This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL trade deadline has passed. Personally, I wish the deadline happened earlier in the NHL, the "rental" vibe of many of these deals feels a bit mercenary, but at least it was a deadline with some major moves. How many residences do you think Mikko Rantanen currently has?
There are six NHL games Saturday night starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. That's light for a Saturday, but there's a lot of afternoon action you can watch. While you watch those games, set your DFS lineups for the evening with the help of these recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Only two teams are on the second day of a back-to-back. The Blues are doing the Ducks-and-Kings double, but they face the tougher of those teams Saturday. Then, there's lowly Chicago, facing the slightly-less-lowly Predators. Nashville will be happy with that turn of events.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. CHI ($8,200): This has not been Saros' season. It's his second tough campaign in a row, raising legitimate questions about his viability as Nashville's number-one going forward. However, even his .902 save percentage over the last two seasons is enough for me in this matchup. Chicago may be outside the bottom five in goals per game, but it is decidedly last in shots on net per contest and is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, so Saros may at least enjoy a light night of work.
Sam Montembeault, MON at CGY ($7,500): The Canadiens seem to have decided the Jakub Dobes thing was a fling, because Montembeault remains the clear number one netminder for the team. He's been erratic, but he has a 2.65 GAA and .906 save percentage over his last 12 appearances. The Flames have done something remarkable, in a way. Against stiff "competition," they have fallen to last in goals per game at 2.58. Yes, Calgary is in the running for worst offense in the NHL.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kevin Fiala, LOS vs. STL ($7,100): Fiala has 24 goals this season, and that's with a 13.6 shooting percentage because he's put 177 shots on net. He's also averaged 2:53 per game on the power play and has 15 points with the extra man. The Blues, who as I noted are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, have a bottom-five penalty kill.
William Eklund, SAN vs. NYI ($5,000): The Sharks look different after the deadline, which should be the case for a rebuilding team. Eklund remains, and he has a four-game point streak. He's also tallied five power-play points in his last 15 contests. While the Islanders have improved on the penalty kill, inasmuch as they aren't last any longer, they still rank 29th.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Predators vs. Chicago
Colton Sissons (C - $4,000), Filip Forsberg (W - $8,400), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,700)
Chicago, a team in the bottom four in GAA and shots on goal allowed per game, also dealt away talent as part of its rebuild. The team did bring in an intriguing goalie in Spencer Knight, but Knight played Friday. Petr Mrazek is back with my beloved Red Wings (thanks… I guess?), leaving Arvid Soderblom to start Saturday. He has a career .891 save percentage and is not an intriguing goalie. Throw in the back-to-back in play, and I am all-in on stacking a Nashville line.
Sissons barely shoots, but he's in a nice spot as a center between these wings. He also has eight points over his last 10 games, including two goals. I really like Forsberg as a player. That's just something I was thinking about the other day. The best forward in Predators history has 24 goals and 33 assists and has tallied 220 shots in 62 contests. He hasn't had a game with fewer than two shots on net since January 3. Marchessault also shoots quite a bit, having notched 188 shots on target with 19 goals to his name. He has a point in each of his last two outings and could easily make that three in a row in this matchup.
Islanders at Sharks
Bo Horvat (C - $7,000), Kyle Palmieri (W - $6,300), Anthony Duclair (W - $4,900)
Maybe the Penguins will end up with a higher GAA than the Sharks. Perhaps the Ducks will allow more shots on net per game. This is the best San Jose can hope for. At best, the team will finish 31st on both fronts. Given that Alexandar Georgiev is the lead goalie for the Sharks, I definitely expect them to finish last in GAA at the very least. Georgiev has a 3.64 GAA and .876 save percentage. Brock Nelson is gone and Mathew Barzal is hurt, but this veteran trio is still worth a stack.
Horvat has 20 goals in 60 games so he could have his fourth 30-goal season in a row. He's been shooting like he wants that to be the case, having put 55 shots on target over his last 18 games (scoring seven times in the process). Palmieri was the type of veteran one might have thought would be dealt at the deadline. That's especially true with how he has been playing. He's notched eight goals over his last 12 outings. Duclair has regressed after scoring 24 goals last season, but he's also only played in 31 games. He's healthy and is now a first-line wing, and this matchup could help him get on track.
DEFENSEMEN
Noah Dobson, NYI at SAN ($6,700): Dobson just got his first point since returning from injury. He's put at least two shots on goal in each of his last three games and has blocked three shots in each of his last two outings. Dobson's season doesn't compare to his 70-point campaign last year, but 25 points and 150 shots in 50 games for a defenseman pops for me. As for the Sharks, they have a 3.70 GAA and have allowed 32.0 shots on goal per game.
Mike Matheson, MON at CGY ($6,100): Lane Hutson has stolen the shine from Matheson (also a lot of his power-play time), but Matheson remains king when it comes to putting pucks on net. He's tallied 113 shots on goal through 60 games. Another strong rookie performer, Dustin Wolf, is expected in net for the Flames, but the Flames have allowed 29.3 shots on net per contest. This year that sits in the bottom 10, and they also have a bottom-10 penalty kill.
