There are six NHL games Wednesday, and the Avalanche are the only significant favorite. Boston, St. Louis and Vegas are also receiving notable chalk, whereas the Toronto-Edmonton and Arizona-Los Angeles matchups are projected to be close. The Maple Leafs-Oilers game has the highest over/under total. Here’s a number of recommendations to consider while assembling your DraftKings lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $60K Twine [$15K to 1st]
Top Line Stacks
Avalanche at Sharks
Gabriel Landeskog ($5,400) - Nathan MacKinnon ($8,800) - Mikko Rantanen ($7,200)
Bruins vs. Capitals
Brad Marchand ($7,400) - Patrice Bergeron ($7,900) - David Pastrnak ($8,800)
These two lines are grouped together because they’re both proven and pricey. Additionally, with San Jose allowing the second most and Washington the fourth most goals per game, the matchups both check out. MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen have clicked for 5.17 goals per 60 minutes over the past three years, and Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak have posted a 6.21 mark.
Kings vs. Coyotes
Andreas Athanasiou ($3,000) - Gabriel Vilardi ($3,500) - Jeff Carter ($4,300)
While it’s a small sample of just 38:46 of shared ice time, Vilardi, Asthanasiou and Carter have been solid. They’ve clicked for 4.64 goals and 20.12 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes. More importantly, the combined cap hit is low and is unlikely they’ll be overly popular targets. Arizona is a run-of-the-mill opponent, and No. 1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper has already been ruled out of Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury.
Superstar to Build Around
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs ($7,800) - The real lean here is Connor McDavid ($9,100), but the salary limits your options when filling out the rest of your lineup. Draisaitl is also equally eyeing statistical correction, though. The German hasn’t scored a goal in six contests despite registering 31 shot attempts and averaging 4:27 of power-play time per game. Additionally, expecting Toronto to keep Edmonton in check for a third consecutive game is probably asking too much. The Oilers, led by McDavid and Draisaitl, have scored the sixth most goals per game in the league, after all.
Value on Offense
Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs ($5,000) - Another Oiler eyeing positive offensive regression, Puljujarvi has attempted eight shot attempts through the past two games against Toronto, including seven of the high-danger variety. Puljujarvi provides affordable exposure to McDavid, and the Finnish winger has also returned to the No. 1 power-play unit.
Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild ($3,800) - There’s some hit or miss in Stephenson’s game, but he’s projected to skate on the No. 1 line and top power-play unit, so his salary stands out as a bargain. His five goals, five assists and four multi-point showings through 18 games also represent respectable offensive production. Just note, Minnesota isn’t a doormat. The Wild have surrendered the sixth fewest goals per game in the league and have the ninth best penalty-kill percentage.
Stud Goalies
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues at Anaheim Ducks ($8,100) - Look for a bounce-back showing from Binnington after he was pulled from Saturday’s game against the Sharks. Binnington has allowed two goals or fewer in nine of 17 starts this season, and the Ducks have scored the fewest goals per game this season. Just note, Binnington will probably be a fairly popular target.
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings vs. Arizona Coyotes ($7,400) - The veteran is rolling along an impressive stretch with just five goals allowed and a .955 save percentage through his past four starts. Arizona has scored the eighth fewest five-on-five goals per 60 minutes this season, so the matchup isn’t daunting, either. Additionally, a lot of the risk Quick carries — .903 save percentage and 2.85 GAA for the campaign — is mitigated by his affordable salary.
Value on Defense
Samuel Girard, Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks ($4,100) - With Cale Makar out of the lineup nursing an upper-body injury, Girard will play a more prominent role for the Avs on Wednesday. Girard has also recorded a goal and two assists through the past two games while averaging 4:08 of power-play time. As noted, the Sharks are a target-worthy opponent, too.
Power-Play Defenseman
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild ($5,700) - This is a discounted salary for Theodore. His 17.5 shot attempts per 60 minutes dating back to last season rank second among all regular defensemen, and his 1.88 points rank 10th. He’s also logging a career-high 22:38 of ice time per game this season, which includes quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play unit. The only concern is the noted tough matchup.
Torey Krug, St. Louis Blues at Anaheim Ducks ($5,000) - The first-year Blue has recorded a third-ranked 2.2 points per 60 minutes among regular defensemen over the past three seasons, and he’s currently logging a career-high 22:44 of ice time. Anaheim has also allowed the fifth most goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five this year, so the matchup isn’t daunting.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL $60K Twine [$15K to 1st]
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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 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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