This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 7:30 PM Eastern time and features six games. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are two obvious teams to target — the Lightning in Los Angeles and the Canucks in San Jose. The Predators-Capitals matchup should also feature plenty of scoring, as those are two of the five top-10 offenses taking the ice in this slate, along with the aforementioned Tampa Bay and Vancouver teams, as well as Toronto.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,000) is 11-0-2 in his past 13 games, with only a pair of post-regulation losses to the Stars standing between him and a perfect record in that stretch. He should have no trouble extending his impressive stretch against a Kings team that's scoring just 2.50 goals per game — third-fewest in the league.
With Darcy Kuemper (lower body) still not ready to return, Antti Raanta ($7,600) is set to guard the road cage as the Coyotes pay a visit to Anaheim. Raanta struggled heading into the All-Star break but has a passable 2.94 GAA and .912 save percentage in 22 appearances overall. He'll have a nice opportunity to improve those numbers against a 30th-ranked Ducks offense that's mustering only 2.45 goals per game.
If you're not feeling Raanta here, locking in the man in the other team's crease could be a prudent move against Arizona's bottom-10 offense. Anaheim's John Gibson ($7,600) has been dramatically better on home ice than elsewhere, with a 9-7-1 record, 2.56 GAA and .916 save percentage at the Honda Center.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex Ovechkin ($8,300) had to sit out one game for skipping the All-Star Game, but he should be back with a vengeance against a Predators team that's surrendering 3.25 goals per game. Prior to his break from game action, Ovechkin was hot as can be, with eight goals in his past three games played and a hat trick in each of the last two.
Josh Archibald ($3,100) was making the most of his spot on the Oilers' top line alongside Connor McDavid heading into the All-Star break, with three goals and two assists in his last four games. The affordable winger will look to pick up where he left off in his first post-break action against a Flames team that's finishing up a back-to-back set.
After a poor first half, Viktor Arvidsson ($5,000) has started to look more like the player that needed only 58 games to pot 34 goals last season, lighting the lamp in two of the past three games. If this recent uptick is indeed the start of a bounce back, the Predators winger will likely see his price climb substantially before long.
If you're looking to take a shot in the dark on an affordable center, Arizona's Derek Stepan ($3,600) could be the man for you. Stepan has topped the 50-point mark in six of his nine previous seasons and has nine points in his last 10 games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Kings
Brayden Point (C - $6,600), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,400), Steven Stamkos (W - $7,600)
Paying up for all three of Tampa Bay's big guns is a costly proposition, but this line's upside is immense against an 18-27-5 Kings team. Kucherov is nowhere near replicating last year's historic 128-point campaign, but his 56 points through 48 contests have him on pace for 96 and the Russian winger has a nice 5-2-7 line going over an active four-game point streak. Stamkos' 20-30-50 line through 46 games has him on pace to finish with more points than games played for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons. Point has an 18-24-42 line in 46 appearances, but last season's 41-51-92 output suggests he's capable of even more.
Canucks at Sharks
Bo Horvat (C - $5,900), Tanner Pearson (W - $4,500), Loui Eriksson (W - $2,900)
The Sharks remarkably allow the fourth-most goals (3.29 per game) despite boasting the league's stingiest penalty kill (87.3 percent). This line is more affordable than Vancouver's top line but does a much greater portion of its damage away from the man advantage. Horvat's 32 even-strength points are good for a share of the team lead with Elias Pettersson, who costs $800 more than Horvat. Pearson has been hot for a while now with a 5-9-14 line over his past 13 games, and Eriksson comes into this one riding a three-game point streak.
Stars vs. Maple Leafs
Tyler Seguin (C - $6,500), Alexander Radulov (W - $5,600), Jamie Benn (W - $5,400)
The Maple Leafs have won only twice in their last seven games, getting outscored 30-26 over that stretch. Dallas' top line should add to Toronto's defensive struggles. Seguin leads the team with 37 points through 49 games. He's on pace to top 60 points for a seventh consecutive season, having scored at least 72 in each of the previous six. Radulov is another guy capable of substantially picking up the pace from his current output — he has a 13-15-28 line in 46 appearances after consecutive 72-point seasons. Benn's also in the midst of a down year after recording at least 79 points four times in his career, but he's finally heated up with five goals in his past seven games.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($6,900) remains way out in front in the scoring race among defensemen with 60 points in 50 games. The standout Capitals blueliner should add to that lofty total against a Nashville team that ranks among the 10 most generous defensively.
Tyler Myers ($3,500) is a nice value pick on the blue line given his ability to contribute across the board for Vancouver. Over his last 14 games, the big-bodied blueliner has a well-rounded three goals, four assists, 30 shots and 28 blocked shots.
Even in a tough matchup in Dallas, Tyson Barrie ($5,200) carries considerable offensive upside. He's playing at a point-per-game pace over the past 13, and that stretch includes four points in four games since Barrie became the clear-cut top source of offense on Toronto's blue line following Morgan Rielly's foot injury.
