Below are game breakdowns for each of the three games on Wednesday’s NHL DFS slate aling with optimal lineups at the bottom of the post.

Ottawa @ Buffalo

Both teams in this one have long been eliminated, so we don’t have to worry about any players potentially being rested in this one, though there’s honestly little of that to discuss on this short slate. Both teams have long been eliminated in large part because they allow too many goals (second and third most, respectively), which means they’re excellent matchups for opposing skaters. Vegas only has this game with an over/under of the standard 5.5, but this could rather easily be the highest scoring game of the night.

For the Sabres, we’re inclined to go with Jack Eichel’s line over Ryan O’Reilly’s line because Eichel’s line almost never sees the opposing top line in home games, though Matt Duchene’s line isn’t one you absolutely have to avoid. O’Reilly being $2,100 cheaper than Eichel on DK is stupid and could make O’Reilly the better play there even though Eichel’s individual matchup may be slightly better. They’re both priced about right on FD.

Eichel is joined by Jason Pominville at even strength, and Pom is working on a four-game points streak. Pom is priced nicely on both sites. Evan Rodrigues will also play up on Eichel’s line tonight with Zemgus Girgensons done for the year. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen plays with Eichel’s line the most at even strength, and he plays with Eichel on the top PP unit (Pom plays on the second unit).

For the Sens, the second line pair of Jean-Gabriel Paguea and Bobby Ryan may be the better mini-stack over the top line pair of Duchene and Mike Hoffman. You want to avoid the O’Reilly line when picking Sens, and it’s the Duchene line that is most likely to draw that matchup. Pageau and Ryan stay together on the top PP unit. Pageau is priced fairly on both sites, but Ryan is overpriced on DK. They’ll likely be joined on the top PP unit by D-man Thomas Chabot, who should take Erik Karlsson’s spot on the top PP unit in Karlsson’s absence. Chabot is a nice cheap option on both sites but especially on FD.

Chad Johnson will start in net for the Sabres tonight, meaning two of the five worst qualifying goalies in the league this season will face each other tonight. Of the 69 goalies with the most minutes played this season, Craig Anderson has the second worst Goals Saved Above Average mark, and Johnson has the fifth worst GSAA. That makes either goalie extremely difficult to roster, though Anderson could have some GPP appeal given that the Senators easily allow more shot attempts per 60 at even strength than any other team playing on this slate.

Chicago @ St. Louis

The Blues enter the night just one point behind Colorado for the final playoff spot in the West, so they should be highly motivated. The Blackhawks are another team that has long been eliminated, and they’ll be without Jonathan Toews this evening. Patrick Kane was quoted as saying they’d like to have something to do with keeping the rival Blues out of the playoffs, but that’s a narrative we’re not going to indulge. The Blues will be the biggest favorite of the night by far and opened as a -240 favorite in Vegas.

The Hawks don’t present any individual matchups you need to avoid when picking Blues to roster, so there’s no getting around having STL1 exposure in cash games. Vladimir Tarasenko is the most expensive of the three, but he’s also priced the best from that line relative to his previous production. The entire line is priced better on FD, so you could mini-stack Senko with Jaden Schwartz or Brayden Schenn there depending on your roster’s positional needs. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo joins the top line on the top PP unit, and he joins them in being priced better on FD than DK.

The Blues also present a few viable value options. Alexander Steen is the fifth member of the top PP unit and is priced nicely on FD. Patrik Berglund plays on the second line with Steen and sees work on the second PP unit, and Berglund is priced well on DK. Finally, defenseman Colton Parayko works on the second PP unit and has a nice price tag on FD.

Hawks aren’t a great option tonight as a heavy road underdog against a solid defensive team, but Patrick Kane at only $6,400 on DK is tempting. He could very much be used as a one-off in GPPs there.

In net, St. Louis’ starting goalie (likely Jake Allen) will be the chalk cash game pick with St. Louis being a massive home favorite on this short slate. Allen is priced much more reasonably on FD, so he’ll be a lot easier to fit in there. If you want to be a bit contrarian, J-F Berube will start for the Hawks and could see plenty of rubber given that the Hawks allow by far the most shot attempts per 60 at even than any team playing on this slate. That gives him plenty of upside if he’s on or the puck simply bounces his way.

Minnesota @ Anaheim

Anaheim has yet to lock up a playoff spot, so there’s not doubt they’ll be motivated this evening. Minnesota is another story. The Wild do have a playoff spot locked up but were they to lose out and the Blues win out, the Wild would fall from third in the Central to the first wild card spot.  However, Minnesota lost Ryan Suter for the season in their last game, so they could end up taking some precautions tonight, whether it be resting players or simply distributing minutes more evenly.

On a night earlier in the season when we weren’t concerned with teams making decisions with the playoffs in mind, this would be a stay-away game. Both teams are below average matchups for opposing skaters with good defenses (particularly Minnesota) and good goaltending (particularly Anaheim). But with Minnesota potentially playing this one cautiously, Anaheim is worth a look.

Minnesota’s top six is dynamite defensively, but Anaheim has three forward lines with skaters worth considering, so one of those lines is going to largely miss Minny’s top six. ANA2 tends to take the opposing top line in home games and ANA1 takes the opposing second line, so it’s ANA3, centered by Adam Henrique that should get the easier (or less difficult) matchup against Minny’s bottom six.

Henrique plays on the top PP unit, which adds to his appeal, and he’s joined at even by Ondrej Kase who actually has more primary points per 60 at even strength than any other player on this slate. Henrique is priced fairly on both sites, but Kase is a great value on FD and overpriced on DK. D-man Brandon Montour plays plenty with Henrique’s line at even strength, and he plays on the top PP unit. Montour is also priced much better on FD than DK.

Goalies in this game aren’t overly interesting given that neither team gives up a ton of shots, which limits the fantasy upside for the goalies. But if John Gibson, who is DTD, is unable to go for the Ducks (which seems likely), Ryan Miller could provide a bit of savings on DK in cash games if Allen is too expensive.