This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Well, you would be bereft of choice for your DFS lineups Saturday. There are 13 games on the NHL slate in the evening. That is a ton of hockey. Here are my recommendations to help get you prepped for one of the busiest days on the schedule thus far.
SLATE PREVIEW
This busy Saturday comes after a Friday with only three games that took place. As such, only three teams are on a back-to-back. The Devils, Penguins, and Oilers are all on the road. New Jersey is visiting the Kings, Pittsburgh is taking on the Hurricanes, and Edmonton is squaring off with the Golden Knights. Stuart Skinner is expected back from paternity leave for the Oilers, but Tristan Jarry is still out for the Penguins.
GOALIES
Martin Jones, SEA at CHI ($8,400): Jones hasn't just won his last six starts. He's posted an 1.33 GAA and .946 save percentage in that time. While he won't have a third shutout in a row, one assumes, he should still benefit from a great matchup. The Blackhawks have averaged 2.23 goals and 26.7 shots on net per game, making this the NHL's worst offense.
Ville Husso, DET vs. CLM ($8,300): Husso has been hit or miss this year, but his last start was definitely on the "hit" side of things. I think facing the Jackets at home is a situation that plays into Husso's hands. Columbus has averaged 2.54 goals per game, and it also has a brutal defense. That increases Husso's chances of getting a win.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. MON ($8,200): This is a pretty easy call from a matchup perspective. Sorokin has a 2.29 GAA and .926 save percentage. The Canadiens have only scored 2.60 goals per game, 29th in the NHL. Sorokin should be able to pick up an easy home win Saturday.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. PIT ($6,300): Svechnikov has been throwing a ton of pucks at the net. He's racked up 46 shots on goal over his last nine games, even if he only has two goals in that time. The Penguins are in the bottom 10 in shots on net allowed per contest, and they are also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA vs. VAN ($5,700): Verhaeghe may not see a ton of time against Vancouver's league-worst penalty kill – he is on the second power-play unit for the Panthers – but he doesn't need to. The Canucks have a 3.95 GAA, which is third highest in the NHL. That's not all the penalty kill. Verhaeghe has nine points in his last 13 games, and I can see him staying hot.
Sam Steel, MIN vs. ARI ($3,500): Steel was moved to being the center for Minnesota's top line, placing him between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. It's not a coincidence he has 14 points in his last 15 games. The Coyotes have a 3.71 GAA, fifth highest in the NHL, and Karel Vejmelka has a .902 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets
Dylan Larkin (C - $6,000), Tyler Bertuzzi (W - $3,700), Lucas Raymond (W - $3,700)
It's Red versus Blue, and I am going with the Red Wings' top line against the Blue Jackets' porous defense and horrendous goaltending. Columbus has a 3.98 GAA and has allowed 35.5 shots on net per contest, both of which rank 31st in the NHL. This is also a good time to stack Detroit's top line.
Larkin has two points in each of his last two games, and 10 points over his last 10 outings. He's also put 123 shots on goal through 39 contests. Bertuzzi has only played in 11 games this season, and only two since returning from injury. However, his 4.3 shooting percentage is going to improve, and last season he had 62 points in 68 games. Larkin has two points in each of his last two games? Raymond has three points in each of those last two contests. His sophomore slump seems to be behind him, as the Swede has five goals and eight assists over his last 11 contests.
Lightning at Blues
Steven Stamkos (C - $7,300), Anthony Cirelli (W - $4,800), Alex Killorn (W - $4,000)
Jordan Binnington has gotten worse every season of his career, and that trend seems like it is going to continue. He has a 3.26 GAA and .892 save percentage, and the Blues have a bottom-10 penalty kill. The Lightning's top line has been locked in, while the second line has shifted some. This is the current constitution of that second line, and at the very least you get a steady star to serve as the hub of your stack.
That star is Stamkos, who is one goal away from 500 in his career. He has 47 points in 40 games this season, including 21 with the extra man. Cirelli is having a tough year, but his 4.9 shooting percentage will certainly improve. He hasn't been on Stamkos' wing all season either, and that changes things to be sure. Killorn has picked things up recently, as he has five goals over his last nine games. This comes after he had 25 goals last year, and having Stamkos as his center recently has helped.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. VAN ($5,900): Ekblad has picked up 17 points and 85 shots on goal through 32 games. He's also averaged 3:29 per contest with the extra man and has 10 power-play points. As I noted, the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Moritz Seider, DET vs. CLM ($4,800): Like Raymond, Seider has been experiencing a sophomore slump. However, he has five points over his last two games. The German has been shooting more recently, with 19 shots on net through his last nine outings. The Blue Jackets have a 3.98 GAA and have allowed 35.5 shots on net per contest, so this could be Seider's third game in a row with a point.
Scott Mayfield, NYI vs. MON ($3,600): Mayfield has moved up to being on the top pairing for the Islanders. He also has three points in his last four games. The Canadiens have a 3.79 GAA and have allowed 33.7 shots on net per contest, and are also dealing with an injury concern in goal related to Jake Allen.
