It’s a quiet, three-game night in the NHL with Colorado and Seattle both decent-sized favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, and the Capitals-Kings tilt projected to be tight. The Capitals are in a vulnerable schedule spot playing their second consecutive road game and third in four nights overall with a cross-country trip mixed in. Here’s a peek at the fantasy landscape ahead of Wednesday’s NHL action.
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Top Line Stacks
Avalanche at Canucks
Gabriel Landeskog ($7,500) - Mikko Rantanen ($8,300) - Logan O’Connor ($3,900)
Rantanen and Landeskog have clicked for 5.31 goals and 16.68 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes over the past three years, and O’Connor helps bring down the line’s cap hit. Additionally, O’Connor is in excellent form with three goals, an assist and 14 shots through his past four games. The matchup also checks out with Vancouver allowing a healthy 3.32 goals and 11.55 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes this season. It’s also worth adding Vancouver has the worst penalty-kill percentage in the league.
Kraken vs. Blackhawks
Jaden Schwartz ($4,200) - Alex Wennberg ($3,400) - Jordan Eberle ($5,200)
While the Blackhawks enter with three consecutive wins, they’ve also been off since last Friday and sport an 0-5-1 road record with 25 goals allowed. The combined goals and high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes for Wennberg, Schwartz and Eberle don’t jump off the page, but the trio has driven possession with a 61.1 Corsi For percentage, and they’re an affordable stack. Call it a hunch they have a solid showing.
Superstar to Build Around
Elias Pettersson, VAN vs. COL ($5,900) - During Vancouver’s recent three-game road trip, Pettersson failed to find the scoresheet and registered just three shots. Back on home ice, and more importantly with the last-change advantage, look for head coach Travis Green to find creative ways to deploy Pettersson in favorable on-ice matchups. It’s worth adding, Pettersson’s current 1.68 points per 60 minutes is way below the 3.02 mark he posted through his first three years in the league.
Value on Offense
Nazem Kadri, COL at VAN ($5,100) - With a salary lagging behind his recent production, Kadri is a strong candidate from his salary range. He’s racked up three tallies, seven helpers and 16 shots during his active six-game point streak, and as noted, this is a favorable matchup. Additionally, Kadri could be added to a Colorado stack because of his role on the No. 1 power-play unit.
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. COL ($4,800) - Another underperforming Canuck, Boeser also failed to find the scoresheet in all three of Vancouver’s recent road games despite registering 10 shots, 15 attempts and five individual high-danger scoring chances. Additionally, similar to linemate Elias Pettersson ($5,900), Boeser’s current 1.91 points per 60 minutes is well below the 2.6 mark he posted over the previous three seasons.
Stud Goalies
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. CHI ($7,900) - It’s been an atrocious start for Grubauer. His -9.66 goals saved above average ranks last in the league, and to make matters worse, the Kraken have allowed the fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes in the league at 5-on-5. Grubauer’s play is going to improve, and he could offer contrarian appeal Wednesday because of his current statistics.
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. WAS ($7,600) - As noted, Washington isn’t in an ideal schedule spot, and Quick’s salary doesn’t match his current form. He’s been fantastic of late with a .961 save percentage and 1.23 GAA during his active four-game winning streak.
Value on Defense
Samuel Girard, COL at VAN ($3,300) - Another Av in high-end form, Girard has piled up seven points through his past three games. Expecting similar production over the long haul is obviously unrealistic, but his salary hasn’t climbed significantly, either. As noted, there’s nothing scary about the matchup, either.
Power-Play Defenseman
Cale Makar, COL at VAN ($6,600) - This salary probably isn’t prohibitive enough in a shallow player pool considering Makar has paced all defensemen in points per 60 minutes over the past three seasons. He’s likely to be a popular target in the plus-matchup, though.
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. COL ($5,400) - On the flip side of the Vancouver-Colorado matchup, Hughes ranks third in points per 60 minutes among all defensemen over the past three years. He’s an affordable addition to a Canucks stack or a standalone option and has racked up an impressive 14 points through 15 games for the campaign while logging career-high minutes (25:05 with 4:16 on the power play).
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is naparker77) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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