This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate features no shortage of action, with 13 games on tap after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Panthers-Capitals battle between two top-five offenses should feature plenty of scoring, while the Maple Leafs, Bruins and Islanders will all be heavy road favorites in Detroit, Ottawa and Los Angeles, respectively. Those are just some of the sources of value in this large slate.
GOALIES
Semyon Varlamov ($8,000) is 7-2-2 with a 2.63 GAA and .913 save percentage, and he'll be tasked with putting a stop to a rare losing streak for the Islanders. He should be up to the challenge against a Kings team that's been outscored 83-63 through 24 games, ranking among the five worst teams both offensively and defensively.
After watching Tuesday's 8-1 win over Montreal from the bench, Tuukka Rask ($8,200) will start the second half of Boston's back to back against a Senators team that's scoring only 2.71 goals per game. Rask has been among the league's best netminders, with an 11-2-2 record, 2.18 GAA and .928 save percentage.
The Flames have been extinguished more often than not recently, winning only once in their past eight games while scoring a combined nine goals in those contests. Those struggles are likely to persist in Buffalo, making Linus Ullmark ($7,800) an enticing play if he gets the nod in net for the Sabres. Carter Hutton ($7,600) would be harder to trust, as he's winless in his past seven starts.
If you're looking for a cheaper option in net, Jacob Markstrom ($7,300) is a nice choice in Pittsburgh. Vancouver's netminder has a respectable 7-6-3 record, 2.72 GAA and .913 save percentage, while the Penguins remain without Sidney Crosby (groin) and have only two regulation wins in their last 11 games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
David Krejci ($5,800) is centering Boston's top line while Patrice Bergeron recovers from a lower-body injury. With two of the league's top five scorers on his wings in David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, Krejci's primed to provide excellent value at just $5,800 against the 11-12-1 Senators. He dished out two assists in a first-line role Tuesday in Montreal.
The Islanders have scored only one goal over their last two games, as Anthony Beauvillier's ($5,200) production has ground to a halt. Even with that two-game drought, the winger has six goals and two assists in the past six games. Expect New York to rediscover its offense against a Kings team that's giving up 3.46 goals per game, with Beauvillier — whose 8-8-16 line has him just one goal and four points off the team leads — leading the charge.
Mark Stone ($6,100) leads the Golden Knights with five power-play goals and is tied for the team lead with nine power-play points. His proficiency with the extra man should lead to further success against Nashville's league-worst 72.0 percent penalty kill.
Artemi Panarin ($7,200) of the Rangers has only failed to mark the scoresheet once over the past 15 games, with eight goals and 24 points over that stretch. The Russian winger has produced regardless of matchup and should keep rolling at home against the Hurricanes.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs at Red Wings
Auston Matthews (C - $7,500), William Nylander (W - $5,500), Andreas Johnsson (W - $4,600)
Matthews has lit the lamp in both games since Sheldon Keefe took over as head coach for Toronto, bringing the star center's season line up to 16-14-30 in 25 games. Nylander has an assist in each game under Keefe and an 8-11-19 line altogether. Johnsson has only five goals and 12 points, but he's due to pick up the pace considering the career 13.2 percent shooter is only converting at an 8.9 percent rate thus far. Toronto's top line should dominate against a Red Wings team that's giving up a league-high 3.73 goals per game.
Capitals vs. Panthers
Lars Eller (C - $5,100), T.J. Oshie (W - $5,900), Jakub Vrana (W - $5,600)
Eller's getting an opportunity to center the second line and skate on the top power-play unit while Nicklas Backstrom (upper body) is on the shelf. Oshie's also on the top unit with the extra man, and he's tied for third on the team with 10 goals. Vrana's on the second power-play group, but the Czech winger ranks second on the Capitals with 11 goals — all at even strength. While both of these teams average over 3.50 goals per game, Florida's much worse than Washington defensively, as the Panthers' 3.58 goals allowed per game are second-most in the league. Given this second line's productivity, it could well provide better bang for the buck than the first line in this favorable matchup.
Flyers at Blue Jackets
Morgan Frost (C - $5,500), Claude Giroux (W - $6,500), Travis Konecny (W - $5,700)
Frost has thrived in his first taste of NHL action. The 2017 first-rounder has two goals and an assist through four games, with at least three shots in each game. He's flanked by two of the three highest scorers on the Flyers — Konecny leads the team with 23 points in 24 games, while Giroux ranks third with 17 points, one behind Sean Couturier. Giroux exceeded a point-per-game pace in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, so he's likely to pick up the pace. This matchup with a Blue Jackets team that's been outscored 72-59 through 23 games presents a nice opportunity to do so.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns ($6,700) recorded no fewer than 24 points on the power play in any of the previous five seasons, and he's on pace to extend that streak. The bearded blueliner is currently tied for the team lead with nine power-play points through 25 games, and he gets a great opportunity to add to that total with his Sharks set to host a Jets team that ranks 30th on the penalty kill at 72.2 percent.
No Maple Leafs player has seen more drastic improvement since coach Mike Babcock's firing than Tyson Barrie ($4,800). After scoring no goals in 23 games under Babcock, Barrie has lit the lamp in consecutive contests under Keefe. The three-time 50-point scorer should continue to produce at a high level against the lowly Red Wings.
Aaron Ekblad ($5,000) is on a nice run for the Panthers, with an active three-game point streak that's included three goals and two assists. The first overall selection from the 2014 draft is already halfway to reaching double-digit goals for the sixth consecutive season to open his career, and he should get his chances to stay hot in a fast-paced game against the Capitals.
While Dougie Hamilton rightfully gets most of the attention on Carolina's blue line, Jaccob Slavin ($4,600) is quietly posting solid numbers of his own. The 25-year-old Denver native is on a 44-point pace with 13 points through 24 games, and he's on pace for a career-high 178 shots as well. If you don't have the funds for Hamilton at $7,200, Slavin's a nice consolation prize against a Rangers team that's surrendering 3.50 goals per game — third-most in the NHL.
