Wednesday’s DraftKings featured NHL contest features a five-game slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. In this article, you will find DFS advice for DraftKings plus some DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target as well.
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DraftKings Sportsbook
New York Rangers Money line (+117) vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Rangers and Flyers play the back-end of a two-game set tonight with the Flyers winning 5-4 in OT in the first game. The Rangers have played Philly close all season as all three of their games been decided by one-goal. The Rangers have Artemi Panarin ($7,100) back in the lineup now and have been solid at bouncing back from losses of late. Philly now ranks 26th in goals against per game and has allowed four or more goals in five straight. At plus-money, going with the home underdog Rangers here on the ML makes sense from a value perspective.
Edmonton Oilers Money line (+102) at Calgary Flames
The Oilers haven’t played great of late, but they seem to be getting discounted here a bit against the Flames. Edmonton ranks 8th in xGF% (expected goal rate) on the season and have been solid on the road this year, compiling an 8-5 record. At the rate the Oilers score, the Flames offense may have issues scoring enough to grab a second straight win. Considering the solid record of teams who have lost the first game of a series in this shortened season, the Oilers at plus-money here on the ML seem like a solid bounce-back play in a big game for playoff standings.
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Top Line Stacks
Los Angeles Kings vs. St. Louis Blues
Anze Kopitar ($6,200) — Alex Iafallo ($4,000) — Adrian Kempe ($6,100)
The Kings take on the Blues tonight, a team that has now surrendered 17-goals over their last four games. STL has had issues in a couple of different areas in 2021, with goaltending and special teams being at the top of the list of trouble spots. The Blues rank just 23rd in penalty-kill% and both of their goalies have save percentages under .910. The Kings top-line looks interesting for DFS purposes as a result and we’ll start by targeting the red-hot Kempe who should likely be filling in for Dustin Brown (questionable) here again. Kempe now has seven goals over his last 10-games and has hit the DK-SOG bonus three times in his last eight. As a shoot-first player he’s a nice addition to this line which includes the revitalized Kopitar who is up to 25 assists on the season (16 have come on the PP) and he now has 11-points in his last 10-games.
The Kings power-play has been solid all year and come in ranked 10th in the league in efficiency with a great matchup here to take advantage of. While Kempe is somewhat priced up now, the value we’re getting on Kopitar and the underrated Iafallo here make this trio a good target against a very vulnerable Blues defense. They have nice upside and will still let you roster another stud at forward if you so choose.
Superstar to Target
Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers ($7,100)
Panarin returned a few games ago and has already made a big impact for the Rangers on the scoresheet. The shifty forward has four points in his last two games and has stepped right back in to a main offensive role with New York. He’s played over 18-minutes in each of his first two games back and has a terrific match-up here against the Flyers, who feature two sub-par goalies and the sixth-worst penalty-kill in the league.
Despite the big gap in time played, Panarin has been the Ranger to own this year in DFS as he comes in averaging 3.2 SOG per game and 15.9 DKFP over his last 10-games as well. While there’s quite a few big names to consider here, the value up top seems to be with Panarin, who you can stack with another big name if you so please, given his low-7k salary. He’s a good anchor play tonight as the Rangers and Flyers look set for another goal-filled contest.
Value on Offense
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers ($4,100)
Voracek has come alive of late for Philly as the Czech-forward now has five points over his last two games and is averaging just under 3.0 SOG over his last 10-contests. The Flyers’ forward is also averaging 10.6 DKFP over his last 10-starts too—well above his season average—so he’s been riding some solid positive regression of late and is still playing over 16-minutes a game in a versatile role, which sees him get time on the power-play as well. The value on the Flyers offense continues to deliver solid upside and, right now, Voracek seems like the forward to target if you need a punt play for tonight.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets ($3,600)
The Canadiens have shuffled their lines around recently to try and spark some more consistent scoring, and it has allowed their young centers to grab more prominent roles in the top-6. Kotkaniemi can still be very inconsistent for DFS purposes, but his elevated offensive role has allowed him to grab seven points over his last 10-games. Kotkaniemi has been able to spark consistent offense with Josh Anderson ($5,000), with whom you can pair him tonight for a cheap cost-effective stack. The Jets remain a solid opponent for DFS purposes too as they allow a ton of shots against and plenty of scoring chances relative to the rest of the league.
Stud Goalies
Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks at Ottawa Senators ($8,100)
Demko has taken over the starter reigns for the Canucks lately and comes in red-hot, having stopped 78 of the last 81 SOG he’s faced. Already confirmed in net tonight, Demko makes for a good upside target here considering the Canucks still allow the second-most SOG per game. Demko has hit the DK save bonus three-times over his last five games. With the Sens’ offense being so terrible at converting scoring chances—ranking 23rd in goals per game—Demko makes for a perfect pay-up option given his recent hot stretch of play.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets ($7,900)
Price and the Canadiens enter this game off a 4-2 win over the Jets and are -113 favorites right now on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook—a bet I certainly don’t mind taking given Price’s recent play. He’s now posted save percentages of .944 or better in four of his last five games and looks locked in as the Canadiens try and get themselves back into a playoff position. Montreal has played the Jets well of late, grabbing multiple goal wins in two of the last three meetings between these teams and, with Price’s salary here still under 8k, I like targeting him in net tonight as a potentially lower-owned GPP option.
Value on Defense
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets vs. Montreal Canadiens ($4,000)
Morrissey continues to be one of the most reliable producers at $4k or under in price. Until his price goes up, I'm going to continue to feature him in this spot. The 25-year-old is averaging a stout 2.5 SOG and 2.0 blocked shots per game over his last 10 starts, which puts him in the same production category as many of the top names priced over $5k. He’s playing massive minutes, averaging over 24 mins played on a nightly basis, and continues to get solid power-play exposure. In this role he has gobbled up seven assists on the PP this year. Just to put a cherry on top, Morrissey has gained 12 or more DKFP in each of his last four games, so his offensive confidence seems to be at a high-point. He’s a near must play for me until his role or salary tier changes significantly.
Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers ($4,100)
Andersson inhabits a similar role that Morrissey does for the Flames in that he often anchors their PP1, yet doesn’t carry the same kind of hefty DraftKings salary that other players in his role do. While Andersson’s lack of production of late is concerning, the Oilers rank just 17th in the penalty-kill and have allowed the sixth-most scoring chances against this season. Andersson makes for a decent value target if you’re planning on stacking some of the Flames PP1 tonight and a solid punt play for GPPs as he does carry multiple point upside in a spot like this, and in a game with a solid 6.0 handle on the O/U.
Power-Play Defensemen
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks ($6,300)
Theodore has seen a return to his normal levels of production of late, as the skilled defenseman enters this game having potted four assists and a goal over his last four contests. After suffering through injuries and a bit of a downturn in production, it’s good to see one of the best upside plays on defense return to form.
With the Knights still without Alex Pietrangelo, Theodore should be locked in for big minutes again and has a terrific match-up against the Sharks, who are only about league average terms of penalty-kill and allow a ton of SOG and scoring chances on a nightly basis. Thoedore makes for a great upper tier value here considering the opponent tonight. I’d suggest making him a priority if you want to pay-up at defense in this juicy spot.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) 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 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.