This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's the first Saturday of December, and winning some DFS cash could help boost the impressiveness of your Christmas presents. There are nine games on the docket starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
There were only two games Friday, and one featured two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, so only one team is playing Saturday that played Sunday. That would be the Ottawa Senators, who are hosting the Seattle Kraken. We do have a few teams on the first leg of a back-to-back, making the goaltending situations a little less clear.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at ANA ($8,500): Over his last eight starts, Georgiev has a .912 save percentage, but a 2.36 GAA. He's been helped by the fact Colorado has only allowed 28.4 shots on net per contest. The Ducks have started to scuffle after a surprisingly-good start, and are now down to having averaged 2.74 goals and 29.1 shots on goal per game.
Logan Thompson, VGK vs. WAS ($8,200): Adin Hill left Vegas' last game banged up, so it makes sense for Thompson to start Saturday, especially with the breezy nature of the matchup. Washington ranks 31st in goals per game. Thompson has a .916 save percentage, so he can handle this matchup at home.
Ville Husso, DET at MON ($8,100): Alex Lyon's been getting more starts recently, and continued to play well, but Husso's last two starts have been good too. The Canadiens have averaged 2.70 goals and 28.3 shots on net per game, so this could be a good matchup for Husso to play in as he tries to get in a groove.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Lucas Raymond, DET at MON ($5,000): Raymond has at least one point in seven of his last eight games, including two assists in his last outing. That was in a game without Dylan Larkin, his usual center, and Larkin is expected to return against the Canadiens. Montreal happens to be in the bottom 10 in both GAA and shots on net allowed per contest.
Eeli Tolvanen, SEA at OTT ($4,600): Got to take advantage of the one team on the second leg of a back-to-back, especially with Anton Forsberg (career .906 save percentage) in line for the start. Due to injuries, the Kraken have done something interesting and basically just made their third line the new second line. That means more minutes for Tolvanen, who has enjoyed his first full season with Seattle, having tallied six goals and 10 assists through 24 games.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at TOR ($4,400): DeBrusk has three goals in his last five games. However, he still has an 8.5 shooting percentage that should improve, especially if he sticks as a top-six forward for the Bruins. Over his last nine games Joseph Woll has a 3.33 GAA and .898 save percentage, and he's allowed at least three goals seven times in that span.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Avalanche at Ducks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,600), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,500), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $6,900)
A high-salaried stack? Sure. However, the Avalanche are a bit top heavy at the moment. The top line is crushing it, and in this matchup that's worth it to me. Anaheim has a 3.52 GAA. John Gibson started well, but over his last six games he has a 3.86 GAA and .863 save percentage. You'll have to massage the rest of your lineup around this stack, but I think it is worth it.
MacKinnon has delivered exactly as expected, which is to say he has 29 points in 22 games, and he's also on a six-game point streak. Also, he's put 103 shots on net and has a 7.8 shooting percentage. MacKinnon's production should actually still improve! November was a stellar month for Rantanen. He tallied seven goals and 10 assists in 14 games. The Finn has also averaged a whopping 5:02 per contest on the power play, and the Ducks have a below-average penalty kill. If you think MacKinnon's six-game point streak is impression, check out Nichushkin. He has a nine-game point streak, and at least one point in 11 of his last 12 contests.
Coyotes vs. Blues
Nick Bjugstad (C - $4,000), Lawson Crouse (W - $4,400), Matias Maccelli (W - $3,600)
The Coyotes and Blues are quite similar defensively. They have similar GAAs (Arizona: 3.05, St. Louis: 3.09) and have allowed a similar number of shots on net per game (Arizona: 32.3, St. Louis: 33.0). Also, both teams have gotten better goaltending than expected, in spite of the mediocrity. Jordan Binnington started hot, reminded us of his rookie campaign, but over his last six games he has a 4.56 GAA and .872 save percentage. That's why I'm stacking Arizona's second line.
Bjugstad has 15 points in 22 games this season. He also has a point in four of his last five contests. Crouse has 10 goals on 50 shots on net. While his 20.0 shooting percentage is a bit high, he had 24 goals in 151 shots on target last year. Maccelli has had the opposite season of Crouse. Only three of his 16 points are goals, but his 8.3 shooting percentage should improve.
DEFENSEMEN
Moritz Seider, DET at MON ($5,700): Seider has been a little more active defensively than offensively, as he has 52 blocked shots. However, he has a point in each of his last two games, both on the power play. I mentioned the Habs are in the bottom 10 in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, but they are also in the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage.
Vince Dunn, SEA at OTT ($4,400): Since joining the Kraken, Dunn has been key to their power play. He had 11 points with the extra man two years ago, 15 last year, and already has eight this year. The Senators have a bottom-10 penalty kill, and they are also on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Owen Power, BUF at CAR ($3,800): Power gets a lot of ice time for a number-two defenseman (22:57 per game) and has 12 points in 23 games, including three in his last three contests. The Hurricanes don't allow many shots, but the goaltending has been woeful. Even with Antti Raanta glued to the bench recently, Pyotr Kochetkov has an .878 save percentage.
