This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The first Saturday of March is packed with NHL action. While you enjoy some afternoon games, you can set your DFS lineups for DraftKings' main slate of contests. These contests consist of the eight games that start at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Only two teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and they happen to be playing one another. Ottawa goes from being at home to being on the road, while Philadelphia flips from the road to being at home.
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. PIT ($7,800): Markstrom has a chance to get in another start to bolster his trade resume (if he wants to be dealt, that is). He already has a 2.26 GAA and .927 save percentage over his last 21 appearances. Have the Penguins been unlucky? Sure. They've averaged 33.1 shots on net and 2.95 goals per game. On the other hand…they've only managed 2.95 goals per game.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. VGK ($7,500): Quietly, Luukkonen has given the Sabres a true number-one goalie. He has an 1.85 GAA and .933 save percentage across his last 19 outings. Vegas is 14th in goals per game, which is roughly average. However, right now Mark Stone is out, and we don't know if Jack Eichel will be ready to return just yet.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Connor Bedard, CHI vs. CLM ($6,800): Bedard has resumed his Calder campaign since returning from injury, with seven points and 18 shots on net in seven games. He may have effectively no talent around him, but the Jackets have a 3.68 GAA, which is 31st in the NHL. Even a one-man show can take advantage of that.
Tyson Foerster, PHI at OTT ($4,200): Sure, the Flyers are on the second day of a back-to-back, but so are the Senators. The Senators also happen to be in the bottom five in GAA and penalty-kill percentage. Foerster, a rookie, has gotten a role on the top line and first power-play unit. He also has eight points in his last eight games.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Canadiens at Lightning
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,200), Cole Caufield (W - $7,000), Juraj Slafkovsky (W - $4,700)
How many teams feature a top line with three top-15 picks? While the Habs, on the whole, are quite bad, this line has talent, and also a fair amount of production. Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy has an .896 save percentage, and it can no longer be blamed on rust after returning from injury. He has a 3.26 GAA and .887 save percentage over his last 13 games.
Suzuki has at least one point in 13 of his last 15 outings, including six multipoint games. On top of that, he's tallied 28 points with the extra man. Caufield has 19 goals, even though his 8.4 shooting percentage speaks to poor puck luck. Of course, that also speaks to how active he's been, and Caufield has tallied 226 shots on net through 60 games. Last season's first-overall pick, Slafkovsky is starting to come into his own. He has 31 points on the season, but 12 points and 35 shots on goal in his last 12 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TAM vs. MON ($6,300): Well, I did say the Canadiens were, all in all, quite bad. To that end, they are in the bottom six on GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. Hedman has experienced a resurgence this season thanks to his significant power-play role. The Swede has 26 points with the extra man in 60 games.
Thomas Harley, DAL vs. SAN ($5,000): Harley has slowed down after a torrid run that helped get him up to 35 points in 59 games. However, this matchup gives him a fine chance to return to that form once more. The Sharks, after all, are last in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest.
