This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are just four games in the NHL on Wednesday, so you'll want to be creative with differentiating your selections in tournaments. Here are a handful of players across multiple price ranges to consider while assembling your FanDuel lineups.
GOALIE
John Gibson, ANA vs. EDM ($9,300): Currently locked in with a 9-2-4 record, .941 save percentage and 1.71 GAA through his past 15 decisions, Gibson has taken hold of the No. 1 job and proven to be a high-end goalie dating back to mind-December. It helps his chances Wednesday that Anaheim is a dominant 67-27-12 at home dating back to the 2014-15 campaign, and Gibson owns a .925 save percentage and 2.19 GAA at the Honda Center this season. Edmonton is an admirable foe, which could help drive Gibson's ownership down despite his home success.
CENTER
Auston Matthews, TOR at DET ($7,800): He's missed the scoresheet in his last three outings, but Matthews is in a ripe bounce-back spot with Detroit playing its second game in consecutive nights. The Red Wings have allowed 3.17 goals per game and 29.38 scoring chances per 60 minutes in January. Even with his recent slide, Matthews' 2.86 points and 11.81 shots per 60 minutes rank 14th and third, respectively, among all skaters with at least 750 minutes this season.
Henrik Sedin, VAN at COL ($5,600): The Avalanche have allowed the most goals per 60 minutes in the league (3.34), including 23 through their past six games -- all losses. Meanwhile, Sedin has been playing well of late with two goals and five points through his past five outings, and he's priced in value territory in this favorable matchup. The playmaking half of the Sedin twins continues to be the go-to offensive center for Vancouver with an average of 19:25 on the ice and 3:23 of that on the power play.
WING
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. PHI ($6,800): Although he's admittedly a touch on the inconsistent side, Kreider owns huge upside and offers contest-winning potential. His 1.52 goals and 2.87 points per 60 minutes rank eighth and 15th in the league among all skaters with at least 700 minutes this season, and he's averaging 2.79 shots per game. Philadelphia has also allowed 25 goals through its past six games and the fourth-most goals per 60 minutes (3.06) for the season.
Rickard Rakell, ANA vs. EDM ($6,500): Reunited with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf on the No. 1 line, Rakell has four goals and six points through his past seven games. Additionally, the 23-year-old forward owns a third-ranked 1.75 goals per 60 minutes among all skaters with at least 500 minutes, and the Oilers have surrendered the fourth-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (11.64).
Matthew Nieto, COL vs. VAN ($3,300): It hasn't been a smashing success for Nieto through his first seven games with the Avalanche. He's posted a goal, two points and 11 shots on net through seven games. However, he's also logged 16:49 of ice time per game, and he's projected to skate in a top-six role with Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog on Wednesday. This should prove to be a nice matchup to throw a low-priced dart Nieto's way, as Vancouver is 5-14-3 on the road while allowing 3.18 goals per game.
DEFENSE
Ryan McDonagh, NYR vs. PHI ($5,700): Affordable and offering a high floor, McDonagh is enduring a slow stretch with just three assists through his past nine games. Still, he's buoyed his fantasy value with 14 shots, 20 blocked shots and an average of 24:21 of ice time per game -- 2:57 on the power play -- during that stretch. His 1.48 points per 60 minutes also rank seventh among all defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes. Philadelphia has allowed the most goals per game in January (3.7), too, which helps his cause.
Nikita Zaitsev, TOR at DET ($4,400): In his past four games with Morgan Rielly (ankle) out of the picture, Zaitsev has posted three points, eight shots and nine blocked shots while averaging 23:12 of ice time (2:39 with the man advantage). It's only a slight uptick in workload, but the fact that he's seeing a more prominent role in a high-powered offense at this price presents excellent value. Detroit is on the wrong end of back-to-back games, while Toronto is generating the third-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes in the league (12.42), after all.
