This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday is not a big day in the NHL; it's just a regular old November evening with three games. However, it's a big day for one player, and he kicks off this edition of DraftKings fantasy values.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT at ANA ($7,800): Murray will be making his season debut Wednesday. Perhaps there will be rust, but we all remember how impressive he was last season while leading the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. The Ducks are the one team playing Wednesday that's in the second half of back-to-backs, and that helps Murray's chances of getting a win. Carey Price ($8,600) is a safer bet, but he's also a more expensive one.
CENTER
Frans Nielsen, DET at PHI ($4,900): The new Red Wing is off to a decent start with six points in 10 games. He's getting plenty of playing time, though – more than 17 minutes a night, including more than three minutes on the power play. Steve Mason has a 3.46 GAA and .878 save percentage, and he's been the better of Philly's goalies. That adds up to a great matchup for Nielsen.
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA vs. PIT ($6,800): There's not a lot of value in the lower tiers of fantasy centers. Getzlaf is the cheapest of the elite centers going Wednesday (if you want to still consider him elite after he only scored 13 goals last season). Once again, Getzlaf's shooting percentage leaves a lot to be desired, but he's not likely to be incredibly unlucky two seasons in a row. On the off chance that Murray's rusty in his first game back, Getzlaf makes for a good lineup addition that won't completely break your bank.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT at ANA ($6,000): John Gibson, who is not off to a strong start to the season, started Tuesday for the Ducks and played terrifically well, but he may also have to start Wednesday, considering Jonathan Bernier is day-to-day. Kessel only has three goals so far, but he's got seven power-play points, and we know he takes a lot of shots and scores plenty of goals. He's well worth this price.
Tomas Tatar, DET at PHI ($4,500): Yes, Tatar only has one goal this season, but that's bound to change. He's taken 29 shots on goal and is averaging career highs in ice time and power-play time. The opportunities are there, so Tatar is definitely worth rolling the dice on at such a low price; eventually, a puck or two is bound to find the back of the net off his stick.
Brayden Schenn, PHI vs. DET ($5,700): This one is a little tricky because Jimmy Howard could possibly start, even if Petr Mrazek is the expected starter, and Howard has been great this season. Mrazek has been good as well, but he also let in four goals in 10 shots in his last game. However, Philly's offense has been impressive, and Schenn has six points (four on the power play) in seven games. With so few options available, a little gamble like this can be justified.
DEFENSE
Mike Green, DET at PHI ($5,500): Green has gone into a bit of a scoring slump after a hot early run, but he took four shots on goal in Detroit's last game, so he's still getting involved. He's also averaging more than four minutes per game on the power play, so the opportunities are clearly there. Minutes in offensive situations and a favorable matchup make for a nice daily-fantasy combo, especially when the player has a resume like Green's.
Andrei Markov, MON vs. VAN ($4,500): While the Canadiens have a great matchup against the Canucks, that's mostly about the fact that their league-best defense should shut down Vancouver's league-worst offense. That doesn't really help from a fantasy perspective, especially since the Canucks have been good at goal prevention as well. However, Markov has 16 shots on goal and 13 blocked shots, and he's always been a reliable power-play weapon. At a much less onerous price than the red-hot Shea Weber ($7,100), Markov could be a good deal.
