This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
We're still in the early stages of the NHL season, so Saturdays full of action are still fun and full of intrigue. There are nine games in the evening, which is what this DFS slate is covering. Puck drops at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are some recommendations to get you that much closer to DFS success.
SLATE PREVIEW
Friday was a light night, but there are two teams on a back-to-back. Tampa is at home, while Colorado is on the road. There are definitely some solid options for your lineup, though I'm disappointed Arizona's playing at 4 p.m. EDT and it's always nice to have the 'Yotes to target.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. PHI ($8,500): The Flyers have exceeded expectation so far, while Saros has underperformed. However, let's not overreact here. In his career, Saros has a 2.55 GAA and .919 save percentage. Since the start of last season, the Flyers have averaged 2.60 goals per game. If both sides of this scenario regress toward the mean, it'll be in the Finnish goalie's favor.
Jake Oettinger, DAL at MON ($7,900): Coming into this season, I thought to myself: "You know, Oettinger could be in for a good year". Well, so far, he's allowed exactly one goal in each of his three starts with a .966 save percentage. Oettinger faces a Canadiens team 27th in goals per game since the start of last season. I'm not worried about the Stars sneaking in a start for backup Scott Wedgewood, as that's what they did in their last outing.
Carter Hart, PHI at NAS ($7,200): Finding my third goalie was tricky, so I will flip a matchup around. Hart is facing a lot of shots, which is unexpected with a John Tortorella team. However, he's managed a 2.00 GAA and .943 save percentage. Nashville is middling in terms of goals per game since the start of last year, but only averaged 29.6 shots. Maybe the Preds won't make it so tough on Hart.
VALUE PLAYS
Alex Tuch, BUF at VAN ($6,400): Tuch isn't going to keep converting on 38.5 percent of his shots, but I'm just as interested in the 3:29 he's averaged with the extra man so far. Since the start of last season, the Canucks rank last on the penalty kill. And that happened with Thatcher Demko's overall numbers being excellent. This year, Demko enters with a 4.30 GAA and .861 save percentage.
Anders Lee, NYI at TAM ($5,500): Lee has potted a goal in each of his last two games, with three assists in the previous matchup. When the Lightning are on a back-to-back, you always check to see which game Andrei Vasilevskiy is getting because that likely means the other game will see Brian Elliott start. Vasilevskiy was in net Friday, which means Elliott and his .905 save percentage over the last seven seasons on Saturday.
Anthony Mantha, WAS vs. LOS ($5,100): It's a triple-A day in my value plays. Mantha has scored a goal in every-other game, giving him three on the campaign. He recorded 23 points in 37 games last year. Jonathan Quick posted a 2.59 GAA last year in spite of a .910 save percentage, but he's been below-average for a while and not always bailed out by his defense with a 2.93 GAA and .900 save percentage the last five seasons.
LINE STACKS
Penguins at Blue Jackets
Evgeni Malkin (C - $7,900), Bryan Rust (W - $6,800), Jason Zucker (W - $4,700)
The Penguins boast an enviable top-six, and I'm going with their second line. Since the start of last season, the Blue Jackets have allowed 35.1 shots on goal per game. That's not ideal with the goaltending they've been getting with Elvis Merzlikins producing a 3.61 GAA and .872 save percentage to go with a 3.22/.907 last year.
Malkin is healthy to start this season, and he's shown he still has it. The Russian has notched at least one point in all four games plus 19 shots on net. The presence of Rickard Rakell has moved Rust down to the second line, but fortunately that hasn't hurt his performance with five points, including two on the power play where he reunites with Sidney Crosby. Zucker, like Malkin, experienced health issues last year but also bad puck luck. He's registered one goal on 10 shots on net, but also three assists.
Stars at Canadiens
Tyler Seguin (C - $6,100), Mason Marchment (W - $5,600), Ty Dellandrea (W - $4,100)
Since the start of last season, the Canadiens have struggled to a 3.79 GAA and have averaged 34.2 shots against. Jake Allen is off to a hot start, but posted a 3.01 GAA and .906 save percentage during his previous two years in Montreal. I think regression shall arrive soon enough.
Jamie Benn has fallen off from his heyday, but Seguin still has it with five points in four games and 24 goals and 25 assists last year. The arrival of Marchment has helped Seguin get off to a good start with three goals and three assists after 47 points as a Panther. Dellandrea is getting his first real look in the NHL. The 22-year-old has averaged 15:55 in ice time and has picked up an assist. Playing on this line should pay off soon enough.
DEFENSE
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. COL ($6,300): Pietrangelo doesn't have a goal yet, but his playmaking has been on point with five assists, including two on the power play. The Avalanche are the one team on the road for the second night of a back-to-back Saturday. Alexandar Georgiev will likely be in net, and he enters with a career .908 save percentage.
Brent Burns, CAR at CGY ($6,200): Burns is playing fewer minutes with the Hurricanes, but remains active offensively with three assists and 17 shots on goal. If he keeps shooting like that, pucks are going to find the back of the net. Burns has also averaged 3:12 on the power play replacing Tony DeAngelo. Jacob Markstrom was great last season, but he's currently at a 3.43 GAA and .862 save percentage. It's only three games, but two seasons ago he managed a 2.66/.904 line.
Jeff Petry, PIT at CLM ($5,500): There's usually somebody on the Penguins' blue line that steps up to be the secondary option behind Kris Letang. This time, it's newcomer Petry. Before last season's struggles, he recorded four straight seasons of at least 40 points. This year, he's at four points through four games and has received secondary power-play time. I noted in my Penguins stack that Merzlikins has a 3.61 GAA and .872 save percentage this season, and the scary thing is he's still Columbus' best option.
