This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sunday is going to be pretty wild, as it's both Selection Sunday and St. Patrick's Day. Saturday, fortunately, we can focus on the hockey action. Oh, there's a lot of it. There are nine games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later after a slate in the afternoon that isn't too shabby either. My focus is on those nine nighttime affairs, though, as that's where the DFS contests are focused. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
It was a very light Friday, with only two games taking place. We have one team on the second leg of a back-to-back, and it's the Kings. Notably, they do have to go from Chicago all the way to Dallas. There are a handful of teams on the first leg of a back-to-back, but the majority of them are playing during the day, so they don't come into play here.
GOALIES
Daniil Tarasov, CLM vs. SAN ($8,400): Tarasov has a .941 save percentage over his last seven games. Granted, that lifted his save percentage on the season to .903, but that's a notable run, and this is a great matchup. The Sharks have managed a mere 2.20 goals per game, but also a paltry 25.5 shots on net per contest. That latter number is truly remarkably low.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. MON ($8,200): Since I am recommending three goalies, I feel comfortable with recommending a netminder who is currently day-to-day and may not be ready to return, though he is projected to start Saturday. Markstrom has a 2.68 GAA and .910 save percentage, and the Flames have a top-five penalty kill. The Canadiens have averaged 2.73 goals and 28.1 shots on goal per contest, with a bad defense on their own end. If Markstrom is in net, he seems in line for a win, and perhaps a breezy return to action.
Juuse Saros, NAS at SEA ($7,700): It's been a tough season for Saros, but the Predators have played better recently to all but secure a playoff spot, and the Finnish netminder has been part of that. Over his last 12 outings, Saros has a 2.38 GAA and .925 save percentage. The bottom-four teams in goals per game are pretty much locked in, but the Kraken are currently rounding out the bottom five at 2.71 goals per contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex Ovechkin, WAS at VAN ($6,400): Ovechkin has, in a way, fallen off the radar. It's been a down year for him, and the Caps aren't going to make the playoffs, which plays a role. Even so, he has 49 points in 62 games, and that's with an 8.2 shooting percentage. Right now, with Casey DeSmith in net for the Canucks, this matchup is better for the opposition. DeSmith has an .897 save percentage.
Wyatt Johnston, DAL vs. LOS ($5,300): Wow, Johnston has really taken a leap this year. His recent run of play has been deeply impressive. The 20-year-old has 19 points and 59 shots on net over his last 15 outings. Yes, the Kings are in the top five in GAA and penalty-kill percentage, but they are also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. That's enough of a positive to tip the scales in Johnston's favor.
Boone Jenner, CLM vs. SAN ($6,400): Hey, Jenner has 20 goals! This is his third season in a row hitting that threshold. The Sharks allow a lot of goals! They have a 3.91 GAA, and with Tarasov's recent run of play dropping Columbus' team GAA, the Sharks are now comfortably last on that front.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Canadiens
Mikael Backlund (C - $4,500), Blake Coleman (W - $5,500), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $3,700)
Trading away Jake Allen didn't necessarily hurt the Habs much, but it's not exactly like the remaining options are robust. Sam Montembeault, the best netminder remaining, has a 3.11 GAA and .905 save percentage. Montreal has allowed 33.2 shots on net per game, which is in the bottom five. Calgary's second line may not be on your radar, but this is a day to get familiar with them.
Backlund's 7.1 shooting percentage is actually in line with what his career numbers indicate – he's just one of those guys – but his 182 shots on net in 66 games is encouraging with this particular matchup. Plus, he has nine points over his last 16 games, including three goals. Coleman is going to score 30 goals this year. Yeah, I didn't see that coming either. He has 28 goals through 66 games, including seven in his last 11 outings. Mangiapane was a 30-goal guy once, but he won't do that this season. Still, 37 points in 64 games is solid, and he has eight points in his last 10 contests.
Hurricanes at Maple Leafs
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,200), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,000), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $4,400)
Ilya Samsonov has 10 wins in his last 12 games, and a 2.64 GAA in that time. Those are positive starts. He also has a .904 save percentage in that time. That…is less positive. Toronto's defense is above average in terms of shots on net allowed per game, but only just, and clamped down on the Blues a couple times during this run, which helps the Russian netminder out. The Blues are 25th in shots on goal per contest, while the Hurricanes are sixth. Carolina's top line will likely make Samsonov busy, and Toronto is in the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage as well.
Business as usual for Aho. He's a point-a-game guy once more (68 in 63 games) with plenty of power-play acumen as well. The Finn has 25 points with the extra man this year. Svechnikov has been on fire. He has six goals and eight assists over his last 13 outings. Svechnikov has also put 29 shots on net over his last nine games. Teravainen is also on fire (it's almost like these three getting healthy and playing together is creating a virtuous circle). He had 11 points in seven games, and while he doesn't have a point in either of his last two contests, he put three shots on net in both of them.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. SAN ($6,300): Werenski is arguably the king of "good…when healthy" on the blue line, and fortunately he's been on a nice run of health. In 20 games since returning from injury he has 14 points and 62 shots on net. The Sharks are last in GAA, but they are also last in shots on net allowed per game for good measure.
Mario Ferraro, SAN at CLM ($4,700): Ferraro, the de facto top defenseman for the Sharks, has tallied 24 shots on net over his last 13 games. In that time, though, he has five games with three or more shots on net. Tarasov has played well in goal, but Columbus' defense is still poor. The Jackets have allowed 33.5 shots on goal per contest, second most in the NHL.
Torey Krug, STL vs. MIN ($4,500): Krug has averaged 2:58 per game on the power play with 11 points with the extra man in 66 games. It's his 11th season in a row with double-digit power-play points. The Wild have a poor penalty kill, down in the bottom five of the NHL.
