This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate is a small one, with just three games on tap after 7:30 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Maple Leafs' roaring offense will look to keep rolling in front of the home crowd against the Jets. Washington should be favored on the road despite facing a Flyers team that's played well in its own building, and both teams will be finishing up back-to-back sets in that one. The Stars visit Los Angeles in what's likely to be this slate's lowest-scoring affair.
GOALIES
Ben Bishop ($8,100) should be worth paying up for as this slate's most expensive player. He's in the midst of a strong season for the Stars, and his 14-9-3 record, 2.33 GAA and .926 save percentage should only get better by the time he's through with a bottom-five Kings offense that's mustering only 2.54 goals per game.
Jonathan Quick ($7,200) is a nice option if you're looking to stay cheap in net. Dallas' offense is the second-weakest in this slate at 2.69 goals per game. Meanwhile, Quick has been much tougher to beat on home ice, going 8-6-1 with a 2.54 GAA and .910 save percentage.
The other goalies in this slate have all been mixed bags at best recently, making the two above options the go-to plays in net.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Roope Hintz ($4,600) should provide nice value at his affordable price as the Stars set their sights on a fifth consecutive win. The 23-year-old Finn has a 2-3-5 line over an active four-game point streak, and Hintz leads the team with 14 goals despite missing seven of Dallas' 42 games.
Travis Konecny ($5,200) leads the Flyers with 37 points and is tied for the team lead with 13 goals despite missing three of Philadelphia's 43 games. If you're going to use any Flyers players here, Konecny should be the man you start with.
Alex Iafallo ($4,200) seemed miscast on the Kings' first line for much of the season, but he's certainly looked like a legit first-liner recently. The winger brings a seven-game point streak and three-game goal streak into this meeting with Dallas.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Jets
Auston Matthews (C - $7,900), Mitch Marner (W - $7,000), Zach Hyman (W - $5,400)
Winnipeg's weakness is the penalty kill, as the Jets have negated a league-low 72.2 percent of opposing power plays. Matthews is the Maple Leafs player best positioned to capitalize on this weakness, as he leads the team in both goals (eight) and points (16) with the extra man. Marner ranks second in both categories, three goals and one point behind Matthews. Hyman has been limited to 25 games this season but owns a 10-6-16 line overall in those games.
Capitals at Flyers
Nicklas Backstrom (C - $6,000), Alex Ovechkin (W - $7,600), Tom Wilson (W - $4,300)
Those who grabbed this line Tuesday were rewarded with two goals by Ovechkin, two assists from Wilson and one helper from Backstrom. Ovechkin's tied for third league-wide with 26 goals, Backstrom has a solid 8-25-33 line and Wilson's at 13-16-29, so a repeat performance from this line is certainly possible against a Flyers team that's winless in its last four.
Jets at Maple Leafs
Blake Wheeler (C - $5,800), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $5,300), Jack Roslovic (W - $3,400)
You don't need to break the bank to grab Winnipeg's second line, but this trio has plenty of potential against a Maple Leafs team that's yielding 3.16 goals per game. Wheeler's 3-4-7 line over the past four games has him up to 14-24-38 in 43 games for the season. That 72-point pace would be his worst finish in five years but still quite a productive one. With a 17-17-34 line, Ehlers is on pace to top 60 points for the third time and finally break 30 goals after coming tantalizingly close with 29 in 2017-18. The 22-year-old Roslovic is still growing his game but is plenty dangerous already with a 7-10-17 line.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson ($6,400) continues to pace all defensemen in scoring with a 13-41-54 line through 44 games. The Capitals blueliner is rarely a bad choice if you have money to spend once you've locked in your forwards.
Tyson Barrie ($5,600) has supplanted Morgan Rielly as Toronto's top offensive threat from the blue line since Sheldon Keefe took over behind the bench, and Barrie's showing no signs of slowing down with a 1-7-8 line in his last seven games.
Josh Morrissey ($4,000) of the Jets is a nice choice in a lower price range. He's over a half-point per game pace for the second season in a row, with a 4-20-24 line in 41 appearances.
John Klingberg ($4,600) is traveling with the Stars as he recovers from a lower-body injury. He should be inserted into your lineup immediately if given the all-clear to dress for this one, as Klingberg had racked up eight helpers in his last six games before getting hurt.
