This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's the stretch run of the NHL season. Saturday features seven games on the slate in the evening. First puck drops at 7 p.m. ET. Throw on some college hoops and put together your NHL DFS lineups, maybe with these recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
One team, the Blue Jackets, is on the second leg of a back-to-back. Also, we have two great games on the slate. Edmonton hosts Toronto and the Rangers host the Panthers. Then, the Sharks are facing the Blackhawks which is, you know, less exciting.
GOALIES
Jake Allen, NJD vs. OTT ($8,200): Maybe it's a new lease on life, or maybe it's just a small sample size, but in four starts since being dealt to the Devils, Allen has an 1.76 GAA and .946 save percentage. The Devils have only allowed 29.5 shots on net per game, so the issue for the team was largely the goaltending. Ottawa was in the top 10 in goals per contest for a while, but is down to 16th now as things have slipped in Canada's capital city.
Petr Mrazek, CHI at SAN ($8,000): Mrazek's last start wasn't great, but he allowed a total of five goals in his three previous starts. There is a good chance after this game the Sharks will be last in both goals and shots on net per game. On the latter front they are already locked in, but right now San Jose has averaged 2.17 goals to the Blackhawks' 2.16. The way things are moving, though, by the end of Saturday I expect the Sharks to fall to last.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Timo Meier, NJD vs. OTT ($5,900): Finally, Meier's looked like the guy he was in San Jose, the guy the Devils traded for. He's tallied 12 goals and seven assists over his last 14 contests. There are a few teams in the battle to finish 31st in GAA, a spot none of them want to be in. The Senators are one of those squads, as they have a 3.59 GAA.
Nick Foligno, CHI at SAN ($4,500): Foligno has 11 points in his last 15 games, helped by an opportunity he would likely not get with 90 percent of teams: Time with the first power-play unit. Over those 15 outings he's averaged 3:28 per game with the extra man and has seven power-play points. Of course, scoring on the Sharks is easy in basically all scenarios. They have a 3.99 GAA, pacing the league by a comfortable margin on that front.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights vs. Blue Jackets
Jack Eichel (C - $8,200), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,300), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,600)
The Jackets are also in the mix to finish 31st in GAA. Given that they are already 31st in shots on net allowed per game, they are probably the best bet on that front. On top of that, they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday, making this matchup even better. Right now, the depth forwards on the Golden Knights aren't really popping, so I have gone ahead and decided to stack the first line. I still think that will be worth it.
Eichel has looked no worse for the wear since his lengthy injury absence. In fact, he has nine points and a whopping 41 shots on net in eight games. Marchessault, like his center, excels at putting shots on goal. He's tallied 230 of them in 69 contests, and potted 38 goals in the process. His first 40-goal season is in the offing…maybe as soon as Saturday. Barbashev is not on the same level as his linemates, but for a third guy in a stack he's solid. The Russian has 14 goals and 24 assists on the campaign.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. CLM ($5,800): Who else is contributing to the Golden Knights' offensive output if not the secondary forwards? Theodore, for one. Since returning from his own injury he has 15 points in 14 games. Those points are all assists, even with 27 shots on net, so he's been productive even with a goose egg for his shooting percentage. Given how many shots and goals Columbus allows, being in the bottom five in both, maybe Theodore finally lights the lamp. Or maybe he just gets another assist.
Matt Roy, LOS vs. TAM ($4,600): The Lightning are currently pulling off the rare duet of being in the bottom 10 in GAA but the top 10 in penalty-kill percentage. Thus, I eschewed Drew Doughty for Roy, who saves on salary and may work better in this matchup. Roy may only have 22 points in 68 games, but only one of them has come on the power play. For some added fantasy potential, he has 167 blocked shots.
