This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Hey, the Dunk Contest tends to disappoint. Why not watch hockey instead? There are eight NHL games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. These are some recommendations to help you with setting your DFS lineups for Saturday.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Kings are at home against the Coyotes, while the Rangers are visiting the Flames. Also, the Hurricanes versus the Capitals is an outdoor game. I tend to try and avoid those when I can on the DFS front. Too many variables.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. MON ($8,500): My only concern here is that Samsonov couldn't practice Friday due to an illness. I would not risk Joseph Woll in net, but if Samsonov can play, he's the best choice among goalies Saturday by a wide margin. The Russian goalie has a 2.31 GAA and .918 save percentage, and the Canadiens have averaged a mere 2.65 goals and 27.9 shots on net per contest.
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. DET ($8,200): The Red Wings have been on a roll (which as a Wings fan has been a delight), but so has Grubauer. Over his last eight starts, Grubauer has an 1.96 GAA and .927 save percentage. Plus, the Kraken have only allowed 27.9 shots on net per contest. Detroit may be playing well right now, but on the season it has only averaged 29.0 shots on goal per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. MON ($5,200): Auston Matthews is back, though Bunting did fine without him. He had four points in four games prior to Matthews returning as his center. Jake Allen may have blanked the lowly Blackhawks in his last start, but he still has a 3.42 GAA and .895 save percentage on the season, not to mention a .902 save percentage in his three seasons with the Canadiens.
Dillon Dube, CGY vs. NYR ($4,400): Dube has a three-game goal streak and is having a career year. His 15.8 shooting percentage surely plays a role in that, as it is a personal high, but there is more to the story. Dube has averaged 15:34 per game in ice time, effectively two minutes more per game than his previous high. These days, the 24-year-old is getting more minutes skating on Calgary's top line with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli. The Rangers, as I noted, are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and this will presumably be a Jaroslav Halak start. The 37-year-old has a .905 save percentage over the last three seasons.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Flyers at Canucks
Morgan Frost (C - $3,600), Travis Konecny (W - $7,500), James van Riemsdyk (W - $4,400)
The Canucks are a brutal team defensively, having posted a 4.05 GAA. Only the Ducks have a worst GAA, and they've allowed eight more shots per game on average. Thus, you can point your finger pretty squarely at the Vancouver goalies. Also, the Vancouver penalty kill, last in the league by a wide margin. The Flyers' second line has recently also made up three-fifths of the top power-play unit. If that continues, it bodes quite well Saturday.
Frost has 26 points in 55 games, but seven in his last 14. He's moved up the lineup, has better linemates, and on the season has averaged 2:18 per contest with the extra man. Konecny recently ended a rough scoring drought by lighting the lamp twice in his last outing. On the season 26 goals and 25 assists, not to mention 13 points with the extra man, so he should get back in the swing of things. Van Riemsdyk has 22 points in 36 games, and while he only has four points with the extra man, last season he scored nine power-play goals, and the season prior he had 10 in 56 games.
Coyotes at Kings
Barrett Hayton (C - $4,100), Clayton Keller (W - $5,900), Nick Schmaltz (W - $5,600)
It's not like Pheonix Copley is a good goalie. His career .901 save percentage is indicative of that. However, he's been the number-one goalie for the Kings because of how bad Jonathan Quick has been. He has an .897 save percentage over the last five seasons, and he's likely to be starting this one for Los Angeles. The Coyotes don't have much offense, but they do have a first line worth stacking.
Hayton is still trying to live up to being the fifth-overall pick in 2018, but he's been bolstered by getting to center this line. He has six points in his last eight games, and he has 27 shots on net in that time. His 6.3 shooting percentage on the season should improve. Keller has three multipoint games in his last four outings, lifting him to 50 points in 55 contests. He's also tallied 13 of his points on the power play, and the Kings have the 26th-ranked penalty kill. Schmaltz has been on fire, notching seven goals and seven assists in his last nine games. While Schmaltz has a 17.5 shooting percentage, he had an 18.7 shooting percentage last year, so he has shown he can convert with accuracy.
DEFENSEMEN
Tony DeAngelo, PHI at VAN ($5,500): As is his forte, DeAngelo has been a key cog on the power play, at least when he hasn't been in John Tortorella's doghouse. The mercurial defenseman has averaged 3:15 per game with the extra man and has 15 power-play points in 51 games. As I mentioned earlier, the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Juuso Valimaki, ARI at LOS ($3,400): With Shayne Gostisbehere dealing with an injury and Jakob Chychrun out waiting to be dealt, somebody has had to step up for the Coyotes on the blue line. That somebody has been Valimaki. Over his last seven games he's averaged 22:31 in ice time, including 1:52 on the power play, and notched six assists. That extra playing time against a Kings team that is just outside the bottom 10 in GAA in spite of a good defense, especially with the Kings on the second leg of a back to back, offers another opportunity for Valimaki.
