This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's the final Saturday of October. The first month of the NHL season is nearly in the books. Before we get to Halloween on Monday, we are being treated to nine NHL games Saturday night. The first games are at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
In addition to the Battle of Alberta, which is always fun, we have some teams on back-to-backs worth noting. The Penguins and the Avalanche are both on a road trip, though the Penguins have to go from Vancouver to Seattle while the Aves are going from New Jersey to New York. Plus, Colorado is facing an Islanders team that is on a back-to-back as well. Carolina, who was at home Friday night, is in Philadelphia on Saturday.
GOALIES
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. MON ($8,500): This is where I'm looking first on the goaltending front. Binnington is looking like the netminder he was as a rookie sensation again. Through four games he has an 1.74 GAA and .936 save percentage. The Canadiens rank 29th in goals per game since the start of last year, and pared down the team in a youth movement this offseason.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at NYI ($8,100): After two great starts, Georgiev has lifted himself up to a 2.56 GAA and .921 save percentage. Yes, the Avalanche are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, but the Islanders are on a back-to-back as well. The Islanders have also averaged only 2.82 goals and 29.1 shots on net per game since the start of last season.
Carter Hart, PHI vs. CAR ($7,000): Hart came into the NHL at a young age for a goalie and looked like the prince that was promised for a couple years. The last two seasons have been a slog, but Hart looks revitalized this year. Through five starts he has an immaculate record with a 2.00 GAA and .947 save percentage. The Hurricanes are known for their defense more than their offense, but they are still in the top 10 in goals per game since the start of last season. However, they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back tonight.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brayden Schenn, STL vs. MON ($4,300): Schenn has seven points through six games. While his 25.0 shooting percentage is likely not sustainable, he did have a 21.6 shooting percentage last year. Jake Allen has a .917 save percentage through five starts this season, but over the last three years he has a .907 save percentage.
Matty Beniers, SEA vs. PIT ($4,300): Beniers has lived up to his draft stock so far and is already centering Seattle's top line. He also has a three-game goal streak. The Penguins, as I noted, are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Casey DeSmith is a good backup goalie, but he has a 2.85 GAA and .914 save percentage since the start of last year, which in circumstances like this does not make him too imposing.
Taylor Raddysh, CHI at BUF ($2,900): Raddysh is with the Blackhawks from the start of the season, and he's getting the most opportunity of his career. He's on a three-game point streak, including two with the extra man. The Sabres have allowed 33.2 shots on net per game since the start of last year, and Eric Comrie has a 3.41 GAA to go with his .909 save percentage in part because he's faced at least 34 shots in four of his five outings.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Flames vs. Oilers
Nazem Kadri (C - $6,600), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $3,600), Dillon Dube (W - $3,500)
The Battle of Alberta could see a lot of goals scored. Part of that is the offenses, but part of it is the goaltending of Jack Campbell. In his first season as an Oiler, Campbell has a 3.88 GAA and .888 save percentage. He played well to start last year with the Maple Leafs, but "Soup" fell apart, and he has not picked up the pieces with the Oilers. That bodes well for the Flames at home.
Kadri has proven not to be a product of the Avalanche's lineup. He has at least one point in all six games this season, notching nine points total. Mangiapane broke through last season with 35 goals. This year he has two goals and two assists in six games, and he's averaged 2:06 with the extra man as well, a personal high. Dube is getting the most playing time of his career, having averaged 15:33 in ice time and 2:03 with the extra man. He has four points in six games, even though he only has a 7.7 shooting percentage.
Sabres vs. Blackhawks
Tage Thompson (C - $5,600), Alex Tuch (W - $6,900), Jeff Skinner (W - $4,700)
The Blackhawks are rebuilding, and rebuilding teams often struggle defensively. Chicago wasn't strong defensively last year to begin with, as it has allowed 32.9 shots on net per contest since the start of last season. Alex Stalock has a .913 save percentage, but a 3.00 GAA because, well, he's facing a lot of shots.
Thompson had 68 points last season, and while he has only three through seven games, he's going to improve. The 24-year-old has put 22 shots on net, and his 4.5 shooting percentage is going to regress toward the mean. Tuch is scoring the goals that Thompson hasn't. He's lit the lamp six times and added two assists. Skinner just scored his first goal, but he too is in line for some puck luck. His 5.9 shooting percentage should improve, and just last year he had 33 goals on 262 shots on net.
DEFENSEMEN
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. CAR ($6,300): Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, I don't think the Hurricanes are going to exactly turn porous defensively. That being said, it's not easy for any team on the road to be playing their second game in as many nights, so Provorov is worth a shot to me. His role on the power play has diminished, though against the Hurricanes' penalty kill that may not matter. What matters is that Provorov has five assists through seven games plus 17 shots on net and a whopping 29 blocked shots.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. MON ($6,100): Faulk has been extremely active so far. He's notched three goals, four assists, 22 shots on net, and 12 blocked shots in six games. As I noted, over the last three seasons Allen has a .907 save percentage for the Canadiens.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at LOS ($5,600): While Rielly has not goals yet, he has seven assists through eight games. That includes three points with the extra man. The Kings have the 22nd-ranked penalty kill since the start of last year, and this year Jonathan Quick has a 3.81 GAA and .878 save percentage.
