This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
College football is all well and good, but the NHL is here to remind you Saturdays are also for hockey. A lot of puck, in this instance. Starting at 7 p.m. ET with 12 games. That's officially 75 percent of the teams! It's time to get into the recommendations to make this a successful Saturday for DFS players.
SLATE PREVIEW
Unsurprisingly, teams on both ends offensively and defensively are in action. But weirdly, the top-scoring team going against a bottom-feeding defense is…the Wild? In terms of those on a back-to-back we have the Sabres (home), Maple Leafs (away), Blue Jackets (home), Hurricanes (home), Flyers (away), and Coyotes (away). Buffalo and Toronto are playing each other, which somewhat cancels out.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. VAN ($8,400): Lehner has posted a 2.72 GAA, but that's because he's been facing a lot of shots. His .919 save percentage is more indicative of his quality level. The Canucks have managed 32.1 shots on net per contest, but have also only averaged 2.50 goals. Lehner may be busy, but it might not matter with the way he's playing.
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. ARI ($7,700): There was nowhere else to start. Saros has a 2.28 GAA for the second straight season to go with a .925 save percentage. The Coyotes are last in goals scored and team GAA. If the Preds don't pick up a win here, it may be the biggest surprise result of the season.
Elvis Merzlikins, CLM vs. NYR ($7,200): It's a bit of a gamble to go with a goalie playing behind a team on a back-to-back, but at least the Blue Jackets are at home for both contedts. Merzlikins also comes in with a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage. The Rangers have gotten off to a slow start offensively, hindered by the fact they've only recorded 25.7 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAYS
Brady Tkachuk, OTT vs. PIT ($7,200): Tristan Jarry didn't travel with the Pens to Ottawa, and that changes things. Casey DeSmith has made two starts this season allowing nine goals. Now he'll be behind a defense that's given up 33.3 shots on net per contest. Tkachuk was absent when the season began, but has produced six points and three shots on goal over 10 outings, including three in his last four.
Mikael Granlund, NAS vs. ARI ($4,600): Granlund has been keeping his teammates happy this season with 13 assists in addition to two goals. That's helped him rise to Nashville's top line and power-play unit. The Coyotes carry the league's highest GAA and are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Granlund could easily add a couple more helpers to his total. Heck, maybe he'll even light the lamp.
Arthur Kaliyev, LOS at WPG ($4,000): The Kings are pretty much just using Kaliyev as a power-play piece right now. Though he tends to skate on LA's fourth line, he's averaged 2:15 per game with the extra man with three power-play points. It's a little early in the season, but it's still worth noting the Jets have a bottom-three penalty kill.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Wild at Kraken: Frederick Gaudreau (C - $3,700), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $7,200), Mats Zuccarello (W - $4,700)
Offensively, the expansion Kraken haven't been so bad averaging 2.86 goals. On the other hand, they've struggled with a 3.64 GAA. The goaltending has been woeful, and the Wild have averaged 35.2 shots on net per contest. Gaudreau is only here because he's currently centering a line with these two wings. That being said, he's only contributed five points even though his 4.5 shooting percentage should improve. Speaking of expected regression, Kaprizov's 6.8 shooting percentage is bound to rise. He's racked 44 shots on net which have yielded three goals along with eight assists. Zuccarello has produced nine points in nine appearances, and has two of those and eight shots since returning to the lineup.
Penguins at Senators: Jeff Carter (C - $6,300), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,200), Bryan Rust (W - $6,400)
Jarry may not be available Saturday, but Pittsburgh's top line will be. We're used to Guentzel and Rust being on the wing for the first unit, but Carter is the main pivot with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both out. This trio will be squaring off with a Senators squad with a 3.46 GAA that has given up 34.5 shots on net per contest. Ottawa and Detroit are the two teams in the bottom-five in both categories.
Carter has been really actively this season with 36 shots on goal while adding seven points. Guentzel has eight of his own, and only one has come on the power play even though he's averaged 4:19 with the extra man. He racked up 18 PPPs last year, so more production should come. Rust has four points in five games, including three in three since coming back.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NAS vs. ARI ($6,900): The Preds don't really have a second blueline option for DFS players, so I'm not going to get cute because this matchup is too lucrative for that. Josi has posted 12 points and has directed 40 shots on net. Seven of his points have come on the power play. The Coyotes are, unsurprisingly, in the bottom-three on the penalty kill and of course are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. VAN ($6,700): You know who is down there with the Coyotes at the bottom of the penalty kill rankings? The Canucks. Pietrangelo got off to a slow start, but is on fire now with six points in his last five outings, including three with the extra man.
Filip Hronek, DET vs. MON ($4,200): Hronek has been overshadowed by Calder favorite Moritz Seider, but he's no slouch with seven points. In each of the last two years, he's boasted double-digit power-play hauls. Montreal comes in with a 3.33 GAA and a bottom-five penalty kill, which bodes well for Hronek.
