This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturday is loaded with NHL action. You can watch hockey all day long pretty much, especially on the West Coast. However, for DFS purposes, most of them are not involved. Still, in the primary slate of DFS contests we have six games to work with, which isn't too shabby. Those are the games that start at 7 p.m. ET or later. While you watch the afternoon games, get your lineups in for that evening slate!
SLATE PREVIEW
We have a lot of teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. The Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs are both on a back-to-back, but with Matt Murray out, the Leafs will likely be starting Joseph Woll. The Rangers, Coyotes, Blackhawks, and Penguins are all on the road to close out a back-to-back as well. Only one game, Minnesota versus New Jersey, doesn't feature a team on a back-to-back.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CHI ($8,500): It's a great goalie versus a terrible offense, so that's a simple enough place to start. The American netminder has a 2.45 GAA and .923 save percentage. Chicago, meanwhile, is down in the bottom two in both goals and shots on net per game, so it doesn't provide much threat to Hellebuyck.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. ARI ($8,100): Binnington is not having a good year, but he is at home against a Coyotes team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Also, a Coyotes team that ranks last in shots on net per contest. The Blues look healthier coming out of the All-Star break, so hopefully Binnington's team will help keep him from being too busy against Arizona.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. CLM ($4,800): Bunting has been a little cold recently, but he has 15 goals and 21 assists through 53 games. Sure, his usual center Auston Matthews is out, but John Tavares is no slouch. Maybe they don't have the same chemistry, but what Bunting does have is a matchup with a Blue Jackets team that is in the bottom three in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest. That can help you get on track to be sure.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, CAR vs. NYR ($3,400): It's a little surprising to me how often Kotkaniemi has struggled to produce, given his spot in the lineup. Right now, he's centering the second line, playing with Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov. That's a great place to be! Well, the Finn does have four points in his last four games, and the Rangers are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Igor Shesterkin started Friday, which presumably means Jaroslav Halak and his .905 save percentage in net Saturday.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Jets vs. Blackhawks
Mark Scheifele (C - $6,000), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $7,200), Blake Wheeler (W - $5,200)
Catching the Blackhawks on the road playing their second game in as many nights is great for a Jets team who will be playing their first game since the All-Star break. Chicago is in the bottom seven in GAA and shots on net per game, and it also has a bottom-10 penalty kill. On top of that, Petr Mrazek will presumably be in net, and he has a 3.99 GAA and .885 save percentage. Winnipeg's top line is looking quite good to me right now.
Scheifele has 31 goals through 52 games, and while he has a 22.8 shooting percentage, over the previous six seasons he posted an 18.3 shooting percentage. Maybe he's been a bit lucky, but Scheifele is clearly a guy who can deliver on shot quality. He also had 16 points in 15 games in January. Ehlers has been the inverse of Scheifele. He has 18 points in 16 games this season, but with a 7.7 shooting percentage below his career 11.9 number. Since returning to the ice, Ehlers has put 45 shots on net in 14 games, and if he keeps shooting like this the goals should come. Wheeler doesn't shoot as much as his linemates, but he still has 37 points in 43 games. That includes 10 points with the extra man, and as I noted the Blackhawks have a bottom-10 penalty kill.
DEFENSEMEN
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. PIT ($5,500): Doughty has 13 points over his last 14 games, even though only one of those is a goal. His 3.2 shooting percentage on the season should improve. The Penguins are on the second night of a back-to-back, and the goaltending situation is murky. Either Tristan Jarry will be making his first start in weeks returning from injury, or Dustin Tokarski will be in net again.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. ARI ($5,100): Goals have been hard to come by for Faulk, who didn't light the lamp in January, but shots have not. He has 122 shots on net through 51 games. The Coyotes are in the bottom five in shots on goal allowed per contest, and they are also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Faulk will be able to shoot. Maybe one of those shots finally goes in for him.
