This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 8:00 PM Eastern time and features three games. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Colorado's top-five offense has plenty of upside at home against the Sabres despite battling a few notable injuries, while the Penguins will be heavily favored in Los Angeles. The Oilers-Golden Knights contest should be more competitive, but it can't be ignored given the immense offensive talent on both sides.
GOALIES
Pavel Francouz ($8,500) won't come cheap, but he's earned his hefty valuation by winning each of his past three starts and allowing two total goals in that stretch. He's now 16-5-3 with a 2.27 GAA and .927 save percentage heading into a home matchup with a Buffalo team that's just 10-15-4 on the road.
Matt Murray ($7,800) and Tristan Jarry ($7,800) both finished with negative fantasy points in their respective last appearances over the weekend, but a trip to Los Angeles should help cure the ills of whichever goalie Pittsburgh chooses here. The Kings are scoring just 2.48 goals per game — second-fewest in the league.
If you want to maximize the cap space for some of this slate's expensive stars, rolling the dice on Mikko Koskinen ($6,800) could turn into a worthy gamble. His low floor in Vegas makes Koskinen a better option in GPP formats than Double Ups, but Edmonton's backup still has respectable overall stats relative to his price with a 16-12-2 record, 2.89 GAA and .911 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
To nobody's surprise, Sidney Crosby ($8,000) has been productive when healthy this season, with a 13-28-41 line in 33 appearances. The star Penguins pivot should keep racking up points against a Kings team that's allowing 3.17 goals per game.
If the doubtful Andre Burakovsky (illness) indeed sits out, whomever bumps onto the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog will turn into a tremendous value play for the Avalanche. That should be either Valeri Nichushkin ($3,500) or Joonas Donskoi ($3,900).
If the Penguins carry over their poor defensive form from the weekend, look for Alex Iafallo ($4,800) to take advantage. The affordable Kings winger unlocked a new gear earlier this season and hasn't looked back, churning out a 10-11-21 line over his last 26 games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins at Kings
Evgeni Malkin (C - $7,100), Bryan Rust (W - $6,000), Patric Hornqvist (W - $5,200)
The Penguins are primed to add to the struggles of a Kings team that's won only five of its last 21 games. Malkin and Rust have been Pittsburgh's two most productive players despite both missing extensive time due to injuries. The star center leads the team in points with a 21-41-62 line in 47 games, while Rust leads the team in goals (23) and ranks second in points (49) while being limited to just 47 of a possible 61 games himself. They'll be joined by the hot Hornqvist, who has a 4-5-9 line and 36 shots in 10 games since the calendar flipped to February.
Golden Knights vs. Oilers
William Karlsson (C - $5,000), Max Pacioretty (W -$7,700), Mark Stone (W - $6,600)
This line was absolutely dominant in Vegas' last game Sunday, when Karlsson scored a hat trick, Stone dished out four assists and Pacioretty also bagged two apples in a 6-5 overtime win over Anaheim. That output propelled Stone into the team points lead with 63. He sits two points clear of Pacioretty, who still leads the team in goals (29) and shots (281). Karlsson hasn't been able to replicate his 43-35-78 line from 2017-18 in the two seasons since, but his 13-27-40 line in 56 appearances this season is nothing to sneeze at. An Oilers team that's playing its second game in as many nights will have a tough time slowing this trio down.
Oilers at Golden Knights
Connor McDavid (C - $7,800), Andreas Athanasiou (W - $4,500), Tyler Ennis (W - $3,700)
The Oilers gave McDavid more speed to work with at Monday's trade deadline, and the moves immediately paid dividends Tuesday in Anaheim. The affordable Athanasiou and Ennis each finished with a goal and an assist while McDavid dished out three assists. McDavid has a 31-56-87 line in 57 appearances, Athanasiou was a 30-goal scorer last season and clearly looks inspired after going from the league's worst team to a contender, and Ennis now has a respectable 15-20-35 line between the Senators and Oilers. This line should only get pricier from here.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore's ($5,800) goal in Sunday's win over the Ducks was his 16th point in his last 16 games. As long as Theodore keeps chugging along at the point-per-game pace he's established of late, the Golden Knights blueliner will be worth a lineup spot.
Rasmus Dahlin ($4,600) is another defenseman who has found the scoresheet often recently, racking up 16 points in his past 18 games. The Avalanche haven't been particularly stingy against defensemen, making the Buffalo blueliner a solid value play in Colorado.
Alec Martinez ($4,400) has been reinvigorated since joining the Golden Knights via trade from LA, racking up a 2-2-4 line in his first three games with Vegas. The veteran defenseman should slow down before long, but he could be worth locking in while he's hot.
