This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The first Saturday of November has some interesting games with early start times, but the evening slate – the main DFS slate – is still solid. We have seven games on the docket to work with starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations plucked from those 14 teams.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Ottawa hosts Seattle, while Buffalo visits Detroit. Also, with every team in the NHL playing at least nine games and the vast majority of the league into double digits, we're starting to get an actual sense of these teams as they are currently constructed. Unless I missed a team, the Hurricanes will be the only ones left to hit the 10-game mark after Saturday.
GOALIES
Adin Hill, VGK vs. UTA ($8,200): Hill's gotten off to a slow start, but he posted a shutout in his last outing. While Utah has averaged 3.09 goals per game, that's on a mere 26.8 shots on net per contest. There's also a good chance Hill gets the home win, given that Vegas has averaged 4.55 goals per game.
Cam Talbot, DET vs. BUF ($8,000): For a good goalie, Talbot has bounced around the league quite a bit. The Red Wings are his eighth team even though he has a career .913 save percentage. Fittingly, he has a .913 save percentage to start the 2024-25 season. Buffalo has been average in terms of goals per game, but it is the only team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday, so that's a point in Talbot's favor.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Lucas Raymond, DET vs. BUF ($4,600): It's been a strange start to the season for Raymond. He has 10 points through 10 games, but only one goal. This is after he had his first 30-goal campaign last year. Of course, there is an obvious thing one can point to: Raymond has a 5.9 shooting percentage. That will improve, and likely at least double. It might help the Swede to face the Sabres, who are in the bottom 10 in GAA and on the second night of a back-to-back.
Rickard Rakell, PIT vs. MON ($4,200): The Penguins have tried to get things percolating in the same style the Oilers use in such situations, which is to say putting their two best forwards, usually centers, on the same line. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have skated together, and Rakell has been the other guy in that trio. He's posted six goals on 33 shots on net through 12 games. The Canadiens have shown signs of regression defensively even though they were poor on that front last year. They have a 4.18 GAA and have given up 32.6 shots on net per contest.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canucks at Sharks
J.T. Miller (C - $6,300), Brock Boeser (W - $6,300), Danton Heinen (W - $2,700)
Congratulations to the Sharks for not being the worst defensive team in the NHL at this point in the season. Of course, they still have a 3.83 GAA and have given up 32.0 shots on net per contest, so they aren't exactly juggernauts on that end of the ice. Miller and Boeser stick together on a line and the top power-play unit, with the other member of the line fluctuating a bit. To that end, Heinen is that guy at the moment.
Miller had 103 points last year. He has nine points in nine games this season. He had 40 power-play points last season when he averaged 3:44 per game on the power play. Well, this year, he's averaged 4:02 per game with the extra man. Boeser has five goals after scoring 40 last year. He has four assists as well. Only twice this season has he been held without a point. Heinen scored 17 goals with the Bruins last season. He has four points in his first campaign with the Canucks. Notably, he's averaged 1:40 per game with the extra man as well.
Kraken at Senators
Matty Beniers (C - $4,400), Jared McCann (W - $6,500), Jordan Eberle (W - $5,100)
As noted, the Senators are on the second day of a back-to-back. Anton Forsberg will likely be in net. He has a 3.27 GAA and a .895 save percentage. He has a career .905 save percentage, so that's not surprising. Seattle's top line may be visiting Ottawa, but it could be a pleasant visit.
Looking to bounce back from a sophomore slump, Beniers has a four-game point streak. His shooting percentage is down to 9.1, so there's still room for improvement going forward. McCann has been the top goal scorer for the Kraken season in and season out, and he has five goals this season. However, this year he also has nine assists through 11 games. Eberle, Seattle's new captain, has six goals in 11 contests. It's also worth noting all three of these players are on the first power-play unit.
DEFENSEMEN
Mike Matheson, MTL at PIT ($6,200): Once again, Matheson has been dynamic on the blue line for the Canadiens. He has nine points (five on the power play), 16 shots on net and 33 blocked shots. All those points are assists, so he has even been a bit unlucky in all that production. Matheson gets to face his former team Saturday, and the Penguins have a 4.00 GAA and have given up 34.4 shots on goal per game.
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. UTA ($6,000): Theodore has picked up nine points in 10 games. He's been a real weapon on the power play, averaging 3:38 per game with the extra man and tallied five points on that front. The Utah Hockey Club has had some issues in goal – a 3.45 GAA with a middling penalty kill.
