This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturdays are for hockey. You know, I know it, people across American and Canada know it. The NHL has a robust slate for us this time around. There are 14 games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. That means 28 teams worth of players to pick from. It also means you have a lot of decisions to make, so here are my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
First, welcome to the Ducks and Islanders! Both teams are making their season debuts Saturday. Meanwhile, one team is on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Penguins are at home against the Flames.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at SAN ($8,400): Maybe Nashville will rise up the goals-per-game rankings, if only because a team like San Jose seems primed to fall below them. The Sharks finished 25th in goals per game last year, but Timo Meier was dealt during the season, and Erik Karlsson in the offseason. Georgiev surprised many, myself included, with his .918 save percentage in his first season with the Avalanche. However, he opened this year with 34 saves on 36 shots against the Kings, so he's yet to regress.
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. NAS ($8,100): Ullmark not being one of the couple highest-salaried goalies makes him feel almost like a bargain. The reigning Vezina winner opened this year making 20 saves on 21 shots against the Blackhawks. Sure, Chicago is not an imposing offense, but neither is Nashville's. The Predators finished 28th in goals per game last year, and due to roster turnover feels like it could finish around the same spot, perhaps even lower.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY at PIT ($7,400): This is a bet on the Penguins being on the second leg of a back-to-back, and that not being great for a veteran team. Although, I will also note they finished an unremarkable 16th in goals per game last year. Of course, Markstrom had an .892 save percentage last year, which was a major step back. Prior to that, though, he had a career .912 save percentage, so I am willing to bet on that being a fluke. To that end, the Swedish goalie made 34 saves on 37 shots in this season's opener.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nazem Kadri, CGY at PIT ($5,500): Kadri took a step back last season, but he still potted 24 goals and his 267 shots on net were actually an increase over the prior campaign. His minutes dipped last year, but with a new head coach in town the fact Kadri played 3:37 on the power play in Calgary's opener, which is encouraging. The Penguins, as I noted, are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Casey DeSmith is no longer around, by the way, and Alex Nedeljkovic is the new backup goalie. Over the previous two seasons with Detroit he posted a .900 save percentage.
Vincent Trocheck, NYR at CLM ($4,800): Trocheck didn't have a point in the Rangers' opener, but new head coach Peter Laviolette seems to believe in him. He played 18:32 and saw time on the power play and penalty kill. Trocheck also put four shots on net, and last year he had 225 of those. The Blue Jackets allowed 35.4 shots on net per contest last season, and Elvis Merzlikins' career .906 save percentage won't stand up to that many pucks in his direction.
Paul Cotter, VGK vs. ANA ($2,800): Vegas has decided to put the 23-year-old Cotter on its second line, which means playing with Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone. That should benefit him to some degree, and he did have 13 goals in 55 games as a rookie last year. While he doesn't have a point yet in the 2023-24 season, facing the Ducks could help. The Ducks were last in GAA and shots on goal allowed per game last season, and they didn't change their goaltending situation. There's veteran John Gibson, with a .902 save percentage over the previous two seasons, and youngster Lukas Dostal, who has a career .902 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Hurricanes at Kings
Sebastian Aho (C - $6,500), Seth Jarvis (W - $5,800), Michael Bunting (W - $4,700)
Deciding to come into this season relying on the goaltending duo of Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley was bold for the Kings. Talbot allowed four goals on 36 shots in his debut with Los Angeles, and I can't say that is stunning. He's 36 and has a .907 save percentage over the last seven seasons. There's probably a reason why seven different teams have employed him during his NHL career. Aho is currently centering this duo of wingers, but notably they also started the year serving as the forwards on the first power-play unit together, boosting their potential DFS value.
Aho has scored at least 30 goals in the NHL's last four full seasons, and had 24 in the COVID-19 campaign. He's also put 200 shots on net every season aside from the COVID one as well, so he's been consistently productive, even when he was a rookie. Jarvis did not take the step forward many hoped for in his sophomore campaign but his shooting percentage dropping from 15.5 to 7.5 played a big role in that. The former is a little high for a forward, while the latter is quite low, so if Jarvis falls somewhere in the middle, playing next to Aho he could have his first 20-goal campaign. Playing on Auston Matthews' wing, for the most part, the last two seasons, Bunting is coming off back-to-back 23-goal years. He already has a goal this season, and he seems primed for the first real power-play time of his career. That is, if the 7:09 with the extra man he played in Carolina's opener are any indication.
Canadiens vs. Blackhawks
Nick Suzuki (C - $5,500), Cole Caufield (W - $4,700), Josh Anderson (W - $3,600)
This is a battle of iconic NHL franchise rebuilding, but the Canadiens are, let's say, one step ahead in the build? Neither team is imposing defensively or in goal, though. Petr Mrazek did make 39 saves in his first start, but personally my takeaway is that he faced 41 shots. This is a veteran goalie with a career .907 save percentage. He's not going to be up to the task like that every time he starts, and Arvid Soderblom is not a better option. Montreal, well, it has two thirds of a legitimate top NHL line, and in this matchup that's good enough for me.
Even as a rookie, Suzuki did not look overwhelmed by the NHL, and over the last two seasons he's taken a real step forward. He is coming off back-to-back campaigns with over 60 points, and he scored 26 goals last season. Caufield's whole thing is scoring goals (and not staying healthy, but he's healthy right now so let's take advantage). He's already got a goal this season and lit the lamp 26 times in only 46 games last year. Sometimes it feels like Anderson either doesn't know you are allowed to pass the puck, or he is just bad at it, because his assist totals have been wildly low throughout his career. That being said, he had 21 goals in 69 games last year, and the last time he managed to play over 70 games he had 27 goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at CLM ($6,100): Fox didn't win the Norris again last season, but all he did was play a full 82 games, increase his ice time, set a new personal best with 12 goals, and produce 29 points with the extra man. So yeah, he's still good, and he had an assist in New York's opener. The Blue Jackets finished 31st in GAA last year, so I expect them to still be quite bad on that front.
Devon Toews, COL at SAN ($4,800): Colorado just gave Toews a nice extension contract because it realizes he is much more than Cale Makar's second banana. He's coming off back-to-back 50-point seasons and has averaged 25:05 in ice time since joining the Avalanche, even though he doesn't play a ton on the power play. The Sharks are working in a new goalie in Mackenzie Blackwood, but the former Devil has a career .906 save percentage.
Vince Dunn, SEA at STL ($4,700): Dunn doesn't have a point through two games, but last season he had 14 goals and 50 assists. He's still seeing plenty of playing time for the Kraken, as he is the top defenseman on the squad that is, lest we forget, in its third year of existence. He's played over 22 minutes in both of Seattle's games, and has averaged 4:24 per game on the power play so far. Time with the extra man is intriguing, as the Blues had the 30th-ranked penalty kill last year, and Jordan Binnington's numbers have gotten worse every season he's been in the NHL.
