This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There is a lot of afternoon action in the NHL on Saturday. If you want to dip into that for DFS purposes, that's great. However, I am here to focus on the five games that start at 7 p.m. EST or later. Let's get to the recommendations...
SLATE PREVIEW
We've got two teams on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and they both have swapped from being at home Friday to being away Saturday. I'm talking about the Senators and Flames. The Flames are one of those teams you really need to pay attention to on a back-to-back, because of the disparity in production from their two goalies. Jacob Markstrom, who started Friday, might be a Vezina finalist. Dan Vladar, meanwhile, has a 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. NYR ($8,200): Goalies are a little tricky Saturday. After a few off-games, Vasilevskiy has only allowed one goal in each of his last two starts. He's back to having a 2.37 GAA and .919 save percentage. You may not have noticed because Chris Kreider is one of the leading goal scorers and Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox are big-time points producers, but the Rangers actually have a below-average offense. They've managed 2.97 goals and 28.8 shots on net per contest.
Alex Nedeljkovic, DET at SEA ($7,600): Well, "Ned" just made 43 saves in a shutout against the Canucks. Let's see if he can keep a little of that magic with him Saturday. This is mostly about the matchup, to be honest. The Kraken have managed 2.55 goals and 28.5 shots on net per contest and are already in "stripping the roster for parts for draft picks" mode.
VALUE PLAYS
Nick Suzuki, MON vs. OTT ($5,600): When I need a Canadien, my eye always goes to Suzuki. Through all the ups and downs of the Habs this year, he's produced. Also, he has 17 points in his last 12 games. The Senators are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back and started Anton Forsberg on Friday. With Matt Murray injured, that means Filip Gustavsson (3.68 GAA, .890 save percentage) in net.
Tanner Jeannot, NAS vs. TOR ($3,000): Three Predators have hit the 20-goal mark. Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene are two of them, naturally. Then, there is the rookie Jeannot. With a goal in each of his last two games he now has 20 in 61 contests. The Maple Leafs are going with Erik Kallgren again. Yes, he's looked good in the NHL so far. He's also a 25-year-old rookie with all of two starts to his name, and this will be the first time he's been on the road.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canucks vs. Flames: J.T. Miller (C - $7,200), Conor Garland (W - $4,400), Tanner Pearson (W - $4,200)
The Canucks are getting the Flames at home when they are playing their second game in as many days. They'll also be getting backup goalie Vladar in net, which really improves their chances. Vancouver has had some lineups shifts throughout the year, but these three have been together for a bit, and the lodestar of this line has been a real gem.
As ESPN's Emily Kaplan noted in a recent trade-deadline piece, Miller's play has been so good he's basically rendered himself untradeable. He's tallied 73 points in 60 games. In his last 16 games he has two outings with zero points, and two points with four points. Playing with Miller has not always bore fruit for Garland, but he does have 32 points in 57 games. He also put eight shots on net in his last outing and has 156 shots on goal total. Pearson, meanwhile, has been hot recently. He has six goals and six assists in his last 12 outings.
Red Wings at Kraken: Dylan Larkin (C - $5,800), Lucas Raymond (W - $4,700), Tyler Bertuzzi (W - $5,400)
The Kraken have a 3.60 GAA, and you can blame the goalies for that. This is a team that has only allowed 29.1 shots on net per contest. The problem is that Philipp Grubauer has an .888 save percentage, and Chris Driedger has an .886 save percentage. Granted, the defensemen on this roster are not impressive, especially with Mark Giordano on the sideline as the Kraken work out a trade, but that's lackluster goaltending by any measure.
Larkin has cooled a bit, with only two points in his last seven games, but prior to that he had 15 points in nine games. Plus, he has 20 shots on net in his last seven outings, so he's staying active. Raymond is building his Calder resume on the back on 19 goals and 27 assists in 61 games. He's also averaged 2:50 per game with the extra man and has 14 power-play points. Bertuzzi is the NHL's answer to Kyrie Irving, inasmuch as he is literally the only dude left in the league who hasn't gotten vaccinated, which means he has been out for three games while his teammates were in Canada. He's free to return now that the Wings are back in America, and his questionable personal decisions aside he does have nine points in his last 12 games.
DEFENSE
Jeff Petry, MON vs. OTT ($4,100): Petry is finally contributing offensively. Ten of his 16 points have come in his last 14 games. I'm also encouraged by the fact he's put 13 shots on net in his last four contests. Now he faces a Senators team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back with third-string goalie Gustavsson in net.
Carson Soucy, SEA vs. DET ($2,900): Giordano sitting out has had an impact on the defensive rotation for the Kraken. Namely, it seems to be benefiting Soucy. He's averaged 17:12 in ice time this season, but in Giordano's first game sitting out he played 21:34, including 3:15 on the power play. Due to a lack of options – and the overall poorness of Seattle's offense – I may have recommended Nedeljkovic in net. However, the Red Wings have a 3.70 GAA. It's not necessarily a bad matchup, and Soucy has intriguing upside at this salary.
