This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Since there was no hockey Thursday, the NHL stacked the Friday schedule with 13 games, many of them in the afternoon. As such, Saturday feels like a bit of a comedown from all that, but there are still eight games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. Let's take a look...
SLATE PREVIEW
Twenty-six teams played Friday, and 16 teams are playing in the Saturday slate, so you have probably surmised there will be a handful of teams on the second leg of a back-to-back (10). Of course, we have a few cases of afternoon games being followed up by evening games, and also an unusual amount of teams jumping from being at home to being on the road (and vice versa).
These are the teams on the road for the second day in a row: Montreal, Ottawa, and Winnipeg.
GOALIES
Jonathan Quick, LOS vs. OTT ($8,500): Sure, Quick just gave up six goals to the Maple Leafs, but he still has a 2.25 GAA and .928 save percentage. He's also at home with plenty of rest against a Senators team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Ottawa is also down in the bottom 10 in goals per game, so this will be easier than facing Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs.
Braden Holtby, DAL at ARI ($8,100): Why am I recommending a goalie for a team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back? Because the Coyotes have averaged a mere 1.85 goals and 25.6 shots on net per contest. This is still a matchup worth targeting. Jake Oettinger has looked good since getting called up when Holtby got hurt, but Holtby is healthy again and has a .918 save percentage. My guess is Anton Khudobin will end up the odd man out.
Alex Nedeljkovic, DET vs. BUF ($8,000): Giving up seven goals to the Lightning in the season opener is fading further and further into the distance. In his 12 games since he has a 2.38 GAA and .926 save percentage. Buffalo is middle-of-the-pack in goals per game, but bottom six in shots on net per contest, so I don't expect that to continue. Plus, after hosting the Canadiens on Friday the Sabres are on the road Saturday.
VALUE PLAYS
Matthew Tkachuk, CGY vs. WPG ($6,500): Tkachuk is pounding the net with shots, putting 68 on goal in 20 games. That's helped him to nine goals to go with nine assists. Five of those goals have come with the extra man, and the Jets have a bottom-five penalty kill.
Robert Thomas, STL vs. CLM ($3,700): Bad puck luck has limited Thomas to two goals, but he has 16 assists in 20 games as well. On top of that, 61.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest among Blues forwards. Since the Blue Jackets started Elvis Merzlikins on Friday, I'm expecting Joonas Korpisalo in net Saturday. He has a 3.63 GAA and .894 save percentage.
Jason Zucker, PIT vs. MON ($3,000): With Sidney Crosby healthy, Jeff Carter has bumped down to centering the second line for the Penguins, which should help Zucker. He has two points in his last four games, but has also put 10 shots on net in that time. The Habs have saved Jake Allen for this game, but his 3.01 GAA and .898 save percentage to not instill fear.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Kings vs. Senators: Anze Kopitar (C - $7,200), Viktor Arvidsson (W - $5,600), Adrian Kempe (W - $4,100)
The Senators have the league's highest GAA and are in the bottom three in shots on net allowed per game, as well. If that wasn't enough, they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. Kopitar's numbers are skewed by the fact he tallied five points in the season opener, but it's still noteworthy he has 18 points in 19 games, including seven on the power play. Ottawa is also in the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage. Since returning from an absence, Arvidsson has two points and 17 shots on net in four games, and his 6.1 shooting percentage will likely improve. Kempe is a newer addition to the top line in LA, and he has 12 points in 19 games. He's also averaged 2:56 per game with the extra man.
Red Wings vs. Sabres: Dylan Larkin (C - $6,500), Lucas Raymond (W - $5,000), Vladislav Namestnikov (W - $2,800)
Aaron Dell will likely be behind Buffalo's porous defense Saturday. He has a 4.57 GAA and .852 save percentage and was the Sabres' third-string goalie when the season began, which may say it all. Larkin has been good in the past, and one season he recorded 73 points in 76 games. However, the addition of Raymond on his wing has really helped him regain that form. He has a six-game point streak and has tallied 10 goals in 17 contests. Raymond only has a point in a mere five of his last six outings but has 20 points in 21 games total. Namestnikov has swapped spots with Tyler Bertuzzi, perhaps to try and give the Wings a spark below their top line. The Russian winger has seven goals and four assists in 21 games.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NAS at COL ($7,600): Josi may be on the road to finish off a back-to-back, but I'm not sweating it. He has 20 points in 20 games (10 on the power play) to go with 62 shots on goal and 26 blocked shots. This is a defenseman who had over 200 shots on goal in four straight seasons prior to only playing in 48 games last year. It's surprising to see the Avalanche in the bottom 10 in GAA, but you can blame the goaltending for that. After all, it doesn't help that the backup goalie in Denver is Jonas Johansson, who has a career .898 save percentage.
Moritz Seider, DET vs. BUF ($5,400): Seider has slowed down after a hot start, but when a 20-year-old defenseman has 13 points in 21 games, it still draws attention. Also, he's averaged 2:31 per game with the extra man and has six power-play points. Perhaps facing the Sabres, and Dell with his .852 save percentage, will get him back to that early-season form. He's also been banged up a bit recently and may have just needed to get healthy.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. WPG ($4,300): Andersson doesn't have a goal yet this season, but fret not. He has 11 assists in 20 games, including five on the power play. As I noted earlier, the Jets have a bottom-five penalty kill. Eric Comrie will be in net for Winnipeg on the second night of a back-to-back, and while he has a .920 save percentage in five games this season, his career mark is .889.
