This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The biggest hockey thing happening Saturday is the Frozen Four finale between Boston University and Western Michigan. I'll be watching that as the Broncos did away with the Denver Pioneers, and I'm no fan of dynasties. On the NHL front, there will be six games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later for DFS purposes. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Two teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, both will be on the road, and both started their better goalies on Friday. And that would be the Wild and Canadiens, which should bode well for their opponents in the Canucks and Leafs.
GOALIES
Akira Schmid, VGK vs. NAS ($8,300): The RotoWire goalie grid is saying Schmid will sneak in a start on Saturday, and I can see that. Vegas is pretty comfortable in terms of postseason positioning, and this is a great opportunity to play your interim backup. The Preds are going to finish last in goals per game. And Schmid has fared well in limited action since Ilya Samsonov's injury with a .945 save percentage over what roughly amounts to three games' worth of action.
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. MON ($8,200): Speaking of second-stringers, Woll seems like the obvious choice for Saturday as the Leafs will be on the first of consecutive days with a trip to Carolina looming Sunday. He's posted a .907 save percentage on the season with a .919 from his last five starts. Montreal is middling on offense, yet being on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back probably won't help.
TOP TARGETS/VALUE PLAYS
Matthew Knies, TOR vs. MON ($5,900): I thought Knies would improve upon his rookie campaign - especially if he got to stick on Auston Matthews' wing - but he's exceeded my expectations. He's one goal short of 30 on the campaign and just notched a hat-trick on six shots. In fact, it was the second time from the last three games where Knies managed to direct six pucks on net. Jakub Dobes only allowed one goal in his last start, but it was against Nashville. And on the season, he still has a .904 save percentage.
Conor Garland, VAN vs. MIN ($5,600): Garland has racked up eight points during his last nine outings. Vancouver's endured some offensive issues this year, yet he's still managed 19 goals and 30 assists. I mentioned the Wild are closing out a back-to-back, and it's Marc-Andre Fleury's turn between the pipes. He'll eventually get into the Hall of Fame and people will forget he finished his career by posting sub-.900 save percentages in each of his last two seasons, but that day isn't Saturday.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Jets at Blackhawks
Mark Scheifele (C - $6,300), Kyle Connor (W - $7,900), Alex Iafallo (W - $4,500)
A hierarchy of sorts has been established. The Sharks are going to finish last in GAA with Chicago at 31st. It would also appear the Blackhawks will end up 30th in shots allowed. The dynamic duo of Scheifele and Connor is underrated in the grand scheme of things. And with Gabriel Vilardi out, they've been joined by Iafallo and have kept on producing points.
This has proven to be the best season of Scheifele's career with 38 goals and 85 points, the latter a personal-best. And only once over his last 10 games has he failed to find the scoresheet. Connor just secured his second 40-goal campaign. He's also put 257 shots on target. Playing with forwards like that can really boost your upside, and Iafallo has posted a point in three of his last four.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG at CHI ($6,100): Given that the Blackhawks maintain a 3.57 GAA, it's also worth having Winnipeg's top defenseman. With three assists from his last two matchups, Morrissey is up to 59 points overall. He's also shooting more with 23 shots over his last 10.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. STL ($4,200): The Blues have surged late while the Kraken have languished. However, Dunn still has seven points in his last 12 games. He's also tallied 11 power-play points across 60 games while St. Louis ranks 27th in penalty-kill percentage.
