This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate is a small one and has an unusual start time, with just two games on the schedule after 5:30 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Most lineups will likely focus on the Lightning at home against the Red Wings, as this is about as large of a mismatch as you'll find in the NHL — Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup last season while Detroit was the worst team in the league. The other game features a Bruins team that took home the 2020 Presidents' Trophy for leading the league in regular-season points visiting a strong Flyers club.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. DET ($8,200): Vasilevskiy's on pace for the best season of his career, which is saying a lot for a guy who already has a Vezina Trophy on his mantle. He's 5-1-1 with a 2.14 GAA and .925 save percentage heading into a matchup with a Detroit team that's scoring just 2.00 goals per game.
Carter Hart, PHI vs. BOS ($7,700): Hart has righted the ship following a rough patch, stopping 59 of 62 shots (.952 save percentage) in winning his last two starts. The young netminder should continue to thrive against a Boston team that has lacked secondary scoring, sitting in the middle of the pack with 3.11 goals per game.
Thomas Greiss, DET at TB ($7,000): Greiss is winless through seven decisions with Detroit, but he hasn't been the problem. His .897 save percentage is actually higher than that of Bruins starter Tuukka Rask, and Elliott hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game this season. Going cheap in net to load up on offensive options is certainly a viable strategy here despite Greiss' low floor against the Lightning.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nick Ritchie, BOS at PHI ($3,600): Ritchie currently occupies the coveted fifth spot on Boston's high-powered top power-play unit alongside the team's top line and defenseman Charlie McAvoy. He has made the most of his opportunities there, as all four of his goals and six of his eight points have come on the man advantage. As long as he maintains that spot, Ritchie will offer substantial upside relative to his modest $3,600 valuation.
Bobby Ryan, DET at TB ($3,100): Despite missing one of Detroit's first 10 games, Ryan is tied with Dylan Larkin for second on the team in goals (four), and leading goal-scorer Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body) is unavailable. Ryan is also one of four healthy Red Wings with at least six points while no others have more than two, and he's the least expensive of the four.
Nolan Patrick, PHI vs. BOS ($3,300): Patrick continues to center Philadelphia's top line in Sean Couturier's (ribs) absence. The second overall pick from the 2017 draft has a 2-3-5 line through 10 games.
Yanni Gourde, TB vs. DET ($3,500): Gourde's coming off a two-goal game against Nashville, giving him a 3-2-5 line through seven games. He's playing well in the early going, sitting one goal off the team lead, and inexpensive forwards like Gourde are key to building a balanced lineup if you're looking to maximize your exposure to the Lightning.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Red Wings
Brayden Point (C - $7,200), Steven Stamkos (W - $8,100), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,400)
This top line should be the chalk stack for the heavily favored Lightning against a Detroit team that's allowing 3.50 goals per game. Stamkos and Palat share the team goals lead with four apiece through seven games, and Stamkos also leads the team with nine points. Point is just one point back of Stamkos' team lead with a 3-5-8 line, and both Point and Stamkos have proven capable of exceeding a point-per-game pace over a full season before.
Bruins at Flyers
Patrice Bergeron (C - $7,900), Brad Marchand (W - $7,600), David Pastrnak (W - $8,300)
No team is as reliant on its top line for offense as Boston, and this trio is capable of carrying fantasy lineups on the busiest of nights, let alone this two-game slate. Bergeron has a 5-6-11 line through nine games, while Marchand has been even better with a 6-7-13 line. Most of that success has come with a black hole on right wing rather than Pastrnak, who potted 48 goals last year and has hit the ground running since returning from hip surgery, with two goals, an assist and 12 shots through two games.
Flyers vs. Bruins
Scott Laughton (C - $2,500), James van Riemsdyk (W - $4,700), Joel Farabee (W - $2,800)
Philadelphia boasts some of the league's best forward depth, and this standout third line offers a nice bargain as an alternative or complement to the pair of pricey stacks above. Laughton has held his own with a 1-4-5 line through 10 games, but it's really the wingers that make this trio stand out. Van Riemsdyk is tied for the team lead with five goals while leading the Flyers with 13 points. Farabee is one of the players tied with JVR for the goals lead, and the 2018 first-round pick is coming off a hat trick against the Islanders.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB vs. DET ($7,400): A Lightning stack is never complete without Hedman, who is tied with Point for second on the Lightning with eight points through seven games. The standout blueliner is also just two shots shy of Point's team-leading 23, trailing Steven Stamkos by one in the category.
Filip Hronek, DET at TB ($4,000): Hronek is by far the best defenseman on the Red Wings and boasts considerable offensive talent. He has dished out six helpers through 10 games, including three on the power play.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at PHI ($5,000): McAvoy's tied with Ritchie for third on Bruins with eight points, trailing only Bergeron and Marchand. He plays in all situations, easily leading the team with 24:35 average TOI, giving McAvoy a chance to rack up plenty of secondary stats in addition to his contributions on the scoresheet.
Erik Gustafsson, PHI vs. BOS ($3,100): Gustafsson scored 60 points for Chicago in 2018-19 and has five points through eight games with the Flyers. If he's in the lineup, the Swede is a solid source of cheap offense from the blue line.
