DraftKings NHL: Saturday Breakdown

DraftKings NHL: Saturday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

SLATE PREVIEW

We have eight games lined up for the Saturday night DFS slate starting at 7 p.m. EST. There likely will be some low-scoring games in this slate, as both Dallas-Columbus and Sabres-Islanders have been tagged with a 5.0 O/U.

It looks like Nathan MacKinnon (upper body) will be out after being a late scratch for last night's game. That shakes up the Avalanche's lines, meaning Nazem Kadri should center Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog

Most of these teams played last night, so there shouldn't be a ton of surprises in the crease, but make sure to check back before game time. All advanced statistics are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. 

GOALIES

Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. ANH ($8,500): Grubauer is coming off a 26-save shutout against the Sharks, marking his 11th win in 16 starts and registering a .920 save percentage so far. The Ducks enter Saturday's game on an eight-game win streak in which they averaged 2.0 goals per contest, so Grubauer's the clear chalk, albeit with limited upside. 

Cam Talbot, MIN at ARI ($8,000): Talbot had a rough go in Vegas, but there's nothing shameful about being lit up by the Golden Knights. The veteran recorded a .926 save percentage before that series, and he draws a good opportunity to bounce back Saturday, as the Coyotes haven't generated many chances lately, ranking 25th in the league with 1.93 xGF/60.

Joonas Korpisalo, CLM at DAL ($7,500): Korpisalo has been quite good over the last five games, putting up a .932 save percentage and a 1.82 GAA. A lack of offensive support left him with a 2-3-0 record in that stretch. That's certainly still a concern for DFS purposes, but it's a favorable matchup nonetheless. The Stars have struggled offensively over the last two weeks, ranking 29th with 1.90 xGF/60.

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Timo Meier, SJ vs. VGK ($4,900): Sure, he failed to post a point in the last two games, but that was only after back-to-back, three-point performances. Meier has at least 20 goals in three straight seasons. In that stretch, he converted on at least 10 percent of his shots. This year, he's at 6.5 percent. Look for some positive regression against a Golden Knights' defense that has given up 2.68 xG/60 over the last five games -- third-most in the league. 

Jordan Kyrou, STL at LA ($4,600): Kyrou ranked second on the team with eight goals until David Perron scored twice last night. The youngster injects another level of speed to the top six, and he's found chemistry with both Ryan O'Reilly and Brayden Schenn. Jonathan Quick should get the nod, and he sports a mediocre .900 save percentage this year.

Boone Jenner, CLM at DAL ($4,500): I like going after Anton Khudobin here. Khudobin was marvelous in the Stanley Cup run last year, but something's off right now. Over his last three starts, he's given up nine goals on 56 shots -- an .839 save percentage. Meanwhile, Jenner's heating up with four goals and as many assists over the last nine games. 

Alex Tuch, VGK at SJ ($4,300): Tuch has lit the lamp five times over the past six games. He's not going to keep this up, but the Sharks' goaltending isn't a major impediment. It doesn't hurt that he's garnering PP2 time against the Sharks' 20th-ranked PK (76.7 percent). 

LINE STACKS

Oilers vs. Flames

Connor McDavid (C - $9,100), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $7,000), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $4,200)

McDavid's on a bit of a cold streak, but we obviously aren't going to count on the best player in the world staying off the scoresheet for long. The Flames likely will start Jacob Markstrom on Saturday. He started to falter before his injury with back-to-back games with five goals against, and he's allowed three or more goals in 60 percent of his starts this season.

Canadiens vs. Jets

Nick Suzuki (C - $5,200), Tyler Toffoli (W - $7,200), Jonathan Drouin (W - $3,700)

These three are starting to hit their stride together, combining for six points and firing 15 shots on net over the last two games. It'll be Connor Hellebuyck in net tomorrow, but the Jets continuously leave him out to dry, as they rank 25th in the league over the last two weeks with 2.45 xGA/60 at even strength. 

Wild at Coyotes

Victor Rask (C - $3,400), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $4,400), Mats Zuccarello (W - $5,500)

This line continues to be an offensive juggernaut for the Wild, as they put up four points last night against the Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper will be back in net tonight, which is a major boost for the Coyotes, but even he has recorded an .890 save percentage over his past four starts. 

DEFENSEMEN

Morgan Rielly, TOR at VAN ($5,500): Rielly's third in the league among defensemen with 16 helpers through 25 games, and nine of those came on the power play. The Canucks' PK (80.8 percent) ranks 12th in the league, but they allow a ton of chances at even strength, letting up 2.51 xG/60 at even strength -- 27th in the league.

Rasmus Andersson, CGY at EDM ($5,200): Andersson has averaged nearly 23 minutes per game over the last eight games, and he capitalized on the increased opportunity, putting up five points and 20 shots on net. The 24-year-old continues to quarterback PP1, and he'll look to stay hot against Edmonton's 22nd-ranked PK (76.3 percent). 

Alec Martinez, VGK at SJ ($5,000): Martinez has just one point through the last six games, but he averaged 3.7 blocked shots per game during that time, meaning he frequently secures the three-point DraftKings bonus. That adds a solid floor, and he fired at least three shots on net three times in that stretch. Up against a brutal Sharks defense, he stands a good chance to exceed his valuation.

Cam Fowler, ANH at COL ($3,500): Hampus Lindholm (wrist) is out long term, so Fowler is locked into the top pairing and has handled more playing time as a result. He's red-hot right now, too, ringing up seven points over the last five games, two of which came with the man advantage. Grubauer and the Avalanche are sturdy, but this is a superb value.

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. Jordan Mazzara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Mazz30 Yahoo: Mazz30 DraftKings: Mazz30.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Mazzara
Jordan has produced NFL and NHL content for RotoWire since 2017. He's the beat writer for the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Seahawks.
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