This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are 10 NHL games Saturday night, and here's a bit of information to help you make your DFS choices.
SLATE PREVIEW
What happens when an expansion team is on the road against what seems to be the worst team in the NHL? We'll find out Saturday when the Kraken visit the Coyotes. Arizona, by the way, is also on the second leg of a back-to-back, having played in Anaheim on Friday. Meanwhile, the Jets are at home for the second day in a row, the Rangers are pulling a classic Alberta doubleheader, and the Devils have traveled up the coast from Los Angeles to San Jose.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, SEA at ARI ($8,400): The Coyotes are last in goals and shots on net per game. This team is punchless, and personally I have not been surprised in the least by that. Grubauer's numbers have not been as good s they were in Colorado, but he doesn't have quite the same defense in front of him. However, he does have a 1.51 GAA and .935 save percentage in his last four starts.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. NYR ($8,100): Markstrom's numbers will likely regress, but he nevertheless has an 1.86 GAA and .936 save percentage in eight starts. On the flip side, I expect the Rangers' offense to regress in a positive way and get out of the bottom 10 in goals and shots on net per contest. Playing on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back? Maybe not the day for New York to find that regression.
Robin Lehner, VGK at MON ($7,800): The Golden Knights have been porous defensively, and with largely the same defensive corps in place, that might not continue. That will make things easier on Lehner, who has a 2.88 GAA in spite of a .915 save percentage. The Canadiens might not threaten Lehner as much, as they've only averaged 2.00 goals and 29.1 shots on net per contest.
VALUE PLAYS
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at MON ($5,100): The Golden Knights are missing some key players, but fortunately Marchessault is starting to step up. He has five points in his last four contests. Meanwhile, without Carey Price around the Canadiens have a 3.33 GAA through 12 games.
Dylan Cozens, BUF vs. DET ($3,900): Cozens was the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and the Sabres are giving him a chance to play. The young center has five points in 10 games, and he's started 63.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among Buffalo forwards. Detroit is playing some exciting games, and part of that is because it has a 3.55 GAA and has allowed 34.3 shots on net per contest.
Jaden Schwartz, SEA at ARI ($3,800): Schwartz is on a five-game point streak, and he just had three points in his last outing. Additionally, he notably has zero power-play points in spite of the fact he's averaged 3:19 per game with the extra man. That's not likely to continue. The Coyotes are down at the bottom of the rankings in GAA and penalty-kill percentage, and they also are on the second day of a back-to-back.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Sharks vs. Devils: Logan Couture (C - $6,500), Jonathan Dahlen (W - $5,000), William Eklund (W - $2,500)
The Sharks are dealing with some injuries, which is leaving the veteran Couture centering a line of two promising young players. Even though Mackenzie Blackwood is back – so much so that Scott Wedgewood was waived – the Devils are still on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier aren't exactly elite goalies, as they both had GAAs right around 3.00 last season.
Couture is lighting it up whoever is on his wing, as he has 10 points in nine games. He's also put 27 shots on net as well. The 23-year-old Dahlen is a rookie who started the season with some upside, and he already has four goals and two assists. Eklund, meanwhile, is only 19 and was the seventh-overall pick in 2021, but he has four assists so far, including three on the power play.
Penguins vs. Wild: Jeff Carter (C - $5,900), Jake Guentzel (W - $6,500), Danton Heinen (W - $3,500)
Sidney Crosby was back for one game before being out of the lineup again. Evgeni Malkin is still not back. Nevertheless, the refurbished Pittsburgh top line is still a worthwhile option. The Wild have a 3.33 GAA. Carter has five points, but he's only played in six games. That's with a 5.0 shooting percentage that is definitely going to improve. Guentzel managed 57 points in 56 contests last year and has five points in eight games this season with a 7.7 shooting percentage. Heinen is in his first season with the Penguins and has seven points in nine games, including one in each of his last two games.
DEFENSE
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. COL ($6,300): With no Seth Jones around, Werenski has averaged 26:13 in ice time, including 3:14 on the power play. So far, he's tallied six points and 25 shots on net in nine games. The Avalanche were so strong defensively and in net last year, but this year they have a 3.56 GAA. It's a small-sample size, but it's notable enough for me to go with Werenski.
Shea Theodore, VGK at MON ($6,000): Theodore has been a points producer, but particularly a shot producer. He had 161 shots on net in 53 games last year, and 219 in 71 games the season prior. This year, the defenseman has 28 shots on goal in 10 games. Putting shots on net against Montreal and its 3.33 GAA should bode well for Theodore.
Mark Giordano, SEA at ARI ($5,800): Giordano is playing fewer minutes than usual, but with an increased role on the power play. The veteran defenseman has averaged 3:47 per game with the extra man. As I noted, the Coyotes have one of the league's worst penalty kills, and then there is the back-to-back thing.
