This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday is rich with hockey action. Even the evening slate starting at 7 p.m. EST contains eight games, with six beginning at 10. Here are my DFS recommendations for these matchups.
SLATE PREVIEW
Perhaps the reason there are so many late games - aside from the home cities - is the Stadium Series matchup between the Hurricanes and Capitals at 8 p.m. EST. Those games sometimes play out normally. And then you'll have the ones with weird weather-related matters, bad ice, glare in goaltenders' eyes, etc. Your mileage will vary on your willingness to partake. There are also two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back with the Kings hosting the Coyotes and the Rangers visiting the Flames.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. MON ($8,900): Samsonov missed practice Friday with an illness, which is a concern. He boasts a 16-2-1 record at home with a 2.06 GAA and .924 save percentage, so those numbers should stand out if he's able to start. The Canadiens are in the bottom-five in goals and shots per game, so Samsonov would likely have a light workload if he plays.
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. WAS ($8,500): Andersen is worth a shot in the Stadium Series matchup, at least with a sketchy selection of goalies to pick from. While his own play has been much worse than last season when he managed a .922 save percentage, it's only been 17 games. Andersen still maintains a 2.61 GAA with the Canes allowing a league-low 26.4 shots. The Caps have averaged 3.04 goals, which is just below average, but they'll be without Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson.
VALUE PLAYS
Kevin Hayes, PHI at VAN ($6,900): Hayes represented the Flyers at the All-Star Game, and since then he's added two goals to give him 47 points on the season. He's also averaged 3:00 on the power play, where he's notched 15 points. The power-play prowess comes to the forefront in this matchup with the Canucks carrying the league's worst penalty kill.
Lawson Crouse, ARI at LOS ($6,100): Last season, Crouse stepped up with 20 goals in 65 games. This year, he's already at 19. His 19.4 shooting percentage may seem a little high, but he recorded a 15.3 last season. That shooting ability could come into play as the Kings rank top-10 in shots allowed, but just outside the bottom-10 in GAA because their goalies are subpar. Being on the second leg of a back-to-back, LA will likely start Jonathan Quick with his 3.41 GAA and .881 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Rangers
Elias Lindholm (C - $6,500), Tyler Toffoli (W - $7,200), Dillon Dube (W – $5,400)
At their best, the Rangers aren't a team to mess with. But they just played Friday with Igor Shesterkin starting, which should mean Jaroslav Halak will be in goal against the Flames. Halak is 37, and over the last three seasons has struggled to a .905 save percentage. I'm going with Calgary's top line as the Rangers still provide some opposition.
Nazem Kadri was an All-Star, but Lindholm is no slouch and is still the first-line center and on the top power-play unit. He's at 49 points, including 15 over 17 outings in 2023. Toffoli has pelted the net with 169 shots, which has helped him light the lamp 22 times. Dube has already set a personal-high with 34 points, owing in part to getting kicked up to the top trio. He's also notched seven points and 17 shots during his last five games.
Canucks vs. Flyers
J.T. Miller (C - $7,000), Conor Garland (W - $5,100), Phil Di Giuseppe (W - $3,700)
These are two teams in slightly different stages of rebuilding. The Canucks are at home here, and Carter Hart is a high-variance goalie. All in all, he's posted a 2.85 GAA and .911 save percentage. For all the hype that came with Hart's NHL debut, he's registered a .907 save percentage across five seasons. Due to injuries, trades, and a new head coach, the Canucks have swapped the roster around in the lineup, so these three represent the second line.
Miller is the star here after racking up 99 points last season and currently at 49, with seven in his last seven appearances. Garland has been more erratic, but he's on an upswing with eight points from 10 games. I'm skeptical of Di Giuseppe. He's a 29-year-old journeyman whose typical role has been as a fourth liner. However, he was called up right before the break and has since produced two points and 19 shots. Tanner Pearson and Ilya Mikheyev are both out long-term, so someone has to be on Miller's wing.
DEFENSEMEN
Tony DeAngelo, PHI at VAN ($6,100): When a penalty kill is as bad as Vancouver's, you have to take advantage. The Kraken rank 31st on the penalty kill, but are closer to 19th than the Canucks are to the Kraken. DeAngelo, meanwhile, has averaged 3:15 with the extra man and has posted 15 power-play points.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. MON ($5,900): Rielly is riding a five-game point streak, one I could easily see becoming six in this matchup. The Canadiens come in with a 3.64 GAA and have allowed 33.8 shots. Rielly also recently tallied his first two goals of the season. While he's not exactly Brent Burns, Rielly's 2.5 shooting percentage is below his 4.7 career number.
