 14 games, including three goals on the power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. ANA ($7,100): Hughes is having an outstanding season with five goals and 55 assists in 59 games. He has been on fire of late as he has six assists in his last four contests. Hughes is strong on the power play, leading the Canucks from the point, where he has two goals and 28 points, three shy of last season's career high of 31 points (all assists). Hughes is averaging 4:06 on the power play, the most in his young career.
Seth Jones, CHI at DET ($6,600): Jones has been hot, scoring in each of his last three games, including a two-goal night Monday versus Ottawa. The four goals give Jones 10 goals and 31 points in 53 games this season as he has regained the offensive prowess he showed during the 2017-18 season, when he had 16 goals and 41 assists for the Blue Jackets. Jones has seven points in his last seven games as he is quarterbacking the Blackhawks' first power play, averaging a career high 3:27 of ice time with the man-advantage.
