This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturday is brimming with sports action. That including 10 NHL games in the evening, which gives you plenty of options for your DFS lineups. First puck drops at 7 p.m. ET. Here are some lineup recommendations to get you prepped for DFS success.
SLATE PREVIEW
Friday was a light day in the NHL, and one of the games was an afternoon affair here in the States because the Jackets and Avalanche were playing in Finland. Only one team, the Sabres, are on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. While it's early, three of the teams with the highest GAAs are in action, and at least two of those teams, Anaheim and Arizona, should stay in that realm.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, WAS vs. ARI ($8,500): Kuemper has turned things around after a slow start with the Capitals. He has a 2.35 GAA and .922 save percentage with his new squad. His old team in Arizona has a lackluster offense to be sure. While the Coyotes have managed 2.80 goals per game, they have also managed a meager 23.1 shots on net per contest.
Logan Thompson, VGK at MON ($8,300): Thompson seems like he's capable of holding down a starting job in the NHL. He's posted a 2.01 GAA and .934 save percentage as Vegas' unexpected starting goalie. The Canadiens, for their part, have averaged 2.73 goals and 29.1 shots on net per contest.
James Reimer, SAN vs. ANA ($7,900): Reimer has a 2.77 GAA, which is middling, but a .917 save percentage. This is a matchup of poor offenses, though, and Reimer gets to be at home against the Ducks. Anaheim has averaged 2.73 goals and 29.1 shots on goal per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA at LOS ($5,000): Verhaeghe took a jump last season, but this season he seems primed to take another jump. Through 11 games he's tallied nine points, including seven in his last five outings. The Kings have a 3.77 GAA, and both of their goalies have a sub-.900 save percentage.
Ryan Johansen, NAS at VAN ($3,100): Johansen centers Nashville's second line, but the first power-play unit. He's averaged 3:52 per game on the power play and notched three points with the extra man. The Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill, which could be accurate, as they finished last on that front last year.
Alex Killorn, TAM vs. BUF ($2,800): Killorn got off to a slow start, but he has a three-game point streak. He also gets the one team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. The Sabres will likely have Eric Comrie in net, who has an .898 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Capitals vs. Coyotes
Dylan Strome (C - $3,500), Marcus Johansson (W - $3,200), Anthony Mantha (W - $3,000)
The Coyotes don't have the league's highest GAA, and they haven't allowed the most shots on net per game in the league. However, when the dust settles, I bet that will be the case. It's not like Arizona has been good, though. The 'Yotes have a 4.30 GAA and have allowed a robust 37.1 shots on net per contest. Arizona is a bad team, which is what everybody expected, and that makes it a great choice for a stack.
Strome was probably not planned to be the second-line center, or to be on the first power-play unit, but Nicklas Backstrom has been out, and Strome has been excelling in his elevated role. He has nine points in 12 games, including five on the power play. Johansson has cooled down after a hot start, but he has six points in 12 contests. He's on the first power-play unit as well, and four of his points have come with the extra man. Mantha has gone cold, but he has three goals this season. Last year he managed 23 points in 37 games, so he has the capability of capitalizing on a matchup like this.
Sharks vs. Ducks
Tomas Hertl (C - $4,400), Timo Meier (W - $7,100), Kevin Labanc (W - $3,500)
The Ducks have been a disaster defensively. They have a 4.64 GAA and have allowed 38.7 shots on net per contest. The team is young, the defense is banged up, and the goaltending has been brutal. John Gibson has an .883 save percentage, and while Anthony Stolarz could get the start since this is the first day of a back-to-back, but he has an .890 save percentage. Whoever is in net for Anaheim, this is a great matchup for the Sharks.
Hertl doesn't have a goal since the opener, but his 4.2 shooting percentage will improve. Plus, he has seven assists in his last eight games. Meier has a four-game point streak, and he's been shooting as much as anybody. The Swiss forward has put 67 shots on net in 13 games. Labanc has had a tough year, but his 5.3 shooting percentage is also likely to improve with some better puck luck. He's on the first line, and he's averaged 1:45 per game on the power play, so opportunity is there.
DEFENSEMEN
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. BUF ($6,400): Sergachev has consistently been a 30-point guy for the Lightning, but so far he's taken things to the next level. He has 10 points through 11 games, and if Victor Hedman is still out his role will be larger than usual. The Sabres, as I noted, are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, and Comrie has an .898 save percentage.
Ivan Provorov, PHI at OTT ($6,300): Provorov has tallied five assists in 10 games, and while he has no goals he's put 21 shots on net. Cam Talbot will be making his first start of the season, so how he will perform is a bit of a mystery. What I do know is that the Senators have allowed 34.3 shots on net per contest.
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. FLA ($5,100): Doughty remains a workhorse for the Kings. He's averaged 26:38 in ice time, including 3:53 on the power play. Three of his six points have come with the extra man. Florida has a bottom-five penalty kill, and it's gotten poor goaltending from both Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight, so it doesn't really matter who is in net right now for Doughty and company.
