DraftKings NHL: Wednesday Picks

DraftKings NHL: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

GOALIE

John Gibson, ANA vs. WPG ($7,400): He's won four straight and five of his past six, and the Jets are just 19-16-0 on the road, a damning record for a team that's supposed to be elite. The pressure's all on the Jets to not lose, and the Ducks' only blemish recently is a 6-1 loss to the surging Coyotes. Jacob Markstrom ($8,400) feels like the surest bet but he comes at a huge premium. 

CENTER

Elias Pettersson, VAN vs. OTT ($6,400): Pettersson has a point in three straight games and considering what he's done on a mediocre offensive team this season, this is perhaps the best value play of the night. The Leafs would be a safer bet if they were playing better, but instead it's the Canucks that have seem a little more life to them than usual, winning three of their past four. 

Evan Rodrigues, BUF vs. TOR ($3,700): He's the de facto No. 2 center behind Jack Eichel ($7,400), and while the Leafs may be a tough opponent, Rodrigues has been playing well with five shots in three of his past four games and recently snapped an 18-game goal drought. It's a shaky second line with tweener scorer Conor Sheary ($3,900) and underperforming star prospect Alexander Nylander ($3,000), but at this price it's a defensible gamble. 

WING

Brock Boeser, VAN vs. OTT ($6,500): It's $12,900 combined for Boeser and Pettersson, $13,900 for Wheeler and Scheifele, $14,700 for Stamkos and Kucherov, or $15,100 for Matthews and Tavares. Given those choices, the Canucks duo is the cheapest to linestack and faces the weakest opponent, so it's a no-brainer. Everything looks so easy again for the Flow, who's on a seven-game point streak. 

Kasperi Kapanen, TOR at BUF ($4,700): He's a player you watch and you wonder why he doesn't have more points. The speedy and crafty winger has just one assist in his past four games with the entire team falling into a slump at the worst possible time, but this is a team the Leafs have dominated recently and in three games against them this season, all of which were wins, Kapanen has scored three points. 

Sven Baertschi, VAN vs. OTT ($4,600): He's been cleared for contact but was held out Sunday against the Stars, which means he could make his debut after a month-long absence tonight against the lowly Sens. Baertschi is a two-way winger who can play a solid 15-17 minutes per night, and if past history is any indication he'll return to his usual spot on Bo Horvat's left wing, a prime assignment for a team that doesn't score very often. 

DEFENSE

Victor Hedman, TB at WAS ($6,100): A goal against the Coyotes gives him a point in five straight games and the towering Swede remains a key cog on the Lightning's Cup-or-bust quest. The Lightning have nothing to play for, but a wing against a conference rival would still mean a lot so expect Hedman to play his usual minutes and perhaps a bit more, but nothing crazy in the 30-minute range. Hedman remains a good source of points from every category. 

Ryan McDonagh, TB at WAS ($5,100): McDonagh's one of those crazy guys who willingly blocks shots, so maybe it's destiny he faces Alex Ovechkin his entire career, but since 2015 he's averaged three blocked shots per game against the Caps. McDonagh provides less offensive upside than Brandon Montour ($4,700) or Christian Wolanin ($3,700) but he's one of the safest picks. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NHL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NHL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Chen
Jason won the 2021 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year award, and was also a finalist on 2019. He joined RotoWire in 2013. Jason has also written for Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, The Hockey News, The Hockey Hall of Fame's Legends Magazine, and Centre Ice Magazine.
2024 NHL Playoffs First Round Preview
2024 NHL Playoffs First Round Preview
Stanley Cup Playoffs: NHL Playoff Pool Cheat Sheet
Stanley Cup Playoffs: NHL Playoff Pool Cheat Sheet
NHL Parlay Picks for Thursday, April 18
NHL Parlay Picks for Thursday, April 18
FanDuel NHL: Thursday Picks
FanDuel NHL: Thursday Picks
NHL Picks Tonight: Best NHL Bets and Player Props for April 18, 2024
NHL Picks Tonight: Best NHL Bets and Player Props for April 18, 2024
DraftKings NHL: Thursday Breakdown
DraftKings NHL: Thursday Breakdown