This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturday's NHL action starts a bit earlier with the first matchup at 6 p.m. EDT. We have two Game 3s, which mean two series switching locations. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
This can be kept short and sweet. The goaltending situations for all four teams are clear, and the only real injury question that matters for DFS decisions is whether or not Pavel Dorofeyev returns having missed the last three games with an undisclosed issue.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. WAS ($8,100): The general talk about the Hurricanes has been: "The defense is so stout and the penalty kill is so strong, so if you think they're tough to play at home, wait until you have to take them on in their arena!" To be fair, this is an accurate assessment of the experience of facing Carolina as they were once again the best at suppressing shots and killing penalties. They've continued the first part into the playoffs with an average of 25.6 conceded while Andersen has posted a 1.55 GAA and .930 save percentage. The Caps eked out win on Thursday, yet they've struggled to get anything going offensively and will now have to try to do that on the road.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. WAS ($6,000): Logan Thompson has been no slouch by following up a strong campaign with an excellent run of play of late having only given up more than two goals once while registering a sub-.900 save percentage twice, though all of those instances came on the road against the Canadiens. Only four teams are playing Saturday and the Canes are imposing at home, so to avoid solely relying on Vegas-Edmonton being another 5-4 barnburner, I wanted to get somebody from this matchup. Jarvis finished the regular season hot and has kept that going with 27 points and 78 shots from his last 25 appearances.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Oilers vs. Golden Knights
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C - $5,200), Zach Hyman (W - $5,500), Evander Kane (W - $4,500)
When the playoffs roll around, stacking with the Oilers has traditionally been tricky. Whatever head coach is there at the time stops messing around, sticks Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together, and they usually deliver since they're the best duo since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. But stacking a line with those two really cramps your roster building, and in the past the depth of the Edmonton lineup has struggled to provide decent support. However, their second unit has recently been doing well and Vegas hasn't been as formidable defensively with Adin Hill producing a 3.16 GAA and .874 save percentage.
Nugent-Hopkins didn't record a point during the first two playoff outings, but has since notched a six-game scoring streak. Two of those were on the Oilers' elite top power play, with him being the only one of this trio who's currently on that group. And the Golden Knights quietly ranked 26th on the penalty kill this season. Hyman significantly dropped off from his 54 goals last year, though his 18.6 shooting percentage was always a bit high. His current 12.9 mark was fully in line with career production while 27 goals is still better than most NHLers. Hyman has also tallied seven postseason points, with one in each game this series. Kane got the LT-IR treatment and made his debut in the second playoff matchup while banishing Jeff Skinner to the Phantom Zone. His first matchup was a bit iffy, yet he's since picked up five points and 19 shots.
DEFENSEMAN
Noah Hanifin, VGK at EDM ($4,100): After a point in the first three appearances against the Wild, Hanifin experienced a brief drought before getting back on the scoresheet in Game 2 against Edmonton. He's certainly been active with 21 shots and 16 blocked shots. Calvin Pickard is a great story, but that's often a backhanded compliment while he carries a career .903 save percentage, has barely played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season, and began the playoffs backing up a struggling Stuart Skinner.
