This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's the perfect Saturday for hockey with light college football and NBA schedules. The NHL will have almost every team in action with 11 games beginning at 7 p.m. EST or later. Here are my lineup recommendations for your DFS contests.
SLATE PREVIEW
Friday was a light day for the league with only one matchup. One of the teams that played - the Senators - are also going on Saturday. They host the Penguins and their highest GAA in the NHL, so that game could be high-scoring.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. STL ($8,600): It's only 21 games, but Oettinger's home/road splits have been very different. At home, he's posted a 2.08 GAA and .925 save percentage through 12 outings. Not only is Oettinger in Dallas on Saturday, but the Blues are bottom-eight in both average goals and shots on net.
Karel Vejmelka, UTA at SAN ($7,800): I was a little on the fence here as the Sharks do look better with Macklin Celebrini in the lineup. That being said, San Jose has averaged 2.75 goals and 27.5 shots with Celebrini appearing in 20 of 32 games. Vejmelka may be having one of those outlier seasons goaltenders are known to have with a 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage through 16 outings.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. BOS ($7,700): Demko made his season debut Tuesday after recording a .918 save percentage last year. And Boston is ranked 29th in offense at 2.48 goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Guenther, UTA at SAN ($6,600): Maybe you didn't notice Guenther last season as he only managed 45 games, though he produced 18 goals and 17 assists. The 21-year-old is currently at 12 and 16 of each through 29 matchups. San Jose has allowed 32.3 shots on net per game, and I don't think Alexandar Georgiev is anything more than a placeholder for Yaroslav Askarov as he's posted a .892 save percentage over the last two campaigns.
Sean Monahan, CLM vs. ANA ($6,400): Defenseman Zach Werenski paces the Blue Jackets in shots, with Monahan the leader among their forwards with 78. He's also on a three-game scoring streak. I mentioned the shot quantity since the Ducks have allowed a league-high 32.9 shots per game, so Monahan should have plenty of opportunity to get pucks on net.
Cole Perfetti, WPG vs. MON ($5,400): Perfetti has 19 points overall and comes in with back-to-back efforts with an assist. I mentioned the Penguins have the league's highest GAA, and the Habs are right behind them at 3.74.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins at Senators
Evgeni Malkin (C - $5,900), Michael Bunting (W - $3,900), Philip Tomasino (W - $3,600)
As previously discussed, the Sens are the lone team on the second leg of a back-to-back. They also lack goaltending depth. Anton Forsberg and his .889 save percentage is set to start Saturday, which is in line with an .896 from the previous two seasons. The Penguins' second line offers potential bang-for-your-buck in this matchup.
Malkin seems to have slowed down a bit, yet has still tallied 25 points. He also holds a 9.7 shooting percentage after a 13.6 last year. Bunting is riding a four-game scoring streak. He also has six power-play points over his last 13 games and Ottawa maintains a bottom-10 penalty kill. Leaving Nashville's punchless offense has benefited Tomasino with three goals and an assist through seven appearances.
Ducks at Blue Jackets
Ryan Strome (C - $4,900), Frank Vatrano (W - $6,200), Troy Terry (W - $6,100)
This matchup could feature plenty of goals as the Ducks allow plenty of shots and the Blue Jackets posting a 3.55 GAA with two netminders carrying sub-.900 save percentages the last four seasons. Anaheim's top trio hasn't consistently been in form, though this matchup is conducive to getting them back on track.
Strome has notched 14 points, with two assists last time out. And the game before that, he registered five shots. Vatrano has experienced issues with his puck luck all year with 93 shots only yielded seven goals. Facing a team like Columbus could help on that front. Things may be turning around for Vatrano as he's found the back of net five times in his last nine outings. Terry has produced two goals and eight assists across his last nine alongside 31 shots, so that shooting percentage should eventually improve.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. MON ($6,600): Morrissey's production is no longer a surprise as he's currently at 28 points. That's with a 4.6 shooting percentage, which would be his lowest in four seasons. Morrissey will get a chance to improve that number against the Canadiens, who enter with a 3.72 GAA and just allowed nine goals to the Penguins.
Jakob Chychrun, WAS vs. BUF ($6,000): Chychrun has racked up 10 points over his last eight games to give him eight goals and 10 assists overall. It's perhaps not a coincidence his hot run of play coincides with moving to the top power-play unit. The Sabres have an average penalty kill, but that doesn't worry me with Chychrun's play as Buffalo also maintains a 3.24 GAA.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at DET ($5,500): Rielly is up to 16 points, including seven on the power play. He's moved to the second man-advantage after Auston Matthews returned, yet this matchup could still help as the Red Wings rank 31st on the penalty kill and Ville Husso will be starting with an .893 save percentage the last three seasons.
