This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The first Saturday of 2024 is bringing the hockey for us. There are 10 games on the docket starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. What's the scoop on these matchups? Here are my recommendations for your DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Hurricanes – first in the league in shots on net allowed per game – are at home. New Jersey is also at home, but also in the bottom five in GAA.
GOALIES
Martin Jones, TOR at SAN ($8,500): Jones' best seasons came in San Jose, but the 33-year-old journeyman has largely been mediocre for a long time. Surprisingly, he has a .930 save percentage in 10 appearances for the Maple Leafs, a nice reminder that almost any goalie can get hot for a bit. Of course, a netminder need not be hot for this matchup. The Sharks are comfortably last in goals per game at a mere 2.03.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at MON ($8,200): Even with a bad day against the Hurricanes recently, Shesterkin is 6-1-0 in his last seven outings with a 2.12 GAA and .923 save percentage. It's been a frustrating year for the one-time Vezina winner, but he's largely been on his game as of late. The Canadiens, 27th in both goals and shots on net per game, should help Shesterkin stay on track.
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN at CLM ($8,000): With Filip Gustavsson out, Fleury is shouldering the load for the Wild. Over his last six outings he has a 2.66 GAA and .915 save percentage, which is sufficient. Facing Columbus is a great matchup to pick up a win, and it also helps Fleury that Columbus has averaged 29.2 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Gustav Nyquist, NAS at DAL ($4,500): Nyquist is on a seven-game point streak, with a good chance of making it eight. Though Jake Oettinger was not playing well before his injury, the Stars could still really use him back. Scott Wedgewood has a 3.11 GAA and .897 save percentage.
Ilya Mikheyev, VAN at NJD ($3,700): The Canucks don't have much in the way of secondary scoring. Mikheyev is on the top line, next to Elias Pettersson, and he's contributed here and there. The Russian has 10 goals and 11 assists through 34 games. As I noted, the Devils are in the bottom five in GAA, and also on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Tyler Bertuzzi, TOR at SAN ($3,300): Bertuzzi has struggled to live up to his 30-goal season a couple years ago, but he's played well recently. He has seven points in his last nine contests, and that's with a 7.7 shooting percentage that should improve. The Sharks are only just below the Islanders in shots on goal allowed per game, but their 4.03 GAA is last by a sizable margin.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Wild at Blue Jackets
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $7,500), Matt Boldy (W - $5,900), Marcus Johansson (W - $3,500)
If you have set the Wild aside in your mind while Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello are out, it's time to reconsider them. Their first line still has plenty of talent on it. Also, the Blue Jackets have a 3.63 GAA and have allowed 34.4 shots on net per game, both in the bottom three in the NHL. Minnesota doesn't need Kaprizov and Zuccarello for this matchup.
Eriksson Ek has picked up 25 points in 37 games, but it's his shooting prowess that stands out to me. The Swede has put a whopping 145 shots on net, including 47 over his last 10 contests. Boldy's season was up and down early on under former coach Dean Evanson, but things have turned around. Since the start of December he's averaged 18:45 per game, including 3:22 on the power play, and has nine goals in 16 contests. Johansson has had some bad puck luck, as he has a 6.6 shooting percentage. However, even with that he's managed 12 points over his last 15 games.
Rangers at Canadiens
Vincent Trocheck (C - $6,100), Artemi Panarin (W - $8,700), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $4,200)
The Canadiens have allowed 33.1 shots on net per contest, and while Sam Montembeault has been their best goalie, he still has a .903 save percentage. Additionally, he's allowed at least three goals in each of his last six starts. Thus, no reason to eschew the Rangers' second line for a stack, especially for me, with two of my longtime non-star favorites on this line.
Trocheck has a four-point game and a three-point game among his last three outings, though obviously expecting that level of production might be excessive. However, he does have 13 points on the power play this year, and the Canadiens rank 31st on the penalty kill. Panarin is, you know, doing what he does. He scores in bunches, and on the year he has a whopping 53 points through 37 games, with 23 of those coming on the power play. Lafreniere doesn't play much with the extra man, but that hasn't stopped him from producing. In fact, he has seven points over his last eight games, and with 90 shots on net through 37 contests, the 22-year-old is shooting more than ever by a comfortable margin.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. OTT ($6,700): I mentioned the Canadiens have the 31st-ranked penalty kill. Well, the Senators are last. That's perfect for Bouchard. He's averaged 3:35 per game with the extra man and has 17 power-play points through 35 games.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at SAN ($6,200): Rielly has been on fire. The defenseman has 13 points through his last 14 outings, and has 40 shots on net during that time as well. As I noted, San Jose has a 4.03 GAA, last in the NHL.
Filip Hronek, VAN at NJD ($4,400): Hronek may have been held without a point for five games in a row, but before that he was consistently contributing. He has 29 points in 38 games, and that's with a 2.6 shooting percentage. Maybe this will get Hronek back on track, as the Devils are on the second leg of a back-to-back, with Nico Daws in line to start.
