This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's the first day of April, the month when the NHL playoffs start. Saturday is packed to the brim with action with 11 games on the evening docket. That's a lot of hockey, and it means plenty of options for your DFS lineups. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are three teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. The Coyotes are at home against the Sharks, the Sabres will travel to meet the Flyers and the Stars head to Colorado. And since Jake Oettinger started Friday, that leaves Matt Murray to face the Avs.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR at MON ($8,700): It's also possible Antti Raanta will be in net for this one with the Hurricanes also playing Sunday. Either way, Andersen or Raanta will be behind a defense that's allowed a league-low 26.1 shots per outing. The Canadiens have averaged 2.82 goals and 27.5 shots while carrying a lot of injuries.
Vitek Vanecek, NJD at CHI ($8,600): Vanecek has posted a 2.47 GAA, in large part because the Devils have only given up 28.3 shots. The Blackhawks have only managed 26.7 pucks on net, so Vanecek likely won't be too busy and his odds of picking up a win are quite high.
Alex Lyon, FLA at CLM ($7,500): Sergei Bobrovsky has been out with an illness, and Lyon has performed well in two starts by only allowing two goals in each start and winning both. There's a good chance of Lyon getting a third in a row if he's in net since the Blue Jackets are the worst team in the Eastern Conference and rank 30th in offense.
VALUE PLAYS
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. DAL ($7,000): Nichushkin is currently on Colorado's top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Perhaps not coincidentally, he's reeled off eight points and 25 shots in his last eight outings. The Stars are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Matt Murray will likely be in net. He's made three NHL appearances overall where he's posted an .844 save percentage.
Evander Kane, EDM vs. ANA ($7,000): Kane has revved it up recently with a goal in each of his last two games and a whopping 16 shots - including 11 versus Vegas. The Ducks have struggled to a 4.04 GAA and have allowed a staggering 39.1 shots, so Kane should be quite active again.
Scott Laughton, PHI vs. BUF ($5,100): In a lost season for the Flyers, Laughton has earned the biggest role in his career, and it's paid off as he's averaging 18:36 while picking up 18 goals and 41 points, both career-highs. The Sabres sit bottom-five in GAA, and they'll be on the road for the second straight day.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Panthers at Blue Jackets
Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,300), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $7,300), Anthony Duclair (W - $4,900)
The Blue Jackets have produced a 3.95 GAA and have allowed 35.2 shots. They also dealt away Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins is hurt, leaving Michael Hutchinson likely to start. The 33-year-old journeyman carries a career .904 save percentage, so Florida's first line should be able to take advantage.
Barkov has produced 68 points across 62 games, including 26 on the power play. Since missing three games with injury, he's recorded at least one point in 12 of his last 13 matchups. Verhaeghe has enjoyed a career year having fired 255 pucks on net while the Blue Jackets sit 30th in shots allowed. Duclair has endured an injury-plagued year and has only appeared in 14 games. He's healthy now and lists a 2.8 shooting percentage, so his numbers should improve.
Wild at Golden Knights
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $6,900), Matthew Boldy (W - $6,700), Marcus Johansson (W - $4,300)
It doesn't matter if it's Jonathan Quick or Laurent Brossoit since the Vegas goaltending situation is bleak. Being dealt hasn't salvaged things for Quick with an .896 save percentage since arriving. The veteran goalie has also recorded an .896 over his last five seasons. Brossoit is a veteran journeyman netminder with a career .906 mark. He's never played in more than 24 games during a season for a reason. With all that under consideration, I like Minnesota's second unit for a stack.
Even though his shooting percentage has dipped to 9.6, Eriksson Ek still has 59 points. And it helps that he's put 240 shots on target, a new personal-best. Boldy has been on fire with 11 goals in his last 10 outings. He's also accumulated 24 power-play points and the Golden Knights have the 19th-ranked penalty kill. It took Johansson a bit to get going with the Wild after moving from the Caps, but he's found his groove with 12 points in 14 games on his new club.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at CLM ($6,000): After a bit of a lull, Ekblad has managed an assist in each of his last three games. He's also active with 197 shots on the campaign. As previously noted, the Blue Jackets have given up a lot of shots.
Brady Skjei, CAR at MON ($4,800): Skjei has sneakily produced 16 goals and 17 assists this season. His 9.6 shooting percentage is a bit inflated, but he's also directed 167 pucks on net. The Habs have allowed 33.6 shots per game, a main reason why they're bottom-five in GAA.
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. ANA ($4,500): As a rookie, Bouchard notched 43 points. He started slowly this year, but has 13 points in his last 13 games - including six with the extra man. The Ducks maintain a bottom-three penalty kill and rank last in GAA.
