This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
If you're looking for Saturday sports without any sign-stealing scandals, look to the NHL! There are 10 games on the slate starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my lineup recommendations for DFS purposes.
SLATE PREVIEW
We're pretty heavy on teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. What's significant is that there is no game featuring two teams in that scenario. That means six rested teams get a chance to face a team playing for the second time in as many nights. Plus, only Toronto gets to be home for both legs! Opportunity abounds.
GOALIES
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. WAS ($8,200): The Islanders have turned to alternating starts between Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin, and with Sorokin continuing to struggle, I think that may continue. That would leave Varlamov, who has a .950 save percentage, to start against the Capitals. Washington is down in the bottom three in goals per game, and is one of the teams on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. ARI ($8,000): Saros has had some struggles, and the Coyotes have been better offensively than expected, but I think both of those things will head toward preseason expectations. The Finnish goalie has a career .919 save percentage, and though Arizona has scored 3.08 goals per game, and that's on 28.4 shots on net per contest. A little regression on both fronts would be in Saros' favor.
Thatcher Demko, VAN at TOR ($7,500): Demko has been stellar. He has an 1.61 GAA and .948 save percentage, and has also picked up six wins in a row. The Maple Leafs are no slouches offensively, but as I noted they are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Ilya Samsonov is also in line to start for Toronto, increasing Demko's chances of winning.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Bryan Rust, PIT vs. BUF ($6,500): Even if you want to remove the four points Rust had against the Sharks, he has eight points across his other 11 games. That's not too shabby, and it's always nice to be on Sidney Crosby's wing. The Sabres are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and the team's GAA is bolstered by the play of Eric Comrie in net, and he's currently out with an injury.
Pavel Zacha, BOS at MON ($5,000): It took a second, but Zacha has taken to the role of being the top-line center for the Bruins. After a slow start, he has eight points over his last eight games. The Canadiens have a 3.38 GAA, and they have not made it easy on their netminders. Montreal's biggest issue is the fact it has allowed 34.5 shots on net per contest.
Matty Beniers, SEA vs. EDM ($4,100): Beniers has a three-game point streak, including his first goal of the season. However, he still has a 4.0 shooting percentage, so more puck luck should be on the way. The Oilers could cure what ails him, as they have a 4.17 GAA.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canucks at Maple Leafs
J.T. Miller (C - $7,000), Brock Boeser (W - $6,500), Phil Di Giuseppe (W - $3,100)
It's early in the season, but Vancouver's second line has already become a staple for me from a stacking perspective. Catching the Maple Leafs not only on a back-to-back, but with Samsonov in line to start makes this an easy call. The Russian netminder has really struggled, as he has a 4.11 GAA and .855 save percentage. That's a reminder that, prior to last season, he had an .896 save percentage in his final campaign with the Capitals.
When you think of teams with two upper-echelon centers, you may think of Pittsburgh or Toronto, but Vancouver is right there. Elias Pettersson has been a star among stars, but Miller has 20 points in 13 games. He's also been a big-night kind of guy, with seven multi-point outings already. Boeser has 11 goals, and I know his 30.6 shooting percentage will regress. Even so, the fact he's put 36 shots on net through 13 contests is encouraging. "Other guy" Di Giuseppe pops the points in here and there, and that includes two assists in Vancouver's last game.
Kings vs. Flyers
Phillip Danault (C - $4,200), Trevor Moore (W - $5,000) , Arthur Kaliyev (W - $3,900)
The Kings are quietly imposing at forward, as this is their third line, and I am happy to stack them. Philadelphia is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Carter Hart…might play? He's been injured, and now he's dealing with an illness that kept him from an expected Friday start. If he plays, I like this stack. If he doesn't play, and Cal Petersen does, I love it.
Danault has eight points in 13 games, even with a 9.4 shooting percentage that should improve. He may be a third-line center, but he gets power-play time, having averaged 2:49 per game with the extra man. Moore is out the gate hot, with seven goals and five assists. He's done even more on the power play than his center, having tallied four power-play points, including three in his last four games. The 22-year-old Kaliyev showed some promise last year with 13 goals and 15 assists in 56 games. This year, he's averaged a full three minutes more per game in ice time, and the Uzbekistani forward has responded with three goals and four assists in 11 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Jakob Chychrun, OTT vs. CGY ($5,800): This is why the Senators traded for Chychrun. He's averaged 24:40 per game in ice time, 2:47 on the power play, with 11 points and 33 shots on net in 12 games. The Flames have been stingy at stopping shots and good on the penalty kill, but being on the road for the second night of a back-to-back may hinder them on both fronts. Also, with Jacob Markstrom banged up, Dustin Wolf may make his second-ever NHL appearance.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. EDM ($4,100): Dunn was solid for the Blues, but he's the perfect example of a guy who has thrived with a chance of scenery. He went from being a cog in St. Louis to the number-one defenseman for the Kraken, and last year he tallied 64 points. This year he's playing even more minutes, and more on the power play, and he has 12 points in 14 games, even with his shooting percentage dipping from 9.4 last year to 7.7 this year. Facing the Oilers is a nice matchup for Dunn, as they have a bottom-five penalty kill.
Mattias Ekholm, EDM at SEA ($3,800): Ekholm has picked up a point in each of his last three games. He also has 13 shots on net over his last four contests. The Kraken have a 3.36 GAA, which is not in the bottom 10 with goals abounding early on, but is not good. Philipp Grubauer has an .892 save percentage since joining Seattle, so I don't seem much improvement there.
