This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturday is big for college basketball, but it's never wise to forget about the NHL. After all, there are DFS opportunities to be had! The action Saturday is mostly in the evening, with seven of the nine games taking place at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Those are the ones I am focusing on today in my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have two teams on back-to-backs. Tampa Bay is at home for both games, and it plays Montreal Saturday, so that's not that tough of a matchup and the fantasy opportunity there will be limited. Then, the Blues are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back as well. Both of their goalies have been struggling recently — well Jordan Binnington has struggled basically all season — so I definitely have an eye on Calgary. Stay tuned there.
GOALIES
Jack Campbell, TOR at PHI ($8,000): Campbell is back, and hopefully his time off is what he needed. He was admittedly really struggling prior to having almost a month off, but he still has a 2.65 GAA and .914 save percentage this season. It's risky, but at least this matchup is favorable to Campbell. The Flyers have only scored 2.57 goals per game, and Claude Giroux is no longer around.
Jake Oettinger, DAL at SAN ($7,900): Over his last 18 games, Oettinger has a 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage. Only once in that time has he allowed more than three goals. The Sharks aren't even close to averaging three goals per game themselves. In fact, they've only managed 2.61 goals per contest.
VALUE PLAYS
Cole Caufield, MON at TAM ($4,500): Caufield put a slow start behind him, and he has 15 points in his last 15 games. He's also put 44 shots on net in that time. Right now, Brian Elliott is dealing with a non-COVID illness. There's a chance the Lightning may need to call up their third-string goalie to take the start Saturday. I doubt Tampa is going to want to burn out Andrei Vasilevskiy this close to the playoffs.
Michael Bunting, TOR at PHI ($4,400): Bunting has racked up a 50-point season thanks in no small part to playing alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The perks of having elite linemates. Also a nice perk? Getting to face a Flyers team with a 3.48 GAA that has also allowed 34.1 shots on net per contest.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Blues: Mikael Backlund (C - $4,000), Tyler Toffoli (W - $4,700), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $3,900)
As I noted, the Blues are the one team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. Jordan Binnington played so poorly Friday that Ville Husso had to play nearly 48 minutes. If Husso is in net again, that's basically him pulling double duty this weekend. The Flames have an incredible top line, but that means carrying a lot of salary. As such, I am looking for a little value by targeting the second line.
Backlund has five points in his last six games, and has put 22 shots on net in that time as well. He's shot more this season than usual, with 175 shots on goal. Since being traded to the Flames, Toffoli has nine goals and nine assists in 22 games. His 14.8 shooting percentage in Calgary is totally sustainable as well. Mangiapane's goal scoring has slowed down, but he does have 30 goals this season. His 4.5 shooting percentage over his last 14 games isn't likely to continue.
Bruins vs. Blue Jackets: Erik Haula (C - $3,500), David Pastrnak (W - $7,900), Taylor Hall (W - $5,200)
The Blue Jackets have a 3.72 GAA, which is third highest in the NHL. They've also allowed 35.3 shots on net per contest, which is the second most in the league. When the Bruins moved Pastrnak down to the second line it may have broke up perhaps the best line in hockey, but it has worked out, which is why things have continued in this way.
The biggest beneficiary of this lineup is Haula. He has eight points in his last five games, and 16 points in his last 17 outings. Pastrnak has four multi-point games in a row, and the guy puts as many pucks on net as anybody. The Czech wing has 295 shots on net in 67 games. Hall has been more playmaker than goal scorer, as he has 35 assists to 16 goals. However, he has a three-game goal streak.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. STL ($5,400): Andersson is dishing out assists, with 37 helpers in 67 games. He's also tallied 16 points with the extra man. Now, the Blues do have a good penalty kill, but let's not forget that they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
Sean Durzi, LOS at WPG ($5,300): Durzi has tallied 12 of his 23 points on the power play. Since Drew Doughty went down he's also been on the top power-play unit, and over his last 12 games Durzi has averaged 3:03 with the extra man. The Jets, meanwhile, have the 28th-ranked penalty kill.
