Fantasy buzz: Provorov, Boeser worth owning in most formats

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff will have you covered with daily lineup news, production trends and injury notes from around the League. We will identify how these developments affect fantasy owners in year-long (Yahoo) and daily (DraftKings) formats.

5:30 p.m.

DraftKings value picks for Wednesday

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy staff will provide daily picks for DraftKings NHL contests. This article includes expensive and value plays and can be used as a basis for your roster decision-making.
CENTER:
Nick Schmaltz, CHI ($4,700 vs. PHI): The Chicago Blackhawks center will remain with elite right wing Patrick Kane after their latest line shuffle, but will be flanked by a new linemate, Brandon Saad, on the opposite wing against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN). Schmaltz has points in back-to-back games and has four points (two goals, two assists) in as many home games this season. Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott has allowed 12 goals over his past three starts, making this a bounce-back spot for Chicago.

WING:
Pat Maroon, EDM ($4,700 vs. PIT): Through all of the Edmonton Oilers' lineup chaos this season, Maroon has remained alongside Connor McDavid, making him a nightly DFS threat. He has a five-game point streak entering Edmonton's home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN360, ATTSN-PT), has had multiple shots on goal in each game and at least one goal in four of the five. He is somehow still priced under $5,000 in DraftKings, and had one assist, one block and three shots on goal (4.0 DraftKings points) against the Penguins on Oct. 24.

DEFENSEMAN:
Tim Heed, SJS ($3,900 vs. NSH): The 26-year-old defenseman has latched onto the San Jose Sharks' first power-play unit with defenseman Brent Burns and forwards Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. He has six points (two goals, four assists), three power-play points, 10 blocked shots and 18 shots on goal in nine games. His DraftKings points-per-game average is significantly better at home (3.3; 2.3 on road), so roll him out for an affordable price against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

GOALTENDER:
Frederik Andersen, TOR ($7,200 at ANA):The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender is a glaring value pick against the Anaheim Ducks, his former team, on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; SN1, FS-W). He is 3-2-0 with a .931 save percentage and one shutout in five road starts this season, and could easily bounce back from three straight losses considering the Ducks will be without top-line center Ryan Getzlaf (face). Andersen is priced ninth out of 10 goaltenders on this five-game night.

READ:
Full list of projected starting goaltenders for Wed. Nov. 1
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2:45 p.m.

Provorov emerging as must-own defenseman

Fantasy owners in need of a high-upside defenseman off the waiver wire should invest in Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Provorov (53 percent owned; 168th in Yahoo) has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 12 games this season with 32 shots on goal (T-14th among defensemen). The Flyers' power-play quarterback, Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body), will not play during their two-game road trip against Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN) and against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
With Gostisbehere sidelined against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, Provorov scored his first power-play point of the season and had three assists, a plus-2 and seven shots on goal in the Flyers' 4-3 overtime loss. Provorov played on the first unit with
fantasy-relevant forwards
in Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds and Sean Couturier. Provorov also had a multi-point game at the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 26 and has 16 SOG over his past three games.
The 20-year-old defenseman, who is also a blocked shots specialist (30 in 12 games), is priced in the middle range in DraftKings at $5,200 (seventh among defensemen Wednesday). He has four points (two goals, two assists) and is averaging 4.4 DraftKings points per game in six road games this season.

Boeser eyes return for Canucks; Connor surging for Jets

Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser could return to their lineup against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; SNV, MSG+, NHL.TV). Boeser did not play against the Dallas Stars on Monday because of a foot injury.
Boeser (23 percent owned in Yahoo) ranks second among rookies in points per game (1.13) behind Clayton Keller (1.15; C/LW/RW in Yahoo, 64 percent) of the Arizona Coyotes. Boeser leads the Canucks in scoring with nine points (two goals, seven assists) despite playing eight of their 11 games (two healthy scratches, one game missed with injury). He's a prime value pick at $4,200 in DraftKings against the Devils considering he has five points (one goal, four assists), one block and 10 shots on goal in three home games (3.3 DraftKings points per game).
If Boeser is already owned in your season-long format, Winnipeg Jets rookie Kyle Connor (7 percent owned) is a deep-league consolation prize. The 20-year-old rookie has five points (two goals, three assists), 11 shots on goal and is plus-4 in six games since being recalled from Manitoba of the American Hockey League on Oct. 16.
Connor is playing mostly on a line with center Mark Scheifele and right wing Blake Wheeler at even strength. He scored one goal on five shots on goal against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and played 1:59 on the first power-play unit with forwards Patrik Laine, Scheifele, Wheeler and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.

DeBrincat moving to left wing; Saad joins Schmaltz, Kane

The Chicago Blackhawks have shuffled their forward lines again in the hope of sparking their offense and power play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
Rookie Alex DeBrincat has shifted to left wing onto a line with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik, and Brandon Saad has been moved away from Toews and onto a line with Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz. Kane has been held without a point in each of his past two games with a combined minus-3 despite nine shots on goal in the span. Toews is in the midst of a seven-game goal drought.
Kane, Toews, Saad and Panik are high-ownership players in Yahoo, but these moves could provide DeBrincat (RW, 9 percent owned) and/or Schmaltz (C/LW, 15 percent owned) with a fantasy boost. With Chicago's power play struggling (12.7 percent; fourth-worst in NHL), coach Joel Quenneville used Schmaltz (4:46) and DeBrincat (1:47) often on the power play against the Avalanche on Saturday.
DeBrincat had an assist and two shots on goal against the Avalanche on Saturday but has bounced around the Blackhawks' top-nine forward group playing right wing in his rookie season. He could get a chance to skate with Toews on Chicago's first power-play unit as well. Schmaltz, who missed four games earlier in the season because of an upper-body injury, scored one goal against the Avalanche on Saturday.