This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
With the NBA All-Star break happening, and the NFL season over, the NHL is going all out Saturday. Owing to several afternoon games, though, we have six games on the slate starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. That's where the DFS attention is, and so here are my recommendations from those six matchups.
SLATE PREVIEW
Even though there was only one game played Friday, we still have the Hurricanes on the second night of a back-to-back. They visit Vegas. Also, do note the Devils-Flyers game is a Stadium Series game, so it will be outdoors. We also have perhaps the bleakest NHL game of the season, with Columbus visiting San Jose.
GOALIES
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. WPG ($7,800): Demko has been on a torrid run. He has an 11-1 record over his last 12 starts. On top of that he has a 2.14 GAA and .928 save percentage in that time. The Jets have averaged 2.98 goals per game, which isn't bad, but ranks 18th. An average offense visiting a red-hot Demko doesn't concern me.
Sam Montembeault, MON vs. WAS ($7,200): The bleakness of Chicago and San Jose's offenses has overshadowed just how bad Washington has been as well. Alex Ovechkin and company have only managed 2.38 goals and 27.6 shots on net per contest. Notably, while Montembeault's play has not been strong overall, he has a .922 save percentage in 15 home appearances.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Owen Tippett, PHI at NJD ($5,900): The uncertainty of an outdoor environment also leads me to not want to go too heavy on anybody in such a game. However, the Devils have a 3.42 GAA, bottom seven in the NHL. Even with a four-game injury absence in the middle of the run, Tippett has been playing quite well. He has seven goals and four assists over his last 12 games, but since he has put 50 shots on net in that time, Tippett's 14.0 shooting percentage is not an indicator of being particularly lucky.
Ivan Barbashev, VGK vs. CAR ($4,000): The Hurricanes' defense and penalty kill are too good to stack against, but since they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, I do still want to consider Golden Knights. That includes Barbashev. He's rounded into form, with 12 points in his last nine games. Crucially, only one of those points, and four of his total points, have come on the power play. Carolina's penalty kill won't come into play much when it comes to Barbashev.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Ducks at Maple Leafs
Mason McTavish (C - $5,000), Frank Vatrano (W - $6,000), Troy Terry (W - $5,000)
You might see this matchup and feel inclined to stack Maple Leafs – and if you are comfortable with the salary outlay go right ahead – but the flipside of this one is also intriguing. Toronto's middling 3.17 GAA is not built upon the play of Ilya Samsonov, the one healthy goalie of note for the team at the moment. The Russian has a 3.25 GAA, but also a woeful .881 save percentage. These three Ducks, not joined together all year, have all been bright spots for the team's offense. Now, they get to work as a trio, which makes for a nice stack.
McTavish has had some ups and downs in his sophomore season, but he just had two goals in his last game, so right now he's on the "up" side of things. I'm not basing that solely on those two tallies. He has six points over his last eight games, and it helps for him to center a line with these two. Coming off a three-point game, Vatrano has actually had the best season of these three. He has 23 goals in 53 games, and that's on 166 shots on net. His 13.9 shooting percentage is sustainable. Terry has been a 60-point player his last two years, and he has 39 points in 50 games this season. His recently play has boosted his numbers, as he's notched 17 points in his last 15 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CLM at SAN ($6,100): Werenski is one of those guys who are really productive when healthy, but "when healthy" is a caveat you might as well bold and underline. Since his latest injury absence he has five points and 22 shots on net in six games. The Sharks, ranking last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, and also 30th in penalty-kill percentage, so Werenski's robust ice time bodes well.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SAN vs. CLM ($3,700): Something has given Vlasic a bit of the "Fountain of Youth" feel recently. A desire to be traded from a rebuilding team? Who's to say? What I know is that he has six points in his last 11 games, and the Blue Jackets are threatening to overtake the Sharks in terms of defensive woefulness. San Jose has a 3.75 GAA, while Columbus is up to 3.72 on that front.
